LECTORS - Palm Sunday B - The Word This Week

2024

March 24, 2024

FIRST READINGSECOND READINGNOTES

FIRST READING

Isaiah’s suffering servant – eye contact is SO important to help your listeners feel the impact, and thus gain more appreciation for Jesus’ suffering.

SECOND READING

Ahh, the beautiful reading from Philippians! Slowly and deliberately in the first half – as was Jesus’ choice for us, then speeding up with excitement and pride in the second half!

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): Passion Sunday (Palm Sunday), March 24, 2024 Before the first reading: The middle part of the book of the prophet Isaiah contains four poems that we now call the songs of the suffering servant. Here the prophet meditates on his sufferings and the price of fidelity to God. The church turns to these poems at this time because Jesus apparently did so at the time of his passion. After the psalm, before the second reading: Saint Paul here adapts an ancient church hymn. It sings of Jesus’ pre-existence, his incarnation, suffering, and exaltation. Before the gospel acclamation: [Don’t do an introduction to the passion.] First Reading, Isaiah 50:4-7 The Historical Situation: In the middle section of the book of the prophet Isaiah, chapters 40-55, there are four short passages which scholars have called the Songs of the Suffering Servant. They’re about a mysterious figure, who sometimes speaks in the first person, and whom God sometimes addresses. Sometimes the Servant is described as a prophet, sometimes as one whose suffering brings about a benefit for the people. In the original author’s mind, the servant was probably a figure for the people of Israel, or for a faithful remnant within the people. Jesus saw aspects of his own life and mission foreshadowed in the Servant Songs, and the church refers to them in this time of solemn meditation on the climax of Jesus’ life. Today’s is the third Servant Song. On Good Friday we proclaim the fourth, Isaiah 52:13-53:12. The others are Isaiah 42:1-9 and Isaiah 49:1-6. Proclaiming It: Read the passage to the assembly slowly, meditatively, in as “personal” a tone as you can muster. Read it as if you’re the Servant, talking to yourself, trying to remain convinced that the hardship required by fidelity is worth it. Pause before the last sentence, “The Lord God is my help …” Then proclaim the sentence with firm resolution. Second Reading, Philippians 2:6-11 The Literary Background: In the original Greek, this passage has a rhythm that suggests it may be a hymn which Saint Paul is quoting. If so, it may represent a very early Christian understanding of who Jesus is and of how his mission saves us from sin and death. It’s something Paul received from those who had been converted to Christ even earlier than he. (Religious movements have always expressed themselves in song first, before they get around to having their doctrinal debates, heresies, apologists, councils, books, universities, inquisitions, etc. So early hymns offer precious insight into the original genius of the movement. Ideas with a musical expression get down deep into our memories, and our souls, in a way that merely verbal formulas cannot. That’s why we remember the words of songs, even nursery songs from forty, sixty, eighty years ago, better than we remember other sentences we’ve read and heard more recently and more often.) Christians reading this passage today are joined with the first people who ever pondered the meaning of Jesus’ life and mission. We’re singing their song, reciting their creed, at the time of year we’re remembering the most important things Our Lord did. The Theological Background: This passage sums up the most important things about Jesus, heedless of the less relevant details. Note the structure of Jesus’ life: Jesus was divine from all eternity (“in the form of God”) But he didn’t cling to that Rather, he emptied himself (of divine status) and became human He accepted further humbling by obeying the human condition even unto death by crucifixion So God highly exalted him, giving him the highest title in the universe We acclaim him with that title, Lord All creation so acclaims him The Lector’s Proclamation: The early martyrs staked their lives on this kernel of gospel truth. So it demands a solemn proclamation, slow and, if possible, rhythmic. Make it rise to a crescendo at the end, as you summon every tongue, every tongue in heaven and on earth, to proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord!