Copyright © 1995, 1998 by

Rick Swenton
106 Melinda Lane
Bristol, CT 06010-7199
All Rights Reserved

Permission is granted for use of this work in parish liturgy or music programs in a non-commercial setting provided that no fee is charged and that this copyright notice remains on all copies.

The Lectionary – The Word of God

The first area to cover is the Lectionary. This is the large book with the gold cover from which scripture is read during Mass.

The Mass is divided into two major parts: The Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Both parts are equally important. Both parts focus our being on God’s real presence. During the Liturgy of the Word, we experience God’s presence by listening to scripture. When we hear the word proclaimed, we listen as though we are hearing God speaking directly to us. During the Liturgy of the Eucharist, we experience Christ’s real presence in the Eucharist.

Scripture is the Word of God. When we listen to scripture we listen to God. Since the Lectionary is scripture, and scripture is the Word, then the Lectionary is a symbol of God.

When the reader carries the Lectionary in procession, it should be held with majesty and reverence. It should be held elevated as though you are in charge of personally carrying the King of Kings into the royal court. You carry the book elevated so that the assembly can see the Word as it is brought in. You process with calculated determination, not rushing, but not stalling, as you carry the Word to its ultimate destination: the Ambo. You approach the Ambo using the most direct route, not calling attention to yourself, but executing your mission of placing the holy book in prominent view. Open the book and place it on the Ambo. Now that you no longer have the book, you retreat to your seat using the least noticeable path so as not to attract attention.

The Ambo is the place reserved for proclaiming scripture. It is a prominent place, elevated in view of the assembly and adorned with appropriate beauty fitting of the proclamation of God’s Word. The book should be opened (to any page) rather than left closed. This action is symbolic of the Word of God always speaking to us in our lives. What good is a closed book?

While liturgical ministers are not executing their specific roles during the Mass, they should be active participants in the liturgy. This means you should participate in prayers, assembly responses, singing and postures such as standing and kneeling.

The First Reading is from ……

Now it is time for the First Reading. Hopefully you have read your passages in advance of the Mass and have reflected on their meaning. The reader is charged with the great responsibility of proclaiming the Word to the assembly. You need to know your passages well enough to read them with confidence and appropriate inflection to assist the assembly in their ministry of listening.

The reader approaches the Ambo with reverence, locates the first reading, pauses to see if the assembly is ready (is this a surprise to you?), and begins the reading. Do not announce that this is the First (or Second) reading! Everyone knows which reading it is and the number is not important. You would simply announce, "A reading from the book of Exodus." Saying something like, "The first reading is taken from the book of Exodus." sounds like a commentary. You are drawing attention to yourself by adding words that have no value when compared to the Word of God. "A reading from the book of Exodus." is a proclamation that stands on its own significance.

When you have finished, pause slightly before concluding with "The Word of the Lord." Don’t say, "This is the Word of the Lord." Again, that’s a distracting commentary with unnecessary words. "The Word of the Lord." is a proclamation that stands on its own significance.

After the cantor proclaims the Psalm, the reader will proclaim the second reading in the same manner as the first.

The Concluding Rite: The Mass is ended ….

When do you remove the Lectionary from the Ambo when the Mass is over?

The Word of God remains prominently on display at the Ambo throughout the Mass. If it is not there, it should be in procession. This means you should not retrieve the book during Communion or during the closing prayer and leave it on your seat. The Word of God is sacred. We revere the Word. We don’t expect the holy book to be taken from the holy place, outside of our view, and relegated to a mere chair! The book should remain at the Ambo until it is time to take the Word into the final procession. At this time, we take the Word of God with us as we leave the church and attempt to live in our lives what we just prayed in our liturgy.

Whenever you are carrying the Word, you would take the path of prominence – not for yourself, but for the Word. You will carry the Word in the most obvious and direct path for all to see and for all to revere.

So, how are we doing?

In order to establish consistency, a Liturgy Committee member may approach you to discuss some of these things with you. Please do not be offended if we bring anything to your attention. We have a responsibility to the assembly to offer a well-planned and consistently prayerful worship experience. This only works when we have a finely tuned team of liturgical ministers.

Our objective is to eventually have all liturgical ministers affecting every Mass with the same level of consistency.

If you have any questions or need any help, please call me anytime at (860) 589-7297 or over e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it