The Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time – First Reading – 06/14/2026

With this foundational moment in salvation history, God formalizes his covenant with the Israelites, setting the stage for the establishment of His New Covenant with us, through Jesus Christ.

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. I apologize for my voice. I'm fighting a cold, but the liturgy waits for no one. This episode is for the June 14th, Sunday Mass's first reading. It's the eleventh Sunday in ordinary time, year A. A reading from the Book of Exodus. In those days, the Israelites came to the desert of Sinai and pitched camp. While Israel was encamped here in front of the mountain, Moses went up the mountain to God. Then the Lord called to him and said, Thus shall you say to the house of Jacob, Tell the Israelites, You have seen for yourselves how I treated the Egyptians, and how I bore you up on eagle wings, and brought you here to myself. Therefore, if you hearken to my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my special possession, dearer to me than all other people, though all the earth is mine. You shall be to me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation. The word of the Lord. Welcome to the eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, y'all, or as our pastor says, Extraordinary times. It's been four months since we've been in ordinary time. This reading finds the Israelites newly liberated from Egyptian slavery and encamped at the base of Mount Sinai, awaiting further instructions. 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? Our reading is a straightforward narrative and dialogue, or more accurately speaking, a monologue, since God is the only one with a speaking rule. This conversation with Moses establishes the old covenant between God and the Israelites. Nonetheless, this is not just a third-person story with us on the outside as disconnected observers. God is also speaking directly to the congregation before you, as participants in his new covenant. So make it personal and speak directly to them when you get to that section. Some historical background might be interesting. It's taken the Israelites three months to journey out of Egypt, past the Red Sea, and through the desert wilderness to arrive and set up camp at the foot of Mount Sinai. This reading comes right before the delivery of the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20. Consider it a preamble as God defines the relationship with the Israelites before giving the law. Although we're in the Old Testament, this is a foundational Catholic principle that grace precedes the law. What do you learn from this reading? We begin. In those days, the Israelites came to the desert of Sinai and pitched camp. While Israel was encamped here in front of the mountain, Moses went up the mountain to God. This is a pivotal moment in salvation history. As mentioned, Israel has just been freed from their Egyptian captors and now stand at the foot of Mount Sinai, where God's covenant will be formally established. Use a conversational and informal tone for the first sentence. Use a resolute tone of voice with Moses went up to the mountain to God. Insert a small pause after Sinai. Emphasize those days, pitched camp, Moses and God. The next section. Then the Lord called to him and said, Thus shall you say to the house of Jacob, Tell the Israelites, You have seen for yourselves how I treated the Egyptians, and how I bore you up on eagle wings, and brought you here to myself. This sentence is jam-packed. Use a firm and factual tone when you say, Then the Lord called to him and said, Then for the balance of the reading, use a tenor that reflects the voice of God, however, you can authentically do that for you. Of course, the emotional tone should vary with the different messages, just as they would in your own conversations. To initially establish this voice of God tone, consider lowering the tenor of your voice and projecting just a little bit more. Use an authoritative manner when you say, Thus shall you say to the house of Jacob, tell the Israelites. Engage your listeners with eye contact, as if God is speaking directly to them. Continue with a firm and factual tone as you proclaim, You have seen for yourselves how I treated the Egyptians. Use a tone and cadence as you would in everyday conversation when you use this expression. For example, you see for yourselves the superiority of In-N-Out Burgers over those of White Castle. For the balance of this sentence, continue your eye contact, but shift to a tender tone of voice, again as if God is speaking to the congregation before you for, and how I bore you up on eagle wings and brought you here to myself. God's tender care is exhibited with the expression eagle wings, connoting intimacy, protection, and strength. Be careful when you read eagle wings, because eagle is not possessive like it is in Father Michael Jonkus's song on Eagle's Wings. I did a double take myself reading this, and was surprised by the absence of the possessive S. Emphasize called, said, thus, tell, seen, yourselves, bore you up, eagle wings, brought, and myself. Insert small pauses after yourselves, Egyptians, and wings. Next we have, therefore, if you hearken to my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my special possession, dearer to me than all other people, though all the earth is mine. Engage eye contact, since this is not only God creating a contract with his chosen people via the old covenant, but also with those souls before you, as participants in his new covenant. Use a firm tone of voice when you read, Therefore, if you hearken to my voice and keep my covenant, move to a tender tone of voice and facial expression, continuing full eye contact, as you announce, You shall be my special possession. Dearer to me than all other people. Make sure your parishioners know God is speaking directly to them with these words. Shift to a tone of authority for, though all the earth is mine, but almost as if an aside. Stress, therefore, hearken, keep, special possession, dearer, the first all, the second all, earth, and mine. Insert a small pause after voice, and we have this very strong and powerful close. You shall be to me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation. At the time of the Israelites, and even today, this is a radical concept, because only select individuals were and are priests. Here, God is elevating the entire nation to priesthood. This applies equally to our new covenant. Just six weeks ago, on the fifth Sunday of Easter, Peter told us, You were a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own. 1 Peter 2 9. This universal priesthood of believers is fulfilled in the church, where all baptized share in Christ's priesthood. Use eye contact for this sentence, because you're speaking directly to the souls before you. Highlight kingdom and holy. Use a full pause after nation, continuing your eye contact, and letting this powerful statement land before you finish with the word of the Lord. 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 bobtelecture.org, and we'll see you at the amble. 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