The worst thing a lector can do is change the wording of a petition up at the ambo on the fly, especially if your pastor had his hand in crafting it. (Read On) 

To wash the feet of our listeners through God's Word with the same love Jesus showed when he washed the feet of His apostles is a desire to manifest. (Read On)

...except the one person who may be desperate to hear, or benefit greatly from what your assigned reading TODAY has to say. (Read On)

Not knowing the whole story of a reading is like catching a scene in the middle of a movie and taking it out of context because we didn't know the before and after parts. (Read On)

When we think we're all prepared to proclaim our assigned Sunday readings, are we sure? What about the Prayers of the Faithful? Don't they deserve equal prep as well? (Read On)

As lectors, we can develop “leprous spots” on our minds and hearts that diminish our delivery of God’s word to our listeners . . . (Read On)

There's a tie-in with the religious practices of post-exilic Jewish priests in the Book of Malachi and the Ministry of Lector. Temple worship was filled with abuses. They were placing defiled food on the Lord's altar. (Read On)

In his engaging book, The Joy of the Gospel, Pope Francis puts great importance on the diligent preparation of a preacher's homily, along with lectors and listeners as well. (Read On)

St. Paul knew that the words he spoke were not where his message started, but with a demonstration of the Spirit; a wordless revealing of the way God was working in his life . . . (Read On)

When someone says to us after our reading, "Great Job!" or "You really nailed it up there," these accolades can be dangerous to our health as a lector when we bask in them too much . . . (Read On)

In Mark 4:21-22a, Jesus asks, "Is a lamp brought in to be placed under a bushel basket or under a bed, and not to be placed on a lampstand?" The ambo is that lampstand from where our hidden emotions can be made visible,

As lectors, let us always remind ourselves that each time we proclaim God's word from "just the ambo," typically just a few feet from "The Altar," we are literally standing on Holy Ground.

We've all heard people say, "Each time I read the same Scripture, I always get something new from it." Dig for that something new. Then convey its freshness from the depths of your heart.

To succeed at any endeavor, we need to visualize our success in advance: a corner hi-rise office, promotion, sale of a business, running a marathon, etc. And for lectors, this exercise can also bear fruit.

If we get too familiar with a reading where we feel we've "got it" and no longer need to study it, we risk proclaiming from the top of our heads instead of the depth of our hearts, and lose our listeners.

One of the most striking examples of the ultimate lector is from the Book of Nehemiah, describing how the prophet Ezra's deep knowledge and dedication to the Torah resulted in a delivery so powerful that he captured the full attention of the people,

As we look out over our listeners, we should always ask ourselves, “What am I'm telling them about myself before I even say a word? What fruits of the Holy Spirit are shining through in me?

What a privilege to be assigned to read Isaiah 50:4-7 this Palm Sunday, especially when we know that a well-trained tongue goes beyond speaking skills and knowledge of scripture. (Read On)

In his compelling book, The Spoken Christ (Crossroads 1990), Fr. Willard Francis Jabusch gives an enlightening comparison with a lector and a captivating singer who enflames the hearts of his listeners:

What gives the lector a well-trained tongue goes far beyond speaking skills and knowledge of Scripture. We proclaim God’s word as an invitation to our listeners, not as a monologue or a soliloquy. We speak with them, not to them or at them.