Discernment should not only be exercised with new ministers, but veterans as well. Our enthusiasm about a ministry may die down over time, or we may feel burned out; just a few reasons why discernment should be ongoing.

There are many things we can do to serve God, but not necessarily the one good thing God wants us to focus on. We're asked to do this and that. We run from one ministry to the next. Tuesday here, Sunday there. And who's laughing at us more than Satan!

When we serve in too many different ministries at a time, nobody's lovin' it more but Satan, because we have less time to zero in on the one important thing God may be calling us to do. If certain ministries are interfering with us where our true passions are, we're being lead by Satan's "Plan B." 

Most of my past life was dominated by what St. Paul said in 1 Timothy 6: 7-10— Those who want to be rich fall into many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge them into ruin and destruction.

Once at a lector coordinators' meeting, the priest leading it began by saying, "The Ministry of Lector is the most exalted lay ministry in the church... I mean, you could train a monkey to be a Eucharistic minister." With a little deference to the priest’s remarks, it's without question a privileged role to proclaim God's word to worshipers, but certainly not a superior one.

So you’ve been a lector for 25 years? Or one year 25 times? At my church’s annual lector workshop, about eighty-percent of our lectors always show up.  Another ten-percent usually have valid reasons for not coming, and the remaining ten-percent are either not committed or just feel they’re experienced enough to not need it.

Those “deadly seven” sins of Sloth, Envy, Gluttony, Pride, Lust, Anger and Greed can find their way into our lector ministry as easily as other parts of our lives. Though not all neatly listed together anywhere in Scripture, they are referred to throughout God’s book.