The Ministry of the Minister of the Word

The following talk was given by Fr Benedict to the Readers of St Peter’s Parish at a reflection afternoon in March 2026

 The first 5 minutes or so of this talk will be a reflection on the ministry of a Minister of the Word, before we then move onto the practical guidance before an opportunity for comments and questions.

Naturally, I would like to begin by highlighting the importance of your ministry.

As a reader, you are intrusted with proclaiming the living Word of God to his people during the sacred liturgy.

The Liturgy of the Word is not simply what we have to get through before we get to the Liturgy of the Eucharist – just as Christ comes to meet us in Holy Communion, so he comes to us in the Word which is proclaimed.

We all know that words on a page and words spoken aloud are not quite the same thing. A text can sit there silently, but when it is proclaimed well it comes alive in a new way. By the way we read the congregation pick up on tone, emphasis, urgency, tenderness, warning and consolation. They begin to sense not only what is being said, but something of its weight and its meaning. So the task of the reader is not merely to say the words correctly, but to help the congregation hear them as the living Word of God. It’s not just to make sure the words are heard, but also the meaning of the text is passed on.

So being a reader is not simply just another job which must be done in the parish -we all know that at Mass there are many practical things that need doing, and it is easy for ministries to become functional – but that’s a danger we should guard against.

If people come away from Mass without being able to remember who read – that does not matter in the slightest; but if because of our ministry they are better able to hear what God is saying to them, then something very important has been done.

It’s also worth remembering that the lectionary is not ours to change – I don’t mind admitting to you that I am not the greatest fan of the new translation of the scriptures we have been using for the last year – but we should never deliberately change any words in the lectionary. The lectionary was prepared by the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales over many years and was published under the authority of the Pope – whilst mistakes happen (I for one am prone to tripping over words whilst reading) we should never deliberately change anything.

Now, one of the striking things about the Scriptures is that they are full of life when we really attend to them. Some passages are full of joy, some sorrow, some pleading, some challenge, some deep reassurance. The Bible is not flat, and so our reading of it should not be flat either…

That does not mean being theatrical or dramatic. In fact, the opposite is true: the reader is not there to perform.

But it does mean proclaiming with enough understanding and conviction that the meaning of the text can come through naturally.

A reading delivered as though it means nothing will usually sound like it means nothing.

But a reading proclaimed with faith and attentiveness gives the people something to receive.

And that is why preparation matters so much…