THE L ECT O RS MINIS T RY:
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Reverently Proclaiming His Word and Touching the Hearts of the Faithful
or us as Catholics, the Word of God nourishes our faith and our hearts in a particular way. The Scripture readings at Mass guide us through the liturgical year, calling our attention to important events in the Gospel or to the themes during Lent or Advent. Often, the First and Second Readings and the Gospel all together convey a deeper message than they would alone. A great portion of the Mass is dedicated to proclaiming Scripture, and this is done with the service of the dedicated readers in our Lectors Ministry. John Thoo has served as a reader for five years. He began this service as part of his formation for the permanent diaconate and has found a great deal of meaning in this ministry.
“At Mass, we are fed at both the Table of the Word and the Table of the Eucharist,” John says. “While not everyone may participate in Communion, everyone can be fed by God’s Word.” Serving as a lector is about more than just reading. How a lector reads a Scripture passage can help the listener understand the Scripture more clearly. “A reader not only reads the Scripture,” John says. “A reader, by their manner of reading, interprets the reading. Thus, a reader proclaims God’s Word in a similar way that the prophets did, thereby exercising the prophetic office that they received in Baptism.” In order to effectively serve in this way, a reader should incorporate prayer into their daily life and continued on page 6
(From left) Griselda Cobian, Beatriz Alba, Gela Solis
(From left) John Guth and Irene Tindel
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