The Lectorate

Earlier this month, four of us were instituted in ecclesial ministries at St. Clement's: two lectors and two acolytes.

The lector is appointed for a function proper to him, that of reading the word of God in the liturgical assembly. Accordingly, he is to proclaim the readings from sacred Scripture, except for the gospel in the Mass and other sacred celebrations; he is to recite the psalm between the readings when there is no psalmist; he is to present the intentions for the general intercessions in the absence of a deacon or cantor; he is to direct the singing and the participation by the faithful; he is to instruct the faithful for the worthy reception of the sacraments. He may also, insofar as may be necessary, take care of preparing other faithful who are appointed on a temporary basis to read the Scriptures in liturgical celebrations. That he may more fittingly and perfectly fulfill these functions, he is to meditate assiduously on sacred Scripture.
Aware of the office he has undertaken, the lector is to make every effort and employ suitable means to acquire that increasingly warm and living love and knowledge of Scripture that will make him a more perfect disciple of the Lord. 

(Ministeria quaedam, 1972)

Lector and acolyte in general correspond to the commissioned ministries of lector and extraordinary minister of holy communion, but with the important distinction that the former are permanent installations that apply in all times and places while the latter apply for the year of commission and only in the local parish. They are also more comprehensive: acolytes may expose and repose the Eucharist and prepare the altar at the offertory during Mass, and both lectors and acolytes are responsible for training other lay ministers (... preparing other faithful who are appointed on a temporary basis to read the Scriptures in liturgical celebrations).

In 1972, these ministries replaced the minor orders (exorcist, porter, lector, acolyte) and major order of subdiaconate, which along with the clerical tonsure were suppressed because they no longer reflected their original purposes. Although the ministries are required for candidates for Holy Orders and they are still reserved to men, Pope Paul VI specified that there is not an essential connection between them and the clerical state. This had previously been understood as beginning with the tonsure that signified entrance into priestly formation, but now it is ordination to the diaconate that signifies entrance to the clerical state.

Part of the rite of institution is being presented with the Bible, and I was allowed to select one for myself. I chose a bilingual Greek/English version of the Septuagint, the original translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek from the second century B.C. This is the version of the Scriptures that was most widely used in the first century outside of Palestine and almost the exclusive source of the Old Testament quotes in the Gospels and Epistles. It shortly after fell out of favor with Jews, partly because the wording of prophecies supported the claim that Jesus is the Messiah and partly because most of the Greek-speaking Jewish populations were exterminated or dispersed by the Jewish-Roman wars of the second century, but it continued to be the authoritative version of the Old Testament for Christians until the Vulgate was promulgated in the early 4th century and replaced it in the west; it continues to be used by the Byzantine Churches and is the source of translations used by Syriac, Armenian, and Egyptian Christians.

The Septuagint differs from the Old Testament most familiar to the English-speaking world in a few ways. The most notable is the number of books, which is the reason for the difference between Protestant and Catholic Bibles; Protestant leaders eschewed the Septuagint because it was a translation and also because the books later excluded from the canon of the Hebrew Bible include some that are theologically problematic for Protestants; the books of Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, 1 and 2 Maccabees, Baruch, and parts of Esther and Daniel only exist in the Greek version, which is why these were rejected by Jews and Protestants but have always been accepted by Orthodox Christians who use the older canon. Also, the numbering of the Psalms is different and the text of the Book of Jeremiah, among others, is significantly different.

Roman Catholic biblical scholars of the last few centuries followed the more prolific Protestant scholars and it became fashionable to hold the later Hebrew texts were more authentic and the Septuagint text was corrupted. This view has been significantly upset by the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947, which provide many Hebrew texts at variance with the Masoretic versions and generally confirm that most of the Septuagint comes from an older manuscript tradition. This has yet to gain widespread acceptance because biblical scholars in general continue to rely on the last three centuries of scholarship which is dominated by English and German Protestants, but it is one of the reasons why I am interested.

I don't have a picture of me being instituted, but here I am watching the acolyte institution.

St. Bernard on the Most Holy Name of Mary

Today is the titular feast of the Congregation of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary, the most important day of the year for us; our birthday celebration, if you will.
It is a day for celebrating our family, giving thanks to God for all the gifts he gives us, and renewing our dedication to serving the Congregation and the Church through the charism we have been given.

Most of the readings from the liturgies of the day recall the Annunciation, when our salvation begins when an archangel speaks the name of Mary, the pronouncement in which the salvation of each individual is bound (St. Louis de Montfort).

Her name bears immense power because of the unique bond between Mary and her Son. When God sent his Son born of a woman, he instituted a once and for all order of salvation in which the union of Mother and Child stands at the center (Romanus Cessario, OP).

Here is an excerpt from the Office of Readings for the day:

Second Reading: Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca, St. Bernard of Clairvaux, Abbot and Doctor

And the Virgin's name was Mary. Let us now say a few words about this name, which is said to mean "star of the sea," and is so becoming to the Virgin Mother... All of you, whoever you are, who feel that in the tidal wave of this world you are near to being tossed about among the storms and tempests than walking on the land, if you do not want to founder in the tempest, do not turn your eyes away from this shining star. When the wind of temptation blows up within you, when you strike upon the rock of tribulation, gaze up at this star, call out to Mary. If you are tossed by the waves of pride or ambition, slander or envy, look to the star, call upon Mary. If anger or greed or the desires of the flesh are battering the ship of your soul, gaze up at Mary. When the immensity of your sin weighs you down and you are ashamed of your guilty conscience, when the terrifying thought of judgment appalls you and you begin to sink into the gulf of sadness or the abyss of despair, think of Mary, call upon Mary. Let her name be even on your lips, ever in your heart. Follow the example of her life and you will obtain the favor of her prayer. Following her, you will not go astray. Invoking her, you will not despair. Thinking of her, you will not wander away. Upheld by her, you will not stumble. Protected by her, you will not fear. Guided by her, you will not tire. Favored by her, you will reach the goal. Then you will know by your own experience how true it is that "the Virgin's name was Mary."

The Holy Name of Mary

Today was a rather exciting day; not every third-week postulant gets to meet the Rector Major (the Oblate Superior General) of the congregation personally.

To explain: this week the Oblates have an international conference here, so the Rector Major as well as men from Italy, France, Austria, Brazil, Argentina, Nigeria, the Philippines, and Canada are meeting with the American Oblates.

But for a few out-of-town guests at the seminary, it was business as usual for most of us during the first part of the week, but today was the Feast of the Holy Name of Mary, which is the titular feast of the congregation and observed as a solemnity by Oblates. Thus we were dismissed from afternoon classes and gathered with all the professed members at the retreat center for vespers and mass (in italiano e latino), renewal of the dedication of the congregation, and an asado (traditional Argentinian super-barbecue).

Oblates from all over the world provided stimulating dinner conversation.

All the Spanish-speaking postulants with the Argentinians, Brazilians and Italians at another equally animated table

Our Rector Major, Padre Sergio. There are pictures of me with him somewhere on the phones and cameras of priests from Illinois and Italy; not sure how to track those down yet.

It was very different from the usual Wednesday dinner in the refectory: I was treated like an honored guest and spent most of the evening trying to convey my autobiography repeatedly to priests who speak as much English as I speak Spanish. But the reunion was much more personal for most and the vino was shared generously, so after a couple hours we were all gathered around exchanging anecdotes in broken English, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese with the help of a few competent translators. I was only able to take leave after lots of blessings and having to promise to visit Brazil. 

We also sang a rousing rendition of the Oblate anthem Salve Mater Misericordiae, which I learned for the occasion. Here is a more traditional rendering:

                                   

R. Hail, Mother of mercy, Mother of God and Mother of pardon, Mother of hope and Mother of grace, Mother full of holy joy. O Mary!

Hail, honor of the human race. Hail, Virgin worthier than others, for you surpassed them all and now occupy the highest seat of honor. O Mary! R.

Hail, Blessed Virgin yet bearing child: for he who sits at the Father's right hand, the Ruler of heaven, of earth and sky, has sheltered himself in your womb. O Mary! R.

Become, O Mother, our solace: be for us a source of joy, and at the last, after this exile, unite us rejoicing to the choirs of angels. O Mary! R.

It was a great experience I wanted to share right away, but I still have a Latin quiz tomorrow so I will have to post exciting LOTR tidbits later.