Becoming a Better Reader
From Nine Steps to Becoming a Better Lector by Nick Wagner - Resource Publications, San Jose, CA.
- Pray with scripture
- find a suitable quiet space - alone or with a faith sharing group
- ask God for the grace to enter the scripture
- read the passage
- what words strike you?
- what images engage your imagination?
- who would you be if you "entered" the story?
- stay with what God is directing you towards
- read the passage again
- what do you wish to bring from this reading into your life?
- how could you facilitate the meaning or power of that reading to another?
- Read and prepare scripture
- read the entire gospel of the cycle at the beginning of every Advent
- for any particular Sunday, read the gospel first
- read the first reading
- read the psalm
- read the second reading
- read the scriptures from the previous Sunday and the one following
- read the scripture you are to proclaim in context
- read the readings in their sequence
- Find the most important phrase in your reading
- Find the emotion
- how will you convey the emotion in a way that does not intrude on the reading?
- Practice
- find your voice
- find the intensity you wish
- find your breath
- would someone allow you to practice on them?
- Use eye contact
- the eyes are the window to the soul
- we are not alone on this journey
- Project
- find your diaphragmatic breathing
- do some breathing and vocal exercises
- Vary your pace
- Vary your style
- what kind of reading are you proclaiming? letter, story, poem, prose
Pray before you read: Lord, be on my lips and in my heart that I may worthily proclaim your word.
