As we look out over our listeners, we should always ask ourselves, “What am I'm telling them about myself before I even say a word? What fruits of the Holy Spirit are shining through in me?

Unlike the quality and professionalism parishes demand from their musicians or cantors, few make similar demands on their lectors, leaving them on their own to find sources of self-development and enrichment.

Just as pro athletes fall into slumps, writers get writer's block, and our many great prophets had their dry spells, so does the lector hit these walls.