On April 24th, together with my classmates at St. Joseph’s seminary, I was instituted in the ministry of lector. Institution in this ministry is my first entrance into a formal ministry in the Church and is the first of two ministries that we receive as seminarians in our preparation for the priesthood. The ministries of lector and acolyte are required for all men before ordination to the transitional or permanent diaconate. The instruction given by the bishop during the rite of institution of lectors states that “as readers and bearers of God’s word, [lectors] will assist in [the mission of preaching the Gospel to the whole world], and so take on a special office within the Christian community.” The instruction also directs lectors that “in proclaiming God’s word to others, [they] are to accept it [themselves] in obedience to the Holy Spirit,” and that they are to “meditate on it constantly, so that each day [they] will have a deeper love of the Scriptures, and in all [they] say and do show forth to the world our Savior, Jesus Christ.” In the time leading up to my installation as a lector, I began to take the words of this instruction to heart.
Before I was instituted as a lector, I wanted to be at some level of that constant meditation on and deep love of Scripture that the Church asks of me as an instituted lector. I started to pay attention more closely to the readings at Mass, meditating on the readings while they are being read by the lector rather than only meditating on Scripture when I am reading it myself. In addition to this, I also began to more diligently prepare for Mass in meditating on the readings before Mass so that I could then continue to meditate on the readings during the Mass. This preparation is not only an important aspect of the spiritual life but is essential for ministering as an instituted lector.
As a lector, I need to know what I am going to read so that I can effectively and meaningfully communicate the message of the scripture in my reading it at Mass. This preparation not only helps me to efficaciously carry out my ministry of lector but also helps me to follow the Church’s instruction for me to have that deep love of scripture. Looking forward, this development of a deep love of scripture is also essential for me as a future preacher, God-willing I be ordained and commissioned to “show forth to the world our Savior, Jesus Christ.” For it is through the scripture, together with the Tradition of the Church, that Christ has revealed Himself to us so that “by hearing the message of salvation the whole world may believe, by believing it may hope, and by hoping it may love” (Dei Verbum, 1). So, all of us who minister as lectors, whether instituted or not, need to understand that we partake in an essential part of the Church’s work in communicating the Word of God to His people within the Church’s liturgies.
Nickolas Naticchione
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