The Perfect Role Model
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One of the most striking examples of the ultimate lector is in the reading from the Book of Nehemiah 8 on the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C).
Picture the scene as Ezra the priest reads the law of God, standing aloft on a platform as the crowd watches him unroll the scroll. Though we may not unroll the Lectionary, our modern-day scroll, most of our listeners will respect the fact that it's the word of God we're proclaiming.
Ezra's deep knowledge and dedication to the Torah resulted in a delivery so powerful that he captured the full attention of the people, had them prostrating themselves, saying "Amen, Amen" and bringing them to tears: so much that Nehemiah and some of the clergy had to step in and sooth the people over with a few messages of gladness.
The tears were due to the people's realization of how far they had drifted from God and his laws during the time of their Babylonian captivity.
Who was Ezra? The Book of Ezra which precedes the reading from Nehemiah 8 describes his role in unifying a vulnerable Jewish community still subjected to the influences of Hellenism, and in bringing them back to their one true God.
Chapters 7-10 in the Book of Ezra give us more insight into this role model of a man. Perhaps a bit of him can rub off.
