The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity – Second Reading – 05/31/2026

Paul gently exhorts a young community to mend their ways and support each other.  He closes with a message of sweet affection.  We all can use a little of both every now and then.

Transcript

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Howdy, and welcome to Bob the Lector. I'm Bob. The purpose of this podcast is to inspire Catholic lectures to bring their proclamation of God's Word to life. This episode is for the May 31st, Sunday Mass's second reading. It's the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, Year A, a reading from the second letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians. Brothers and sisters, rejoice. Mend your ways, encourage one another, agree with one another. Live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the holy ones greet you. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you. The Word of the Lord. Welcome to the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, y'all. Paul is gently exhorting a young Christian community to mend their ways. We all need a little correction here and there. So let's get to it, shall we? I always start my own lecture practice with preparation, which is not the external proclamation, but the internal discernment of the message. What is God saying to us? What is his purpose? What is the meaning of this reading? Because if it doesn't mean anything to us, how can we as lectors make it mean anything to the congregation before us? I prefer readings that aim for the heart, because that's where an emotional connection will be made with the people in the pews. But others aim for the head. This letter is instructional and subtly corrective. Nonetheless, it closes with expressions of deep affection, so it hits both the head and the heart. One of the tenets of public speaking is to know your audience. Who's the target audience of this reading? It's anyone who could stand a little improvement in their life. So everyone before and behind the ambo. Some historical context. Corinth was a cosmopolitan, morally complex city. Think of it as the Las Vegas of 2,000 years ago. Paul knew the Corinthians quite well. He introduced the gospel to the Gentiles there, and lived with them for about a year and a half. See Acts 18.11. This letter is written a year or so after his first letter to him, say, in the year 56, give or take. This is the concluding exhortation and blessing of St. Paul's second letter to the Corinthians, a community marked by division, moral disorder, and internal conflict. Sound familiar? What do you learn from this reading? We begin with, brothers and sisters, rejoice, mend your ways, encourage one another, agree with one another. Live in peace. Consider two ways to kick off this reading and choose the one most authentic for you. Brothers and sisters with an upward lilt, or brothers and sisters with a downward one. Whichever method you pick, use an inclusive and gentle tone. This is an invitation. Everyone before you, they belong here. Make them feel it. When you say rejoice, use direct eye contact, scanning the congregation with a big smile. Proclaim it as if it's followed not by a period, but by an exclamation point. The message to rejoice comes not after everything is resolved, but as a choice in the midst of difficulty. Joy here is an act of trust, not a reaction to circumstances we cannot control. Use a slight firmness when you say mend your ways. Then move to a softer warmth and closeness when you declare, encourage one another, and agree with one another. Agree with one another as a function of unity, not uniformity. Use a downward lylt when you say live in peace. Emphasize rejoice, mend, encourage, agree, live, and peace. Insert small pauses after sisters, ways, the first another, the second another, and peace. Next we have and the God of love and peace will be with you. There are two ways to do this segment. The first is to re-characterize and the God of love as a question with and peace as a continuation of the question, followed by a pause, then the answer being we'll be with you. This option should include a small pause after love and a full pause after peace. Alternatively, you can read this sentence straight through without this recharacterization or any pauses. Do what is most authentic for you. With both ways, when you say we'll be with you, use a tone and facial expression of quiet assurance, as a promise fulfilled. Stress with. Use a full pause after you before you begin the next sentence. Next, greet one another with a holy kiss. All the holy ones greet you. I'm reminded of a teacher telling one of their students they are their favorite, with a student thinking or saying, I bet you say that to all your students. The same could be said of St. Paul's close here. A holy or loving kiss closes Romans, 1 Corinthians, 1 Thessalonians, and 1 Peter. A holy kiss may feel weird culturally, but its essence should not. Avoid awkwardness. Focus on reverence and connection. The holy kiss was a real liturgical gesture in the early church, signifying reconciliation before receiving communion. Echoed today in the sign of peace at our modern-day Mass. Kissing was also a common Roman practice to greet others and seal deals, especially within family and between social equals. Similarly, all the holy ones greet you is used in one way or another at the end of Romans, 1 Corinthians, and Philippians. Use an understated smile, warmth, and eye contact as you read these two sentences. Highlight greet and all. Use full pauses after kiss and you. We finish with the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you. Read this sentence with deep warmth. Remember the conversation between the teacher and the student? One-third of this close, the grace of the Lord Jesus be with you, is used in Romans, 1 Corinthians, Philippians, and 1 Thessalonians. The addition of God the Father and the Holy Spirit is theologically significant. This is one of the clearest Trinitarian passages of the New Testament, perfect for today's feast day. When you close with, be with all of you, engage the congregation with eye contact and a warm smile. You are invoking a blessing over this people before you. Stress grace, love, fellowship, and all. Insert micropauses after Christ, God, and Holy Spirit. Consider taking a poll on behalf of our informal lecture community. This close is more than a little reminiscent of our Mass's entrance chant. Let me know if anyone in your congregation, out of sheer habit, responds with and with your spirit at the end of your proclamation. Email your count to me at info at bobthelector.org, and I'll announce the results in a future episode. Well, that's all for now. Thanks for listening. My hope is these ideas will help you find your authentic voice so your proclamation of God's word will transform your listeners, whether they're in pain and broken, or just going through the motions. Because the good news deserves great delivery. Visit us on the web at bobthecture.org and we'll see you at the Ambo. By the way, if you like what you hear and are so inclined, please give us five stars on Apple Podcasts. Thanks so much.