Six men who are studying at Saint Mary Seminary and discerning the priesthood took a step toward that vocation when they were instituted as lectors during an Oct. 21 liturgy in Sacred Heart Chapel at the seminary.
Mitchell Carson, St. Peter Parish, North Ridgeville; Cameron Ferrell, SS. Peter and Paul Parish, Doylestown; Nathan Frankart, St. Joseph Parish, Amherst; Truong Joseph Viet Ho, St. Boniface Parish, Cleveland; Sean Neville, St. Mary of the Falls Parish, Olmsted Falls; and Brian Peters, St. Raphael Parish, Bay Village, are the new lectors. Bishop Edward Malesic celebrated the liturgy.
Participating in the Mass were seminary faculty, formators, their pastors, parents and friends.
The ministry of lector institutes those who are properly prepared to proclaim the Scripture readings before the Gospel at liturgical celebrations, to offer the petitions of the general intercessions, to instruct other faithful who by a temporary appointment are asked to proclaim the Scripture readings in liturgical celebrations and to help the rest of the community grow in its knowledge and appreciation of the Scriptures.
The bishop said it might seem odd that these men, who already have read the Word of God at Mass and have taught Bible study in Catholic schools and religious education programs, were instituted as lectors. He explained that they soon would be given “a more stable ministry with weightier official recognition after more extensive training to understand and proclaim God’s Word at Mass and other liturgical celebrations, to teach God’s Word outside of Mass and to live God’s Word in their lives in a more publicly recognized way.” This also is a necessary ministry before they are considered for ordination later first as deacons and then as priests.
In the Gospel, Jesus goes to the temple and teaches, amazing the Jews, who asked how he could know Scripture without studying it.
“In this one instance, you must not be like Jesus,” the bishop said. “You must study in order to know the Scriptures.”
He also cautioned them that studying isn’t enough, reminding them they also must stay close to Jesus to understand and interpret the Scriptures properly. Mediating on Scripture should bring them closer to the Lord, he added, noting that St. Jerome said, “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.”
St. Jerome fell in love with the flesh of the Scriptures, the bishop said, explaining that Scripture is not dead or decaying. It is living flesh and always new. “The Word of God has meaning for all generations, including all of the generations represented today in this chapel. As you become instituted lectors with the office of lector, you must fall in love with the flesh of Scripture which points to Jesus, the incarnate Word of God,” he said.
“But I would also urge you to become the flesh of Scripture. Bring the Gospels to life for us. Show us what it means to believe and good news with hope. Be agents of the Word that has come to us – that Jesus has risen from the dead,” Bishop Malesic said.
“Put flesh on the bones of that basic message. Keep repeating the words of Scriptures to others. Recite them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you get up. Bind the words of the Scriptures to your mind … Keep the Word of God alive for use, even when no Bible is present in the room. Make your heart a library of Christ,” the bishop said.
He pointed out that turning away from God’s Word is more prevalent today in the post-Christian world than it was several decades ago. But, the bishop said, “Remember that the words of the prophets were rarely welcomed.” Instead, he said the often were persecuted. But St. Paul said patience is needed in teaching because some things, including the Word of God, take a long time to take root. He urged the new lectors to plant the seeds of faith wherever they can – from the ambo in the church, the desk at adult Bible study or in the classroom of the parish school of religion. “Then trust that God will bring about the growth from what you have planted,” he said.
The bishop also cautioned them not to let their superior knowledge of Scripture go to their heads. “Remember there are people out there without your academic knowledge of Scripture who can teach you what Scriptures actually mean when lived out in their shoes,” he said. Sometimes, the best theologian is an 80-year-old grandmother without a high school education, he noted. The Holy Spirit will teach them the meaning of Scriptures from the classes they take and the people they meet. “Listen to what the Holy Spirit wants to say to you. Let the Holy Spirit remind you of all that Jesus taught us, who Jesus was for us and where Jesus can be found.”
They are not proclaiming their own wisdom, but God’s, Bishop Malesic said, reminding the men to center their lives on Christ and to bring him into the world by the Scripture the proclaim and the Gospel they live.
Click here to learn more about discerning a vocation to the priesthood.