When we get too familiar with certain readings, such as those repeated yearly during Christmas, Ash Wednesday, Easter or Pentecost, we can end up carelessly reading instead of earnestly proclaiming God's word. When we think we've "got it" and no longer need to prepare much any more, we risk the danger of proclaiming from our heads instead of our hearts, and transfer that frivolous feeling to our listeners.Thomas Merton in his short but powerful book, Opening the Bible, said...There is, in ..read more

Public Scripture reading as a formal part of the Catholic Mass (the Liturgy of the Word) is a great benefit to its worshipers, compared with many Protestant worship services that ignore this vital component.If you search “Public Scripture Reading” online, you’ll find many concerns about the lack of emphasis on publicly proclaiming God’s word in non-Catholic worship services. Even when the word of God read aloud is given a formal place in the worship service, it’s often treated as a warmup to ..read more

Symbols such as a beautifully bound Book of the Gospels, a priest holding it high during the singing of the “Alleluia”, or a shrine in a vestibule for the Bible are all meant to show our respect for the word of God.  But there are also things that we as proclaimers can do individually to symbolize that respect.I once observed how a deacon held the Book of Gospels after Mass as he delivered it back to the Sacristy from the ambo. Held at his breast with both arms gently clutched around it, he ..read more

Discernment should not only be exercised with new lectors entering the ministry, but with veterans as well. The enthusiasm we may initially feel about proclaiming God's word may die down over time, we may lose our "salt," get attracted to other ministries, feel burned out or need a re-check of our basic proclamation skills; just to name a few reasons why lector discernment should be continuous and life-long.Discernment in any ministry means being honest with ourselves and God about why we ..read more

Isn't that wonderful," we hear from worshipers who marvel over lectors who recite the readings from memory. It makes you wonder what they were focusing on: the messenger or the message.When you practice a reading enough, you'll often have it down to memory, or at least close. But to then deliver it from memory is usually going a step too far.The biggest problem with reading from memory is that you can shock people into a "Wow, he's reciting from memory" reaction and distract them from ..read more

In the same way fans on American Idol (ABC.com) encourage performers to give it their all, the worshipers in the pews can have a quietly and subtly similar effect on the lector.As a lector approaches the ambo, the people might say to themselves, "Oh good. I just love to hear (lector's name) proclaim God's word. I'm always all ears." And as the lector observes them intently listening, it spurs her or him on to give a more effective proclamation.But then, there are other times when lectors may ..read more

Still have dreams about what you coulda-woulda-shoulda done in your life? Still have music in your bones to play?As you approach your sixties, seventies or even eighties, there are amazing opportunities today to turbocharge yourself into the homestretch of your life… to showcase your God-given gifts, proclaim your uniqueness and kick-start your journey toward a true state of joy, peace and fulfillment from here to God’s "nineteenth hole."This site, Catholics Proclaim.com with its "Boomers ..read more

In their book, Rebuilding Your Message, authors Fr. Michael White and Tom Corcoran note how St. Paul knew that the words he spoke were not where his message started. It started with a demonstration of the Spirit;  a wordless revealing of the way God was working in his life.In 1st Corinthians 12, Paul says: My message and my proclamation were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of spirit and power.And how does this relate to us? Can this demonstration of the Spirit ..read more

A good friend of mine just gave me a telling glimpse of a new book by Robert Cardinal Sarah titled, The Day Is Now Far Spent (Ignatius Press). In the book, the author refers to the churches' ALTAR as compared to the "Burning Bush" where God tells Moses in Exodus 3:2-5, Come not nigh hither. Put off the shoes from thy feet: for the place whereon thou staidest is holy ground.After reading the following passages from Cardinal Sarah's book, coupled with what God told Moses, my friend could only ..read more

My wife and I once gave a witness talk to our church on stewardship. After Mass, a well-dressed couple came up to tell us how much they enjoyed it. And when we asked them what Mass they usually attended, they said, "We don't worship here. We're Lutherans and were just passing through."My first thought was, "Wow! What an opportunity we have as Catholic lectors to demonstrate our church's love for Scripture to people of all denominations. And also a responsibility because if we do a great job of ..read more