Lectors at Mass
Just a few thoughts.
I don’t know what the rules are for Lectors at Mass, nor what training is required, but I have noticed that those who read are not always the best suited to do so. Perhaps some of these people either haven’t prepared for the readings, or they are just not good readers. In some instances, I’ve noticed how a few Lectors read as if they are reading a novel, or a narrative of a play, which can be distracting in so far as the listeners can be more taken with the delivery as opposed to hearing the word of God.
At Mass recently, a visually impaired man has been doing the readings using braille. Obviously there is no problem with that, except in his case - he is not very good at it. He misses entire sentences and reads haltingly, so that the sense of the reading is often confused. The man is a regularly scheduled reader. In this particular church, as in many throughout the diocese, missalettes are not provided by which to follow the readings, hence a person cannot follow along with the text as it is supposed to be read. Awhile back, liturgists discouraged the use of missalettes so that the congregation could focus all of their attention on what was read and hear the Word of God as was done in earlier times.
The same sort of misreading of the Scriptures occurs once in awhile at a children’s Mass, while we are either so distracted about how cute the kid is, or the kid just can’t read very well. The upshot is, we don’t hear the reading properly. The evident ‘requirement’ that lay people do the readings at Mass sometimes occasions the average person missing what was read, for one reason or another. The Liturgy of the Word is essential to the Mass, and ought to be conducted with reverence, decorum, and prayerfulness. I don’t think it should be the occasion for sentimentality, theatrics, or politically correct show and inclusiveness.
Though it doesn’t exactly apply to contemporary Catholic discipline, there is an interesting instruction for Orthodox monks on the proper decorum for reading the Word of God, which I will reprint here:
“Those who read the Psalms and the Daily Office, that is, Vespers, Matins, and so on, should prepare in good time and find the troparians and kontakions of the day beforehand, so as not to make mistakes during the reading in church and not to have to stop to look for things and thereby spoil the spirit of prayer. The reader should stand straight, with his hands at his side; he should read without hurrying and without dragging, he should pronounce the words clearly and distinctly. He should read simply and reverently without expressing his feelings by modulations and changes to his voice. Let us leave the holy prayers (readings) to act on the listeners by their own spiritual power. The desire to convey to the bystanders one’s own feelings is a sign of vanity and pride.”- The Arena, Bishop Ignatius Brianchaninov
Perhaps those who read at Mass could be held to a higher standard, considering the holiness of their ‘office’. Now let’s talk about altar servers and their training - or lack of it. I think I’ll save that for another post.
September 9th, 2007 at 11:50 am
I agree. It also bugs me when Lectors take it upon themselves to change the reading so it’s “inclusive”
You know how I feel about the flailing arm thing during the Psalm.
I know how you feel about their attire or lack thereof.
Ok, really, I’m upset. We need to have gongs where we ring the gong when they read poorly or the priest pulls a lever and they drop to the basement never to be heard from again.
September 9th, 2007 at 12:08 pm
Ideally the reader should fade into the background and when I get home I want to be able to forget who read, what they wore, etc. and just remember the message. Anyone that serves in any capacity should be this way IMHO.
September 9th, 2007 at 7:59 pm
Truly, some of us need the more traditional Mass as our grandparents, parents and we grew up with it. I heard from someone that it’s by this Friday that the Church is supposed to know and offer the Tridentine wherever it is desired. I hope so.
As for Readers, none could exceed the ineptness of the one who almost caused my cousin (in RCIA, in her very first reading of the Passion..) apoplexy. He was about 180 years old and we began to cringe early on, for he mispronounced every mispronoucable word. He paused. Lost his place. Mumbled. Sometimes he’d say, “Huh…” as if reading it for the first time to himself. All of that came hard (very hard) on the heels of the elderly priest who had insisted on singing the intentions for a half-hour. (A combination of fingernails on a blackboard and braking train wheels.) I feel awful to mention any of it, but in every Liturgy for years now in any of my local parishes, we’re lucky.. truly lucky, if we can understand the readings. But one parish has solved the problem in its own way, and perhaps they can do without the missals: Powerpoint shows on 2 big screens.
As a matter of fact, the Word Himself stands at the back of the church waiting to be processed in until after the Powerpoint has had its say. Then, he must wait for the cantor to finish all 4, 6, 8 verses or responses.
It’s all far worse than the above, some is very serious. I’m talking about somersaults and cheerios and matchbox cars on the step leading to His Tabernacle (I spoke with the Pastor on that one), and inviting First Communicants who couldn’t make it in May.. to come on up to the altar for the Consecration.
And yes, when you address the issue of altar servers, plead for albs. There’s something nearly insulting about striped polo shirts when serving Mass..
If we do not receive a Tridentine gift here soon, I will truly go on over to the Maronite church for Mass.
September 9th, 2007 at 8:01 pm
(Oh gosh, sorry.. that comment was so long! I didn’t realize so until it posted.)
September 9th, 2007 at 8:30 pm
The tradition of the Roman Rite was to cantillate the readings. I could write a book about this. Maybe. Someday.
September 9th, 2007 at 9:18 pm
Don Mrco - Sorry, I along with many of my readers have no idea what “cantillate the readings” means. Is that supposed to make everything okay?
September 9th, 2007 at 9:48 pm
I hate it when the readers get all dramatic and put lots of emphasis on words. I’m sure they think they are being really effective, but it is very out of place in a Church. We’re not little children listening to grandpa tell a bedtime story.
September 10th, 2007 at 8:08 am
While someone looks up “cantillate” ,would you please look up “troparion” and “kontakion”, too?
Order a subscription of “Magnificat” today, if you don’t have missalettes! It has a Gospel commentary (in case the sermon was awful), and the art on the front cover and in the back are good, holy distractions for children. Yesterday’s homily was good but my 7-year-old was unable to follow along, so he looked at the picture of Christ meeting St. Peter on the Appian Way. I gave him a quick explanation of it and that held his attention (especially the picture of just their feet, for some reason).
September 10th, 2007 at 9:07 am
What gets me (besides “inclusive language”) are readers (usually women)who read so softly that they can’t be heard or understood, even with a mic. Just defeats the purpose of having the reading read aloud!
September 10th, 2007 at 9:35 am
Jeanette, troparion and kontakion are prayers within the Byzantine liturgy, simiar to our collects, summarizing the feast of the day.
September 10th, 2007 at 3:25 pm
Cantillation is the traditional way of delivering a sacred text within the liturgy. It is a kind of “elevated speech” that falls between lyrical song and reciting on a single note. It respects the sense of the text and ensures that it is delivered objectively, clearly, and reverently. Reading the lessons of the liturgy in a talky tone of voice is a recent innovation. Until the promulgation of the “Novus Ordo” the Epistle and Gospel were always cantillated (chanted) at High Mass and at Solemn High Mass. In monasteries the readings were always delivered in this way. In some monasteries even the refectory reading was cantillated. Cantillation obliges one to project one’s voice and, more often than not, makes a microphone unnecessary. In the Byzantine churches the Epistle and Gospel are cantillated.
September 10th, 2007 at 3:30 pm
There is secular cantillation too. Examples: the newspaper boy who cries, “Extra! Extra, Read all about it!” Or the auctionneer who crows: “Going once, going twice, sold to the lady in the purple hat!” I’m sure that you can think of other examples.
The official tones for chanting the readings in the Roman Rite are found at the end of the Graduale Romanum.
When the readings are not cantillated, they are to be read with modesty, sobriety, and objectivity.
September 10th, 2007 at 3:47 pm
Oh, and another thing. Reading the lessons in a talky-tone of voice was a Protestant innovation at the time of the Reformation. At the time of the Ritualist movement in England, it was considered very daring indeed (and frightfully Popish) to “intone” the lessons. It was the distinctively Catholic (and Orthodox) way. Today, most Roman Catholics think that “reading” the lessons in a talky-tone is normative. Crazy. It’s Protestant.
September 10th, 2007 at 5:23 pm
Don Marco - Thank you very much for explaining this so clearly.
September 11th, 2007 at 8:47 am
excuse my “mini-rant” but i just get tired of these endless complaints about the liturgy. of course the liturgy can be improved in its devotion and expression, no one debates that.
but i wonder what is the POINT of this endless complaining? it can be the music, the lectors, the homily, the EM’s etc…it is an never ending list when one starts to walk down that road.
i just never find the value in complaining without offering some practical suggestion.
why not volunteer to lector and show by example a more positive way to do it? why not volunteer to help the lectors learn some techniques of public reading if you have the skills?why not try to be part of the solution and not just complain?
when the word of God is proclaimed, all the force and power of God is present no matter how impoverished the presentation (can any good come from nazareth?). the most important thing is to receive it and ponder it with a humble heart. complaining can get us in a mentality where we miss the message because we only focus on the messenger.
and about all this ‘canticating’ stuff…give me a break, or at least some pratical suggestions.
if you think you have problems with the leader of song/cantor now wait till lectors start ‘canticlacting’ the readings! oh, if canticaling was such a part of the tradition how many remember it or even heard it on any regular basis before Vatican II?? sure maybe in some monastery somewhere it was done and that is nice…but God want his word proclaimed to all here and now, and use whatever form will reach the people and call them to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.
sure the goal is a revernt proclamation of the Word of God, but it will take work to get there and it IS being done in many parishes and the whole point of the proclamation of the Word of God is to hear it and for most people canticalting it would be at present a big distraction. IMHO
September 14th, 2007 at 12:40 pm
The photo in the post shows I believe a lectrix not a lector.
November 15th, 2007 at 12:55 pm
Gentlemen & Ladies: I am a lector. I lector at St Didacus every morning. It is a privilege and an honor to lector. I lend emotion to the readings whenever the readings warrant it. The end product of this is that the readings are clear and understandable. To make sure that the readings are understandable I devote an hour to preparation before attending Mass. If this is not sufficient please tell me! I would like to know so that the next time I can let someone else do it! Doug