The Treasure We Often Overlook
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If you search “Public Scripture Reading” online, you’ll find occasional concerns about the lack of attention to this component in non-Catholic worship services.
When Protestant and Evangelical preachers refer to the Scriptures in their services, they often do it to support their sermons by throwing up verses on screens, or directing the assembly to open their Bibles here and there.
But in this style of delivery, the sermon becomes the preacher’s word rather than God’s word, with the preacher in the foreground and the word of God in the background.
Even when the word of God read aloud is given its own separate place in the worship service, it’s often treated as a warmup to the preacher’s sermon.
One way for non-Catholic preachers to better appreciate the value of public scripture reading in a formal service is to visit a Catholic Mass. Even if only out of curiosity, they can get an eye-opening when they hear God’s word being proclaimed by well-trained lectors during the Liturgy of the Word.
It can be a great opportunity for them to realize what they’ve been missing, and perhaps incorporate more public scripture reading in their services.
