Seminary is one of the best places we see the trial and error of the Eucharistic celebrations. Once this young seminarian on a day of recollection was given the bible instead of a lectionary to read the 1st reading. When he approached the end of the reading, he forgot what to say at the end of the reading, thus he said, ‘Its finished.:’ I can remember how many times I practiced before I went in for the exam on Prophets. One of the exercises in that exam was to read like a prophet.
The Holy Eucharist is put in such a manner that it gives us the idea of a dialogue between God and people. People take part in those responses. Responsorial songs, other songs in mass are all our prayers to God who spoke to us primarily with the Readings of the mass and also in the Homily of the priest. I remember once celebrating mass in OLSH, I noticed the people were not responding…
The Jews have a very colorful way of taking the Torah around the synagogue and let the people touch the Torah in reverence and walking up to the place the priest invites the appointed reader to read from the scroll. Regular public reading of the Torah started with Ezra after the people came back from the Babylonian exile. The readers were chosen among people who are of good standing in the society. In our church we don’t just call them reader: they are Ministers of the Word. The liturgical commission tells us that the basic requirement of these ministers is faith in the word of God. A reader must be someone with a love of scripture who believes that it is alive and active and gives guidance.
This appears in 16 psalms as the starting word thus becoming an important word. This word which means ‘Praise the Lord’ is an exclamation of joy, praise and thanksgiving. Gospel readings are taken from the original settings of Jesus and contain the voice of Jesus. Our joy is rooted in our longing to meet him in Word and in Deed. Jesus not only reads the scripture in today’s gospel, he becomes the scripture today and all time.
The tone and content of the message tell a lot about the reader. Often we know to whom the message is intended for. Only God’s word has the power to address all people, all nation, all environment, all needs and desires and all seasons. One such diversity of concentration is seen today that the Word was given the Holy Spirit and be anointed is given to the poor, prisoners, blind, oppressed and slaves.
Jesus just came back from the wilderness preparing himself for his definite mission that God called him to be. Only when we have the mind-set and a deep longing for God’s Spirit that the scriptures can penetrate us and make us realize that the scriptures have to be fulfilled in and through us someday, preferably in the near future.
Every Christian should feel that there are things to be fulfilled every time we read or listen to the Word of God. Life goes on as we witness there are so many unfinished business on the way. So many assignments on love are pending. So many smiles, kind words, little sacrifices, compassion and understanding, more over faith is lacking. When do we honestly say to ourselves and God, “Today, this scripture is fulfilled.” When do we say to ourselves “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me.”
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