Proclamation of the Word:

Good News to Our Ears

by Peter Morris

I think that RC spirituality of recent years can be characterised by a rediscovery of scripture.  In my own journey to where I am today, a key stage was a discovery of scripture, particularly the New Testament writings, as a result of attending the Life in the Spirit Seminars run by a prayer group in Aberdeen.  Catholics have rightfully been replacing their penny Catechism with the Bible as the book we live by.  Some read it regularly on their own; some groups come together to study it or to share prayerfully their reactions to its message.  These are all hopeful signs for the Church today.

Despite this new reverence for scripture in the 'private' sphere – in the times external to our common worship – it does not always translate into the practices within our special moments of gathering to celebrate the core mysteries of our faith.  The Liturgy of the Word – a key part of our celebration of the Eucharist – can often be rushed through, as if it were something to get out of the way in order that we may get to the bit we're really gathering for.

Of course, this is not a reflection of the teaching of the Church.  This is a mindset that we have taught ourselves.  Yes, we are right to believe that Eucharist is at the centre of our life but we are wrong to assume that Eucharist consists in only taking and eating and drinking.

One of the 'rules' regarding the reception of communion is that a person must have had the Gospel proclaimed to them.  So, say a person comes into the church building after the Gospel has been read, some would say that person would not be celebrating the sacrament worthily.  There is a truth in this 'rule'.  What it tells us is that the hearing of the Good News is an essential part of celebrating the Eucharist.

It would be important to note here that it is one thing having the Word proclaimed to oneself and quite another thing to be actually listening to it and acting upon it.  This is precisely what the Church hopes for in all its members – that each person will have an encounter with Christ present in the Word proclaimed and respond to this encounter in a concrete way in his or her life.  Take as an example John the Baptist, who encountered the Word of God in the wilderness then responded by preaching the gospel of conversion (Luke 3:2ff).

In order for this hope to be realised, every person present at worship needs to be given the opportunity to actually hear the Word.  This means that the responsibility of readers in church services is a great one.  Readers are chosen from a congregation to proclaim scripture in a way that can help to facilitate the goal of conversion of hearts.

I believe that there is a vision of how Church could be out there and I think one of the first steps towards building a vibrant Catholic presence in this country is to concentrate on how people who come to our services experience the proclamation of the Word.  The unfortunate thing is that people who have negative experiences of Church get put off religion full-stop or they go 'church-shopping'.  Consider the following testimony of a 'church-shopper' as an example:

The reading and preaching there sound next to dead!  There is no living Christ in the voice, emotions, and countenance of those who proclaim the word.  Nothing comes across to suggest that they may have discovered a living Presence and are trying to communicate it to me.

Unfortunately, this kind of testimony is not unique.  There are many others who leave the Catholic community on similar grounds.  Church is boring.

Rather than beating our breasts and getting very down-hearted about this, I suggest we should take this opportunity to ask ourselves the question: what must we do to prevent this from happening in the future?  Surely if we, as a parish community, become an example to the rest of the city as a place where people can truly believe that the Word of God is alive and active, then others may follow this example.

When I was in seminary, we had a weekly class on “Communications Skills”.  In that class we were given the opportunity to practice the reading of scripture passages in the presence of our colleagues and receive gentle criticism from the teacher and each other.  To be able to do such a thing in a supportive atmosphere proved to be invaluable for each of us and our progression as lectors was not lost on the seminary staff.  Some parishes elsewhere have a similar practice for their readers.  I understand why some may feel put off with the idea – yet another meeting to attend in addition to everything else going on in my life.

If the above suggestion is not desirable – fair enough.  The only things I will go on to mention are common starting points for most of the guidance I have come across regarding reading in church.  They are: introduction of texts and pace.

The introduction of the text should be read as printed in the standard print found in the lectionary.  The capitalised words are there for the purposes of lectors finding their place in the book.  So, for instance, were I to be the first reader I would say,

“A reading from the Acts of the Apostles” ü

not “The first reading is a reading...” û

or “the first reading is taken from...” û

There are a couple of reasons for this.  Firstly, unless we may have fallen asleep and suddenly woken up at the time, we will know that the first thing read out by the lector is the first reading.  It is unnecessary to say so.  Secondly, it avoids the pitfalls associated with ad-libbing and, finally, it avoids repetition.

When introducing the psalm response, simply read it out and the congregation will repeat it after you.  Notice that at other times in the Mass, the priests will not announce which part of it we have reached.  For instance, he will not say “Penitential Rite” before saying the words “To prepare ourselves to celebrate these sacred mysteries...”  The same will apply to the gospel acclamation.  Just pause for a moment and go straight into proclaiming (or even better, singing!) the words: “Alleluia, alleluia...”  The congregation knows to stand at this point, nobody needs to remind them.

Regarding pace, it is usually observed by other writers that the common problem is that the lector is reading too quickly.  In their defence, they're nervous and want to get back to their pew and that's understandable.  That said, if the text is read at a slower pace, it is easier to follow and perhaps the meaning is more likely to sink in.  In some recipes, it is necessary to add flour to the mixture gradually, otherwise it would become uneven and the desired consistency would not be achieved.  Likewise with the public reading of scripture – if it is read at a slower pace, it will be absorbed by those present in a more even manner.  A few pauses are absolutely welcome when you are trying to listen to the readings.  It may feel unnatural to the person reading it out but, 'sure as eggs is eggs', the people struggling to follow it will not think so.

The following are a few books recommended by another writer on this subject.  Most of them are relatively inexpensive and are available on the Amazon website (at least at the time of writing).  They may even be available at one of the Catholic bookshops in the city.

Marian Tolley, Handbook for Readers, 2001

Margaret Rizza, Proclaiming God's Word, 1999

Elsie Harden, In Celebration of God's Word: a self-help to reading in church, 1995