The Ministry of Lector

This Sunday, my fellow New Men and I had the very great privilege and honor of being instituted in the Ministry of Lector, that individual who proclaims the readings in the liturgy. Archbishop Raymond Burke, the former bishop of St. Louis and now the head of the Apostolic Signatura here in Rome, presided at the liturgy and officiated the installation. The installation ceremony itself consisted of a prayer that we may proclaim the Scriptures well and use our service as readers to inspire others through that proclamation. We then each processed forward and, kneeling before the archbishop, we held with him a Lectionary as he said: "Take this book of Holy Scripture and be faithful in handing on the word of God, so that it may grow strong in the hearts of his people."

Any member of the faith community, male or female, is able to serve as a lector and read at Mass. However, normally only men studying for the priesthood, as it stands now at least, are instituted formally as lectors. A holdover from pre-Vatican II days when it was considered a minor order, receiving the Ministry of Lector is one of the three solemn liturgical steps to be taken before diaconate ordination (the second, in our cases). Since a lector is installed and not ordained, he remains a layman; yet he holds a certain "office" in the church community of proclaiming the readings and announcing the petitions at Mass, of assisting with catechesis of the faithful, and in a wider way of helping to spread the word of God which he proclaims. Since we're seminarians, it also serves as a visible reminder to the community (and to ourselves) that we, now with an official liturgical function, are moving closer to the altar, where God-willing we will one day offer sacrifice as priests. Though not a sacrament, the installation is a sacramental which for us is ordered toward our goal of holy orders.

The Baptism of Christ by Andrea del Verrocchio

It was a great day and fittingly fell on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. The final day of the Christmas season, the feast commemorates the baptism of Jesus in the river Jordan by John the Baptist and marks the start of Jesus' public ministry. One of the theophanies of the New Testament, the baptism of Jesus makes it clear that he is no ordinary prophet: "And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, 'You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased'" (Mk 1:11). This is the public manifestation of God's Son, a private revelation which John the Baptist had previously received, first when Mary visited his mother Elizabeth (Lk 1:39-41) and later when Jesus came to where John was baptizing (Mt 3:13).

Archbishop Burke remarked that the Ministry of Reader is not unlike the role of John the Baptist. "A voice cries out: 'In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God'" (Is 40:3). Like John, the reader proclaims the Word of God to the people, ultimately pointing beyond himself to him who was born for them, the Emmanuel who has come to them. In the proclamation of the Scriptures (especially the Gospel), Christ is truly present, and though the reader serves as an instrument in this, it is always after the model of John the Baptist: "He must increase, but I must decrease" (Jn 3:30). I hope that in my ministry as a lector, this may be true.

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As you may know, and germane to the news above, this week is National Vocations Awareness Week in the US Church, a time when we remember that it is "our responsibility to pray for vocations and to invite young people to consider a call to ordained ministry and consecrated life." While this is the particular focus for this week, it's also great reminder for all of us that God calls each of us to follow him in a personal way. So often the idea of vocation is relegated to those that have decided to answer a religious calling, such as priests or nuns, or perhaps to those among us, young or otherwise, who are still working to discern their direction in life. But vocation is something we all possess, a universal call that is made in a unique way for every individual. Perhaps, in addition to praying for religious vocations, this week can be a reminder of the importance of mindful perseverance for those of us who have definitively answered the Lord's call already. Your calling (and mine) is one which must be lived out in a new and relevant way each day, a mission that is only answered definitively to the extent that it is responded to daily, a personal charge from God to be at once internalized and also exemplified in service to others. In this way, all of us participate in the plan of salvation which God has designed for us and brought to fulfillment through His Son. As the prayer for this week states:

Mary, Mother of the Church, the model of every vocation,
help us to say "Yes" to the Lord Who calls us to cooperate
in the divine plan of salvation.
We ask this through Christ Our Lord. Amen.