8. A Word to Lectors

As a brief aside, there is the unfortunate tendency among lectors nationwide to add more words to the introductory and closing statements around liturgical readings. The true emphasis is inadvertently diminished. Attention is redirected, even if unintentionally, upon themselves or the congregation. Pope John Paul II cautioned a group of lectors regarding this, warning that they were at the service of the Word. Your whole bearing, he relates, should say, "[This is] the Word of the Lord," and not, "I am the Lord of the Word." The deification of the assembly is implied with the addition of such a phrase as, "My brothers and sisters, . . ." over and against God's presence in the proclamation. Even more peculiar is the lifting of the lectionary with the concluding acclamation. It damages the higher honor and significance given the Gospel and may even mislead people into placing importance in the physical book instead of upon the living Word that is heard and which plants a transformative message in the listener.