Yours is a share in the work of the Lord’s Spirit who opens our hearts to God’s holy word.
Yours is the task of telling our family story, the story of salvation.
Yours is to proclaim the true and saving word of God.
You are the messenger of God’s love for us.
Your task is to proclaim that word, which challenges, confronts, and captures our hearts.
You proclaim a word that heals and comforts and consoles.
Yours is the ministry of the table of God’s word, which feeds the hungers and the longing of our hearts for the truth.
Yours is to offer the story of the “great things the Lord has done for us,” that we might turn to the table of Eucharist with good cause to give thanks and praise.
Yours is nothing less than the ministry of the Lord’s voice calling out in the midst of God’s people.
Come to your work from your personal prayer, praying that the Spirit will open your heart to what you proclaim.
Prepare the word which is yours to speak: study the scriptures, understand the passage, let it dwell deep within you.
Come to your work in awesome reverence of the word you proclaim: it is the Lord’s word.
Come to your ministry as one judged and saved by the word you speak.
Anyone can read the scriptures in public; only the believer can proclaim them.
Approach the ambo, the table of the Lord as you would the Lord himself, with reverence and awe.
Handle the book of the Lord’s word with great care; it is a tabernacle of the Lord’s presence.
Let your eyes fall often on the faces of the assembly; they are the body of the Lord whose word you proclaim.
Let the Lord’s peace settle in your heart, that your voice may be clear and steady,
Let your voice echo the sound of the word, with conviction, with gentleness, with strength, and with wonder.
Remember that the story you tell is filled with a drama you need not supply, but must always convey.
Like the prophet, you will sometimes proclaim what no one wants to hear; remember always your own need to hear the hard saying, and never imagine that your ministry places you above what you proclaim.
If you are the best of the parish lectors, be gentle in helping others to improve.
If you are the least of the parish lectors, seek out that help which others can give.
If you do not know how well you read, ask: be grateful to constructive criticism and humbled by any praise you receive.
Every lector wants to read at the Easter Vigil but not all will be assigned: be patient in waiting your turn and nourish by the word that others proclaim.
Let no minister of the word think that there is nothing left to learn; another commentary and another workshop cannot but help the open mind and heart.
When your brothers and sisters praise and thank you for your work, take delight in the word that you have heard and rejoice in the work the Lord has accomplished through you.
Be faithful in the work you do, for through it the Lord saves his people.
A Quiet Moment 
I want to thank you for this wonderful reflection. I’m responsible for training lectors at our church and will be training four new potential lectors this coming week. I told my wife I was hoping to find perhaps a phrase, perhaps a saying that would most encompasses the joys and responsibilities of being a lector. You have “captured” what I was looking for, and I hope you don’t mind that I share it with the new members of the ministry, along with the others currently serving.
God Bless,
Mike
Hi Mike! Thanks for dropping by. Do share the simple reflection with your Ministry lectors be it children or adult lectors. In our parish at Church of the Holy Trinity, Singapore, we try to create participation among children in the celebration of the Mass. Once a month we conduct worshops for these children lectors. If you have something similar to ours in such programmes, we hope to learn a bit from your Ministry.
God bless
Gerard
Dear Gerard,
I am writing an article this week for our parish bulletin. Might I utilize part of your reflection, provided I credit you and your website?
I am the Director of Music/Liturgy at Holy Family parish, in Whitefish Bay, WI.
Thank you!
Andy Vaughn
Hello Andy,
Thanks for visiting this blogsite. Yes, please do share the meaningful reflections in your parish bulletin. God bless.
Dear Gerard,
Thanks for this wonderful reflections. I love it. Can I use your reflection when I give a topic on THE ART OF PROCLAIMING THE WORD OF GOD, provided I credit you and your website. Your reflection will help a lot.
I am with the LECTORS FORMATION TEAM of the CHAPLAINCY FOR FILIPINOS-HONG KONG.
Thank you! God Bless!
Luz Afidchao
Hello Luz,
By all means make use of it for the greater glory of God that others may come to know Him. God bless.
I’m both delighted and moved by your Reflections, so much so that I don’t believe for a moment that you’re an Ordinary Guy (it’s what I am, so I should know!). There’s a great deal of poetry in your words.
I’m charged with responsibility for producing parish guidelines for lectors and for designing and presenting a series of courses for same. May I use your words? They have the power elevate this ministry far above the ordinary in people’s perception.
Peter Sparrow
I’ve been training adult lectors for about five years now in a very large and vibrant parish and recently moved to a tiny parish where there are more children volunteering to read than adults! I have been asked to conduct training for these kids and I was hoping if someone who has a similar experience could share pointers.
Hi Petra,
The children who are so eager to read is definitely a plus point already. All I can say is to put less emphasis on the child’s technical incapabilities. Rather, promote more bible stories reading moments. Allow each child the opportunity to come up in front of the group and tell the story of the bible. Ask them to make it interesting to the class. It is a love for the stories that will go a long way in their life’s journey as a messenger of God.
I’m both delighted and moved by your Reflections, so much so that I don’t believe for a moment that you’re an Ordinary Guy (it’s what I am, so I should know!). There’s a great deal of poetry in your words.
I’m charged with responsibility for producing parish guidelines for lectors and for designing and presenting a series of courses for same. May I use your words? They have the power elevate this ministry far above the ordinary in people’s perception.
Peter Sparrow
Hi Peter,
Yes pls go ahead to use it for your ministry.
I seldom surf the web but I did so today looking for ideas for a redesign of my own website. Came across your “Spiritual reflections on the Ministry of Reader/Lector.” I’d like your permission to include the reflection among the “Prayers and Meditations” section of the training materials available through my website as well as distribute it to the lectors at St Thomas Aquinas Parish, Alpharetta, GA. I teach a course on Scripture Proclamation as a faculty member of the Diaconate Formation Program for the Archdiocese of Atlanta and want to distribute it to the men in that program as part of my course.
Your brief reflection ably and sensitively summarizes what I advocate should be the proclaimer’s credo. Joyce Rupp, in her “Sowing of the Seeds,” is also a favorite of mine.
May I have your permission to use the reflection? I will include attribution to you and to your website (which I also found very appealing in its breadth of content). Thanks.
Peace!
Hi Gene,
Do make use of the text. It’s for the greater glory of God that are meant to be shared. God bless…
Hello Ordinary Guy – that’s not so ordinary I think
I am giving lector training this weekend in my parish and would like very much to use this reflection. And to also post it on our church website.
Thank you – In Christ’s love and mercy, Betsy
Hello Mr Ordinary Guy,
I’m blessed with you work, may I share it will my co-Lectors and share with them the blessing, we will have our training this weekend. May I have your permission?
Hi Rosemarie,
Pls go ahead to share. Anything that brings one closer to God.
Thank you po. I’m a Filipino. I shared your reflection with my co-Lectors last Saturday, Dec 3 during our monthly meeting and training. They’re asking for a copy, some said it’s like a creed. May I post this to our Facebook Group?
Thank you and may your reflection continue to bless Lectors like me. Being a Lector is truly a wonderful calling, a gift form God, it draws one closer to the Lord, to His Word.
Dear (extra)ordinary guy… I’m constantly on the hunt for uplifting pieces as yours to list on my lectors’ site, http://www.lectorresources.com. If you’re OK with it, I’d like to put this on my “Best Sites & Links” page. This is gem, and my hat is off to you!
Beautiful piece – you have captured every key aspect that sometimes even the seasoned lectors tend to forget. I can’t wait to share with our ministry – thank you!!!
Hi,
I found your reflection through the Lector Resources.com site. It is everything that all Lectors pray they can do. Would you mind if I distribute/share this with fellow Lectors at my Parish?
I love what you wrote. All so true that you took the words from my heart. Thank you.