4Ps: Prayer, Practice, Preparation and Proclamation: By: Ciedelle Honey Lou Sumaljag Dimalig

4Ps: Prayer,
Practice,
Preparation and
Proclamation
By: Ciedelle Honey Lou Sumaljag Dimalig
 Practical Preparation for Lectors

 Practical Preparation for Lectors is a basic resource for liturgical ministers. This
resource provides guidance to empower lectors who proclaim the Word of God so that
during the liturgical celebration, “the Bible ...from being a written word from the past
becomes what it is: God's addressing us here and now” (Spirit of the Liturgy, Ratzinger
p.72).
PRAYER, PREPARATION AND PRESENTATION
 “The Word of God … proclaimed in the Liturgy is always … a living and effective word
through the power of the Holy Spirit. It expresses the Father’s love that never fails in its
effectiveness towards us … Christ is present in His Word, as He carries out the mystery of
salvation, He sanctifies humanity and offers the Father perfect worship...When God
communicates his word, he expects a response, one, that is, of listening and adoring “in Spirit
and in truth” (John 4:23). The Holy Spirit makes that response effective, so that what is heard in
the celebration of the Liturgy may be carried out in a way of life: “Be doers of the word and not
hearers only” (Jas 1:22) … As [the faithful] listen to the word of God proclaimed in the Liturgy,
they strive harder to commit themselves to the Word of God incarnate in Christ. Thus, they
endeavor to conform their way of life to what they celebrate in the Liturgy, and then in turn to
bring to the celebration of the Liturgy all that they do in life.” (Introduction to the Lectionary for
Mass, #4, 6)
PRAYER ( PAG- AMPO)
 “It is out of the Word of God handed down in writing that even now 'God speaks to his
people ... The word of God proclaimed in the celebration of God's mysteries does not only
address present conditions but looks back to past events and forward to what is yet to
come...The working of the Holy Spirit is needed if the word of God is to make what we hear
outwardly have its effect inwardly … the Spirit brings home to each person individually
everything that in the proclamation of the work of God is spoken for the good of the whole
gathering of the faithful.”(Introduction to the Lectionary for Mass, #7, #9)

PRAYER
Pray and meditate on the Scripture Readings. Be open to what the Holy Spirit is saying.
Consider:
 What strikes you as you read the text?
 What feelings or images are evoked by the text?
 What is the message of the text?
 What is the Spirit telling you?
 What response is the Spirit calling for from me? From the community?
 Are we being called to conversion, to repentance, to forgiveness, to belief, to God and
neighbor?
PRAYER :
When praying and practicing, make the message of the Spirit your own. Your heartfelt,
faithful response will be conveyed through your proclamation. The Spirit will affect the
open-hearted faithful assembly and enable each person to hear the unique message that s/he
needs to hear. Their response will affect some change in the community’s members that
conforms them to Christ.

PREPARATION:
 “It is Christ himself who speaks when the Holy Scriptures are read in the Church…It
is not enough that the biblical passages are read in the vernacular, if they are not also
proclaimed with the care, preparation, devout attention and meditative silence that
enable the Word of God to touch people’s minds and hearts.” (John Paul II, Mane
Nobicum Domine, 13)

PREPARATION:
1. Read all of the texts for that day’s Liturgy of the
Word: the readings, the responsorial Psalm, the
alleluia verse and the Gospel.
Understand and pray about the content, purpose and message of the passages. Consider: How
does the Psalm respond to the first reading? How is the Gospel message connected to the other
readings? What is the theme of the day and the meaning or message that is conveyed?
2. Understand the readings in their Biblical
context.
Your understanding of the day’s Scripture passages can be enhanced by reading the verses
in the Bible that surround the designated text. Biblical commentaries are helpful tools for
the Lector’s deeper understanding.

3. Understand the readings in their
Liturgical context.
(Readings can be found at http://catholic-resources.org/Lectionary/1998USL.htm
). Become aware of how this particular reading relates to the Scriptures that are
read on the weekdays and Sun-days prior to and following the reading you will
proclaim. The readings generally are complimentary or continuous, and reflect
the Liturgical year. Consider: How does this passage make clear the theme of the
surrounding days and the Liturgical year?

4. Become familiar with the Lectionary.
Read the introduction at the beginning of the first volume. In

particular, Chapter 4 “The General Arrangement of Readings for Mass”
and Chapter 5 “Description of the Order of Readings” can help the
Lector understand the choice and order of the readings throughout the
liturgical year. The 3-year cycle of readings for Sunday Mass also can be
found in the New American Bible. This is the Bible translation used in
the Lectionary. The Lectionary can be found on-line at http://catholic-
resources.org/Lectionary/Introduction-1981.htm .
Understand the text’s literary genre or style and
5.
consider its appropriate mood or tone.
The proclamation of a gifted Lector should be in keeping with the tone of the passage.
The Biblical author chose a particular literary style or genre to help convey a specific
purpose, message or theme with an appropriate mood or tone. Consider: Is the passage
part of a narrative (story)? Discourse (explanation or argument)? Ex-hortation
(persuasion)? Poetry (with metaphor and parable)? Is the tone joyful, ex-ultant or awe-
inspiring? Encouraging or consoling? Is there repetition or opposition of thought? Practice
proclaiming the text with the appropriate tone or mood in mind.
PRESENTATION:
Practice and Proclamation
 “A speaking style on the part of the readers that is audible, clear, and
intelligent is the first means of transmitting the word of God properly to the
congregation.”
(Introduction to the Lectionary for Mass, #14)

PRESENTATION: PRACTICE AND
PROCLAMATION
 Know the message of the Sacred Scripture and why it is important. When
proclaim-ing, focus your attention and energy on the intention of God’s Word.
When the Lector consciously puts God's Word first, his/her demeanor will
reflect an attitude of service for God's Word and His people.
 Your vocal presentation can help convey the message of the Scripture.
 Practice by reading the Scripture conversationally. This may help convey the
sense of the text.
 When practicing and proclaiming, speak more slowly than you would in
normal con-versation.
PRESENTATION : PRACTICE AND
PROCLAMATION
 Enunciate so that the assembly can understand all the words of God that you
proclaim.
 Pronunciation guides can be found in dictionaries and in your Lector’s
handbook. If you aren’t sure how to pronounce particularly difficult names of
places or people, then ask the celebrant, deacon or another liturgical minister .
PRESENTATION: PRACTICE AND
PROCLAMATION
 Proclaim the Scripture expressively, not dramatically.
 Vocal variety helps to engage the listener. Avoid a monotone voice.

 Strive for a subtle variation in volume (loud or soft), pitch (high or
low), tempo (fast or slow) intonation (the rising and falling cadence
of the voice), rhythm (the recur-rent alternation of sound and silence
that can provide emphasis) and inflection. (Raise your vocal energy at
the beginning of a new or significant thought or phrase.
 The end of a sentence often calls for a downward inflection. Questions
usually end with an upward inflection.)
 Some words are more important than others. Emphasize important words by
saying them more slowly.
 Misreading the text can occur. If you misplace a word or mispronounce
it, just ig-nore your error and continue reading unless the sense of the text
has been changed. If your misreading has significantly altered the meaning of
the text then correct it immediately by re-reading the word, phrase or
sentence so that the intended mean-ing is evident.
 Manage anxiety. One’s desire to do well may heighten anxious feelings. Your
con-fidence level will improve with preparation, practice and prayer. Use the
energy as-sociated with your anxiety by focusing yourself and your energy in
the humble ser-vice of the Holy Spirit.

PROCLAIMING FROM THE AMBO
 When proclaiming God's Word, Lectors praise and glorify God and engage in
an act of loving service for His faithful. The Lector provides the voice for the
Holy Spirit to make known the Word of God. So that the faith community
hears God's Word, the reader does not distract his fellow believers from the
Holy Spirit's message. You are a servant of God's Word. Your manner,
appearance and proclamation should draw attention to the Scripture
readings, not detract from them.

 When standing at the ambo, the Lector's stance should project a sense of the
importance of the proclamation. Be aware of your posture: stand straight, both feet
flat on the floor and shoulder-length apart, maintaining a secure but relaxed stance.
Fidgeting, repeatedly shifting your weight and inappropriate attire can be distracting.
 Your relaxed hands can rest gently on the ambo or Lectionary. Discreetly and
unobtrusively using your finger to mark your place when you read can be helpful. If
necessary, adjust the height of the microphone.

 Managing Pauses While Reading
Lectors can help their faith community connect to the Word of God by managing
pauses. Taking a breath while reading can create a brief pause. A Lector can use this
brief interlude to re-focus his attention and energy on humbly serving God and
community through his/her proclamations. Pauses convey meaning. Properly placed
pauses can convey the message, mood and weight of the text. Brief pauses can
separate, emphasize, and conclude important thoughts, phrases or statements.
 Managing Pauses while reading
Momentarily pausing at key points in the reading can help the assembly
understand the text by creating a brief interlude for a message to “sink in” and
be processed by the listener.
Pause according to the sense of the phrase or the
sentence. Listening to yourself read the passage aloud can help you sense when
it is appropriate to pause. Punctua-tion marks, commas, periods, etc.) can help
you decide where to breathe. Mark your text when a pause is appropriate.
Practice pauses.
 Carefully manage the length of your pauses before and after a reading.
Briefly paus-ing before beginning the first reading's introductory words can
allow time for the as-sembly to sit, get comfortable and get ready to listen.
A pause at this time also cre-ates a brief moment of expectation which invites
the congregation's attention. Paus-ing at the end of a reading invites a
moment of silent reflection. Always pause at the end of the reading, before
saying “The Word of the Lord”

 Engage the Assembly by Establishing Eye Contact
The proclamation of God's Word should affect a response from the community.
The Lector can use eye contact with the assembly to invite their engagement,
personal involvement, and response to the Words proclaimed. Eye contact can
be used to emphasize important phrases.

 Effectively engage the assembly by making eye con-tact with different areas
of the congregation – look slightly above the congregation, look towards the
people in the back, and look slightly right or left of center. Engage the whole
assembly. Make eye contact at the beginning of the passage and at the end
of some sentences. While practicing, decide where in the reading it would
be natural to make eye contact.

CLOSING PRAYER

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4Ps: Prayer,

gathering of the faithful.”(Introduction to the Lectionary for Mass, #7, #9)

 What strikes you as you read the text?

 What feelings or images are evoked by the text?

 What is the message of the text?

 What is the Spirit telling you?

 Are we being called to conversion, to repentance, to forgiveness, to belief, to God and

conforms them to Christ.

Nobicum Domine, 13)

Word: the readings, the responsorial Psalm, the

alleluia verse and the Gospel.

the Lector’s deeper understanding.

(Readings can be found at http://catholic-resources.org/Lectionary/1998USL.htm

proclaim. The readings generally are complimentary or continuous, and reflect

surrounding days and the Liturgical year?

Read the introduction at the beginning of the first volume. In

consider its appropriate mood or tone.

(Introduction to the Lectionary for Mass, #14)

 Pronunciation guides can be found in dictionaries and in your Lector’s

handbook. If you aren’t sure how to pronounce particularly difficult names of

 Vocal variety helps to engage the listener. Avoid a monotone voice.

the humble ser-vice of the Holy Spirit.

appearance and proclamation should draw attention to the Scripture

readings, not detract from them.

necessary, adjust the height of the microphone.

the congregation's attention. Paus-ing at the end of a reading invites a

saying “The Word of the Lord”

be used to emphasize important phrases.

of some sentences. While practicing, decide where in the reading it would

be natural to make eye contact.

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