LECTORS - Easter B - The Word This Week

2024

March 31, 2024

FIRST READINGSECOND READINGNOTES

FIRST READING

From Acts of the Apostles, Peter’s quick re-cap of Jesus’ saving life, death and resurrection to the Gentiles at Cornelius’ house. All to be delivered with awe and joy!!

SECOND READING

A short reading from Colossians – take your time, hold your eye contact with each line, and be joyful! Ha! that’s all : )

As a lector, it is an important responsibility to effectively convey the Word of God to the congregation during the Mass. Although tips on what words and phrases to emphasize and when to pause can be helpful, your delivery should ultimately depend on your own prayerful interpretation of the passage. From the series of tips given each week on this page, reader should choose which verses and words they want to emphasize. It’s important to find a balance that helps communicate the message effectively.

1. Familiarize yourself with the text

Read and study the Scripture passage several times before the Mass. Understand the context, the message it conveys, and the emotions it evokes.

2. Practice pronunciation and enunciation

Ensure that you know how to properly pronounce the words and names mentioned in the passage. Practice enunciating clearly and maintaining a steady pace throughout.

3. Use appropriate intonation and emphasis

Experiment with different ways to emphasize certain words or phrases that carry significant meaning. This can help in conveying the depth and impact of the message to the congregation.

4. Maintain a calm and confident demeanor

Approach the ambo with a serene presence and a sense of confidence. Maintain good posture, make eye contact with the congregation, and avoid rushing through the reading.

5. Speak slowly and clearly

Take your time while reading, ensuring that the words are clearly audible to everyone present. However, avoid artificially elongating words or sentences, as it may sound unnatural.

6. Pause when necessary

Pause at appropriate intervals, particularly at natural breaks in the text, such as commas or full stops. Pausing can help listeners absorb the message and reflect on its meaning.

7. Use nonverbal cues

Employ body language and gestures to effectively convey the emotions and ideas expressed in the passage. However, be mindful that gestures do not distract from the message or become exaggerated.

8. Maintain a respectful tone

Be mindful of the emotions conveyed in the words and try to transmit them genuinely to the congregation.

9. Breathe and relax

Take a deep breath before beginning the reading to calm any nerves or anxiety. Remember, you are called to facilitate a meaningful encounter with the Word of God, and the Holy Spirit will guide you.

10. Pray before and after your reading

Seek God’s guidance and ask for His grace to effectively convey His message to the congregation. Offer a prayer of thanksgiving after the reading, asking for a blessing on the listeners and yourself.

By following these practical tips, you will be better equipped to deliver a clear, engaging, and spiritually uplifting reading during Mass.

Lector Notes

Ask your presider to tell your listeners (or tell them yourself): Easter Sunday, March 31, 2024 Before the first reading: This is the apostle Peter’s first speech before an audience of Gentiles. Peter has only recently become convinced that the Gentiles are even part of God’s plan. He summarizes the whole gospel for them. After the psalm, before the second reading (if from Colossians): Saint Paul often writes about how Christ should influence our behavior. This passage is about how our thoughts should change, as a result of the resurrection of Jesus. After the psalm, before the alternate second reading (from 1 Corinthians): Saint Paul invokes images from the art of baking, and from the historic passover of the Jews escaping slavery, to express the transformation that the risen Christ works in us. Before the gospel acclamation: [Give no introduction to this gospel passage.] First Reading, Acts 10:34, 37-43 The Historical Situation: This is Peter’s first speech to a Gentile audience, new territory for him. Your proclamation of it will be better if you walk a mile in his sandals first by reading all of Acts, Chapter 10. You’ll see what a big change Peter had to go through before he could speak to this group. The Historical Situation of The Acts of the Apostles: Remember that Saint Luke wrote Acts for Gentile converts to Christ. They knew little of the background of the religion that Jesus and his first followers practiced, except, perhaps, that Jews were famously insular and considered themselves God’s (only) chosen people. The early Gentile converts needed to know how it came about that Jewish Christians were now welcoming them. And they needed to know why that welcome was so difficult for some to give. Acts, chapter 10, read in its entirety, explains how Peter made the jump, and how hard it was for him. This was quite revolutionary, and very controversial in the early church. See most of Acts, Paul’s letters to the Galatians and to the Romans, and the Pauline-school letter to the Ephesians. A homiletic excursus: I write this paragraph in early 2016, when countries within 1,000 miles west of Syria are struggling with the question of integrating foreigners into their societies. It’s never easy, but sometimes it’s the will of God. Proclaiming It: Peter’s speech is a systematic summary of the gospel: God sent Jesus. He did and said good things. He was killed, then raised to life. We and many other witnesses saw him after his resurrection. He commissioned us to tell everyone about him. He has fulfilled the ancient hopes of Judaism. Grace, life and the forgiveness of sins are yours in him. End of story. Second Reading, Colossians 3:1-4 Our Liturgical Setting: All through Lent, Holy Week and the Easter Vigil we’ve been hearing about change and newness that come from our relationship with Christ. In this reading, what we’re told to change what we think about: heavenly things as opposed to earthly things. Yes, that is quite vague, as are the details of how we will appear in glory. Proclaiming It: But the point is not to put a fine point on the details. Rather, communicate once again that we’re different because of Christ. Don’t worry about saying how we are different. Just use your voice, with lots of contrasting tones, to make a poetic statement about change. You’re poetic when the way you say things expresses the content of what you’re saying. So a person hearing you read this should have a very different experience from one who simply reads the same words to herself silently. Alternate Second Reading, 1 Corinthians 5:6-8 The Historical Situation: When the Hebrew slaves were about to be liberated from Egypt, the Lord instructed them to prepare bread without yeast, since there wouldn’t be time to wait for the yeast to make the bread rise. This led to the custom of eating unleavened bread at the annual celebration of this liberation, Passover. It led to a related custom, the throwing out of all yeast products right before Passover. Paul uses these images to make the Christians at Corinth understand how different their lives are to be, now that they are in Christ. How different? As different as before and after the original Passover, that is, as different as slavery and freedom. Passover imagery carries this weight. The yeast becomes a metaphor for sin, which should be absent from the new dough or new bread that is the Christian renewed in Christ. Proclaiming It: This imagery is subtle, and likely to escape unprepared listeners, who are more distracted than usual on this singular Sunday. So read slowly, emphasizing each new image as it comes along: yeast, dough, loaves, bread.