We call the bible the word of God, and rightly so. But
it is perhaps even more exact to call it the story of the word of God. We
recognise that the bible, which is patently the work of human hands,
nonetheless contains a voice which is far more than human, a voice which we say
is God’s. It is a voice which goes to the heart of the world’s
darkness, emptiness and chaos and draws from them light, fullness and order.
That is why when we come to Mass, we leave nothing behind. As we listen to the
scripture proclaimed, we bring our darkness, emptiness and chaos to the God who
speaks. Bishop Mark Coleridge
The truths in the above
paragraph can have an influence on the way we proclaim the Word in the Liturgy.
Here are two easy-to-implement suggestions for readers.
When you come to the book
for the proclamation of the Word, do it calmly and without rush. Look at the
page, find the place, perhaps even put a finger on the first sentence, take in
the heading (for example, A reading from the letter to the Hebrews), then look
up at the congregation and while still looking at the congregation proclaim the
introduction in such a way that suggests “Listen to this: we are about to
hear the wonderful, empowering, enlightening, inspiring Word of God. Drop
everything – even your distractions – and listen”.
Having done that go on
with the reading/proclamation of the text.
At the end of the
passage, pause for a few moments to draw distinctive attention to what you are
going to say next, then, while again looking at the congregation all the time,
deliberately proclaim the words “The Word of the Lord” in such a
way that invites a strong and grateful prayer in response “Thanks be to
God”.
Unfortunately, the
opposite sometimes happens: the introduction and the conclusion are read
quietly and quickly, with eyes cast down. With a spoiled beginning and end, a
reading’s effectiveness is limited.