The Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – First Reading – 07/05/2026

We have a joyous prophecy from the Prophet Zecharia, that foretells better times for the ancient Israelites, as well as Jesus’s entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.

Transcript

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Howdy, and welcome to Bob the Lector. I'm Bob. The purpose of this podcast is to inspire Catholic lectors to bring their proclamation of God's Word to life. This episode is for the July 5th, Sunday Mass's first reading. It's the fourteenth Sunday in ordinary time, year A. A reading from the book of the Prophet Zechariah. Thus says the Lord, Rejoice heartily, O daughter Zion, shout for joy, O daughter Jerusalem. See, your king shall come to you. A just Savior is he, meek, and riding on an ass, on a colt, the foal of an ass. He shall banish the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, the warrior's bow shall be banished, and he shall proclaim peace to the nations. His dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth. The word of the Lord. Welcome to the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time, y'all. Put on your seat belts, because this reading just busts out with joy. 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? The book of Zechariah is a collection of two or maybe three smaller prophetic units written by different authors. It was likely compiled after the return from the Babylonian exile in the 6th century BC. Our reading is from the second oracle in the second section, chapters 9 through 11, and is as much poetry as it is scripture. This passage has two different levels of meaning. During this time, Israel was under Persian rule and had no king. Hence, this reading rekindles the Israelites' hope for restoration of the Davidic dynasty. Of course, we know this reading prophesies Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. The Israelites assume a political and earthly Messiah, while we Christians see a spiritual one. Proclaim this reading to those souls before you facing challenges in their daily lives, providing them joy and hope for God's rescue. What do you learn from this reading? I always suggest places to insert pauses, but in this particular reading, there are a number of commas which suggest small pauses in each instance. Be sure to observe these, since I will not separately draw attention to them. We begin, Thus says the Lord. Rejoice heartily, O daughter Zion. Shout for joy, O daughter Jerusalem. Jerusalem and Zion are used synonymously in this opening sentence. They represent all Israelites. Use a subtle smile for, thus says the Lord, and then bust out with high energy, jubilation, and eye contact for rejoice heartily, O daughter Zion, and even more exuberance for the next line. Shout for joy, O daughter Jerusalem. Emphasize thus, rejoice heartily, shout, and joy. If you can do so authentically, add a throat tremble for shout to add even more energy. The next sentence is see, your king shall come to you. A just Savior is he, meek, and riding on an ass, on a colt, the foal of an ass. Of course, we recognize the New Testament episode of Jesus' Palm Sunday entry into Jerusalem. See Matthew 21 5 and John 12 15. The donkey reference had significant meaning to the ancient Israelites, but some historical and cultural background is necessary for us in the here and now. Horses were the preferred animals for use in battles, and thus were the mount of conquerors and warriors. However, rulers frequently rode donkeys when they traveled through their kingdoms on business. Hence, this prophesied king will be one of peace and justice, not war and violence. Use a voice tenor and facial expression of continued joy, just bring it down a notch from the opening sentence. Switch to a sober tone when you say a just savior is he. Switch to a sense of wonder and tenderness for the balance of the sentence. Meek and riding on an ass. On a colt, the foal of an ass. Highlight see king, come, just meek, riding, colt, and foal. This is followed by he shall banish the chariot from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem. The warrior's bow shall be banished, and he shall proclaim peace to the nations. Ephraim is another name for the northern kingdom of Israel. These references to Ephraim and Jerusalem represent the reunification of the northern and southern kingdoms. As mentioned before, the horse was the preferred animal for battle, so its banishment, along with the other instruments of war, specifies the extent of the harmony that will permeate this new era. Speak firmly and with authority when you read, He shall banish the chariot from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem. Continue with strength as you read The Warrior's Bow Shall Be Banished. Convert the warrior's bow to a question. Pause to create a little suspense, and then answer your question with shall be banished. Switch to a hopeful, optimistic tone when you read and he shall proclaim peace to the nations. Emphasize banish, chariot, horse, bow, banished, and proclaim peace. Say banished with some attitude. Be sure to pronounce bow so it rhymes with no, not now, to indicate we're talking about the thing you'd use with arrows, not the thing you'd find at the front of a boat, nor what we lectures do in front of the altar as we process in. Need I mention what happens before the cradle falls? Okay, back to work. We cap things off with His dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth. Use a majestic tone for this closing sentence. Emphasize dominion, the first C, the second sea, river, ends, and earth. Insert a micropause after river, and don't forget to add a small pause any place there's a comma. 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 bobthector.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 and forward this podcast to your fellow lecturers, your pastor, and your liturgy director. Thanks so much.