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My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

In union with Pope Benedict XVI, I wish to exhort all lectors to be convinced of the importance of their ministry: “I urge that every effort be made to ensure that the liturgical proclamation of the word of God is entrusted to well-prepared readers. Let us never forget that ‘when the Sacred Scriptures are read in the Church, God himself speaks to his people’”. (Sacramentum Caritatis, 45)

Lectors have the grave obligation to proclaim the Word of the Lord effectively. To this end, they should exert every effort to study the Scripture readings, meditate on them, and live what they proclaim. Through diligent and prayerful preparation the lectors will be able to proclaim the Word of the Lord and not simply read, as if by routine, the text of the Scriptures before the Christian assembly.

More than forty years after the Council, it is timely that our Christians communities evaluate their progress in the area of proclaiming God’s word. It is not enough that the biblical passages are read in the vernacular: they should also be proclaimed with care, preparation, and devout attention so that the Word of God may touch the minds and hearts of Christ’s faithful gathered as a Sunday assembly. (Mane Nobiscum Domine, 13) ·

Lectors, especially those assigned for Sunday celebrations, are to come together during the week to study the Sunday readings, meditate devoutly on them, and discover the significance of the Word of God in their lives. (Dies Domini, 45)
Lectors should employ every means so that they may proclaim effectively the Word of God. They need to prepare and familiarize themselves with the biblical text before they proclaim it to the assembly. ·
When there is no deacon, a reader may carry the Book of the Gospels in front of the presiding priest in the entrance procession and lay it on the center of the altar. (GIRM, 118b, 119,120 194-5)
When there is no deacon, the reader announces the intentions of the General intercessions from the ambo. (GIRM, 71,197)

As you strive to meditate constantly on God’s Word, may you grow in its wisdom and faithfully proclaim it to God’s people.

+GAUDENCIO B. CARDINAL ROSALES

Archbishop of Manila

Praise to you, Lord God, King of the universe,

And all glory to your name.

I praise you and thank you for calling me

To proclaim your word to your beloved people.

Open the hearts of all who worship with us,

So that they may hear your voice when I read.

Let nothing in my life or manner disturb your people

Or close their hearts to the action of your Spirit.

Cleanse my heart and mind,

And open my lips so that I may proclaim your glory.

All praise to you, heavenly Father, through the Lord Jesus, in the Holy Spirit,

Now and forever. Amen.

- published as “A Reader’s Prayer” in the National Bulletin on Liturgy, #50

CALL AND COMMISSIONING OF ISAIAH

Then I said, "Woe is me, I am doomed! For I am a man of unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!" Then one of the seraphim flew to me, holding an ember that he had taken with tongs from the altar.

He touched my mouth with it and said, "See, now that this has touched your lips, your wickedness is removed, your sin purged."

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?" "Here I am," I said; "send me!"

- Isaiah 6:5-8

CALL AND COMMISSIONING OF JEREMIAH

Now the word of the LORD came to me saying, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations." Then I said, "Alas, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, Because I am a youth." But the LORD said to me, "Do not say, 'I am a youth,' Because everywhere I send you, you shall go, And all that I command you, you shall speak. "Do not be afraid of them, For I am with you to deliver you," declares the LORD. Then the LORD stretched out His hand and touched my mouth, and the LORD said to me, "Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.

- Jeremiah 1:4-9

1. Thou shall not read from sheets of throwaway missalettes.

2. Thou shall not announce numbers of pages, scripture chapters and verses, or the summary statements attached to the readings.

3. Thou shall not add words to the texts, such as “and this is the word of the Lord.”

4. Thou shall not contribute to noise pollution by overstating the obvious, as in “The response for today’s psalm is…”

5. Thou shall not announce intercessions or announcements or proclaim scripture without first practicing the words out loud.

6. Thou shall not overdo the “fido comments” such as sit!, stand! or kneel!

7. Thou shall not run from or toward the pulpit, except in cases of true human emergency.

8. Thou shall not begin to proclaim God’s word while people are still shifting their posture from one position to the other.

9. Thou shall not simply read God’s word, as though it were a novel or a citation from the telephone directory.

10. Thou shall not forget the privilege and responsibility accorded you as a minister of the word.

- Taken from: “Making God’s Word Our Own”

By Dr. Nancy Benvenga and

Rev. Christopher Heller

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