Last Saturday morning, I was greeted by a surprise text message from Argyl, a fellow lector:
Argyl: Pao,mowning..Musta n u?
Me: Hi gyl, watzup?
Initially, it struck me as odd that she would check on me for no apparent reason. Then, she texted again:
Argyl: Musta nka? Nka.kita nka work?
Me: Hi gyl, actwali, gahulat paku sa results sa akung job aplicatiuns. Nganu diay? Sumthing bothering u? u want to askmi if i cud substitute u on sum mas asignments?
By then, I already had a rough idea about what this was leading to, especially since Ate Cris, another fellow lector, had also texted me that morning:
Te Cris: Pao gud mrning!, pwde u serv 4pm weding unya?
Me: Hi te cris, sori lako ka-rep las sunday. 4pm? ok. chek sa naku kung naa koy uni4m.
After a while, Argyl confirmed my suspicions ( and stopped beating around the bush, I should say) with her reply:
Argyl: Pao, ur an angel..Unyang hpon unta pao, 4 pm nga kasal..Pwd kya? Hehe
Me: Ya. gi-sub nka diay naku. Gtxt ko ni te cris kganihang buntag 2take da 4pm weding. No probz.
Argyl: Salamat jud kaau pao..Tenjew beri mutcho..
With that, I could only smile and guess at what could've happened behind the scenes ( To digress, I didn't substitute her pala. The assignment was up for grabs).
Anyway, I did fulfill my end of the agreement and I also found out how many hours I would typically invest every time I took on an assignment. That would approximately be three hours with the first hour intended for getting ready for mass, the second hour for the 30-minute commute and the subsequent practice and the third hour for the mass itself. That realization could have been pretty sobering if I wasn't yet aware of the real reason why I'm still a lector.
Last month, I resumed taking on assignments. But I was already asking myself, "Why am I doing this again? Ngano wa' pa man ko nagsawa?" Frankly, I was at odds as to the purpose of my being a lector and this was what confronted me every time I served. I kept wondering if there was something more to this and if it was time to move on to more productive pursuits.
I remember back then that I once asked Argyl ( same person) if she also felt that what we were doing was not worth pursuing anymore, if she also felt that it was time to move on. She replied by saying that she was still enjoying serving the church as a lector and that explains why she's still at it after two years.
In a good way, that answer struck me and made me do some reflecting regarding my motivations for the past couple of years. First, I joined the Lectors because a Theology class required that I participate actively in church. Then I stuck with it because I found the group quite entertaining and the work invigorating. After that, I guess my initial motivation turned to a grim sense of duty. In my last year in college, I remained a Lector because I knew that the more active Lectors there were, the lighter the workload for everybody. I wasn't enjoying it anymore.
What was my reason now? As luck would have it, I glanced upon a quote from Eric Liddell, an Olympic runner: "To give up running would be to hold Him in contempt." With that quote, I gained a new appreciation of myself. I was blessed with enough self-confidence to stand in the lectern in front of many people. Also, I was gifted enough to speak clearly in public. Surely, this "giftedness" must mean something and being a Lector was the ideal ministry to show and develop that giftedness. To quit being a Lector now simply because the work isn't anymore novel would be tantamount to also "holding Him in contempt."
Now, I think I've found my reason in being a Lector and it might serve me just fine for the next couple of years. I'm also trying to bring back the fun there was in this service. As they say, any work isn't worth doing if you're not enjoying it and I'm slowly but surely finding out why I enjoy this line of work.
Argyl: Pao,mowning..Musta n u?
Me: Hi gyl, watzup?
Initially, it struck me as odd that she would check on me for no apparent reason. Then, she texted again:
Argyl: Musta nka? Nka.kita nka work?
Me: Hi gyl, actwali, gahulat paku sa results sa akung job aplicatiuns. Nganu diay? Sumthing bothering u? u want to askmi if i cud substitute u on sum mas asignments?
By then, I already had a rough idea about what this was leading to, especially since Ate Cris, another fellow lector, had also texted me that morning:
Te Cris: Pao gud mrning!, pwde u serv 4pm weding unya?
Me: Hi te cris, sori lako ka-rep las sunday. 4pm? ok. chek sa naku kung naa koy uni4m.
After a while, Argyl confirmed my suspicions ( and stopped beating around the bush, I should say) with her reply:
Argyl: Pao, ur an angel..Unyang hpon unta pao, 4 pm nga kasal..Pwd kya? Hehe
Me: Ya. gi-sub nka diay naku. Gtxt ko ni te cris kganihang buntag 2take da 4pm weding. No probz.
Argyl: Salamat jud kaau pao..Tenjew beri mutcho..
With that, I could only smile and guess at what could've happened behind the scenes ( To digress, I didn't substitute her pala. The assignment was up for grabs).
Anyway, I did fulfill my end of the agreement and I also found out how many hours I would typically invest every time I took on an assignment. That would approximately be three hours with the first hour intended for getting ready for mass, the second hour for the 30-minute commute and the subsequent practice and the third hour for the mass itself. That realization could have been pretty sobering if I wasn't yet aware of the real reason why I'm still a lector.
Last month, I resumed taking on assignments. But I was already asking myself, "Why am I doing this again? Ngano wa' pa man ko nagsawa?" Frankly, I was at odds as to the purpose of my being a lector and this was what confronted me every time I served. I kept wondering if there was something more to this and if it was time to move on to more productive pursuits.
I remember back then that I once asked Argyl ( same person) if she also felt that what we were doing was not worth pursuing anymore, if she also felt that it was time to move on. She replied by saying that she was still enjoying serving the church as a lector and that explains why she's still at it after two years.
In a good way, that answer struck me and made me do some reflecting regarding my motivations for the past couple of years. First, I joined the Lectors because a Theology class required that I participate actively in church. Then I stuck with it because I found the group quite entertaining and the work invigorating. After that, I guess my initial motivation turned to a grim sense of duty. In my last year in college, I remained a Lector because I knew that the more active Lectors there were, the lighter the workload for everybody. I wasn't enjoying it anymore.
What was my reason now? As luck would have it, I glanced upon a quote from Eric Liddell, an Olympic runner: "To give up running would be to hold Him in contempt." With that quote, I gained a new appreciation of myself. I was blessed with enough self-confidence to stand in the lectern in front of many people. Also, I was gifted enough to speak clearly in public. Surely, this "giftedness" must mean something and being a Lector was the ideal ministry to show and develop that giftedness. To quit being a Lector now simply because the work isn't anymore novel would be tantamount to also "holding Him in contempt."
Now, I think I've found my reason in being a Lector and it might serve me just fine for the next couple of years. I'm also trying to bring back the fun there was in this service. As they say, any work isn't worth doing if you're not enjoying it and I'm slowly but surely finding out why I enjoy this line of work.
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