Proclaim That WORD of GOD!

Beloved Lecturers, Beloved Priests and Deacons—All who stand at that Podium and read the Scriptures at Mass. Do you realize what a ministry you have been given? Are you aware of what a profound honor and duty it is to PROCLAIM the Word of God?

Some of you do—but some think that the purpose of reading the ‘readings’ of the day—is to read it. To read it carefully, distinctly and make sure there is not mispronunciations. We applaud you for your coming to serve, but; you would be missing the mark, if you think that reading well is all that is needed. For, you have been given the responsibility to PROCLAIM the WORD of GOD!

Prepare ahead and pray, asking the Holy Spirit to point out to you the message that is being given to the Church of TODAY. These readings are not just stories to be recalled—these readings are God’s way of speaking to us today and are there to comfort, to encourage, to warn, to teach, and to REACH us---helping us to connect to His love and His Presence in our midst at Mass.

As you read, take time to pause and look up. Raise and lower you voice at the appropriate places; speak as it you were back then and God was counting on you to get the message across to His people.

To put it bluntly—that podium is your stage—and you need to be giving a ‘reading’ that gets you the part of Prophet, Jesus, Psalmist, King, or whoever it is that you are speaking for. For example: from this reading from Joshua 24

“And I, (voice goes up on ‘I’ and slightly louder—and then a pause- then repeat “I”, sent the hornets ahead of you that drove them
(the Amorites, *** Perizzites, ***Canaanites, ***
Hittites, ***Girgashites,*** Hivites*** and Jebusites)---(pausing after each name.)
out --of ---your ---way; (read each word here OUT OF YOUR WAY slowly to emphasize what GOD DID for them.) it was not YOUR (emphasize) sword or YOUR bow.”

“I gave you a land that you had not tilled, (pause and look up)
and cities that you had not built, to dwell in ;( again pause and look up) and --you have eaten of vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.” (dramatic ending, as if God is again telling His people---'look at all that I did for you--don't FORGET IT!'

(The message I receives from this reading is the reminder that MY GOD is a MIGHTY GOD who cares for me, keeps His Promises and I must trust that He will do whatever is necessary to deliver me from whatever problems I am dealing with—AND –more than that He will bless me abundantly!!!!

THIS is a powerful WORD from God---but do the parishioners hear GOD speaking through you or they just listening to someone telling a story? Please think about the importance of your ministry as Lecturer—and do more than just make sure you have the pronunciations down. Pray that God anoint your lips and heart and enable you to stand before the multitudes and get their full attention like Ezra did when he read to them ALL day and they cried for they were hearing the WORD of GOD being spoken—and they believed it with all their hearts.

As for as the Gospels, dear Priests and Deacons—you are usually speaking or playing the role of Jesus—speaking to us--- His disciples , His followers today. We need to not only hear those words as He would be speaking it back then—but as He would be speaking it to us NOW. Example: “Peter—do you love me?”

I should hear Jesus asking ME that question. I should see you looking up and speaking slowing and seriously and probing my heart with those words of Jesus. “Do You LOVE ME?”

Proclaim ye the Word of the Lord!!! Let there be no doubt in any parishioner’s mind that what is being read—is being SAID by God or Jesus to His people today! For, THIS IS THE WORD OF THE LORD coming from your lips.

With grateful heart we thank you for considering this message from people whose hearts need to know that God is speaking to them today. They may be facing great crisis’s, fires, storms and deeply troubled—even suicidal and need their hearts to be penetrated by the Sword—the Word of God—whose word does not go out void but does the work it is meant to do. Again, we thank you for stepping up to the challenge to Proclaim that Word of God!