For those who have been called to baptism at Easter, formation through response to the gospel proclaimed in Lent is of vital importance. It is in this proclamation that
candidates for baptism may discover more deeply the nature of the salvation they will receive in baptism, and therefore what they must renounce in order to freely receive this salvation.
It is with this need in view that the gospel texts for Lenten Sundays, especially in Year A of the lectionary, have been chosen. It is appropriate, therefore, to use the readings of Year A in Lent in any year if there are adults or older children preparing for baptism at Easter.
Because these narratives are unusually long, bringing them to life through the use of multiple voices (and even dramatizing them in some simple fashion) can be very effective. The deacon (or other person) who reads the gospel will then be the voice of the Evangelist and read from the ambo or pulpit; the other voices will be positioned elsewhere, and will move about if the reading is dramatized.
Gospel for the First Sunday of Lent, for three voices Gospel for the Second Sunday of Lent, for three voices Gospel for the Third Sunday of Lent, for five voices Gospel for the Fourth Sunday of Lent, for nine voices Gospel for the Fifth Sunday of Lent, for seven voices Gospel for the Passion Sunday for fifteen voices
See also the Suggestions for Strengthening the Proclamation of the Word
[Return to Enriching our Liturgy in Lent and Eastertide]
SUGGESTIONS FOR DRAMATIZING:
‘Jesus’ enters from behind the
congregation and slowly walks into the midst of the congregation; the
‘Tempter’ goes to meet him from within the congregation.
‘Jesus’ and the ‘Tempter’ face one another.
The ‘Tempter’ leads ‘Jesus’ to stand at the lectern or pulpit; they face one another.
The ‘Tempter’ leads ‘Jesus’ to stand in front of the altar; they face the congregation.
‘Jesus’ turns to face the ‘Tempter’.
Gospel for the First Sunday of Lent, Year A for three voices
Evangelist The Lord be with you.
People And also with you.
Evangelist The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.
People Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Evangelist Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit
into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. The tempter came and said to him,
Tempter ‘If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.’
Jesus ‘It is written, “One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” ’
Evangelist Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him,
Tempter ‘If you are the Son of God, throw
yourself down; for it is written, “He will command his angels concerning you”, and “On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.” ’
Jesus ‘Again it is written, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” ’
Evangelist Again, the devil took him to a very
high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour; and he said to him,
Tempter ‘All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.’
Jesus ‘Away with you, Satan! for it is
written, “Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.” ’
The ‘Tempter,’ and then ‘Jesus,’ rejoin the congregation.
Evangelist Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.
(Pause.)
Evangelist The Gospel of Christ.
People Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
SUGGESTIONS FOR DRAMATIZING:
‘Jesus’ stands facing the congregation; ‘Nicodemus’ enters the room and stands beside ‘Jesus.’
‘Nicodemus’ turns to look at ‘Jesus.’
‘Jesus’ turns to face ‘Nicodemus.’
Gospel for the Second Sunday of Lent, Year A for three voices
Evangelist The Lord be with you.
People And also with you.
Evangelist The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John.
People Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Evangelist Now there was a Pharisee named
Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night and said to him,
Nicodemus “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.”
Jesus “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.”
Nicodemus “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second
time into the mother’s womb and be born?”
Jesus “Very truly, I tell you, no one can
enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What
is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
Nicodemus “How can these things be?”
Jesus “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things? “Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up
‘Jesus’ turns to face the congregation; ‘Nicodemus’ continues facing ‘Jesus.’
‘Jesus’ and ‘Nicodemus’ rejoin the congregation.
the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.
“Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”
(Pause.)
Evangelist The Gospel of Christ.
People Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
SUGGESTIONS FOR DRAMATIZING:
‘Jesus’ moves from the front of the congregation to the font, and sits beside it on a stool or chair.
The ‘Samaritan woman’ comes from behind the congregation to the font, carrying a bucket. She stands on the side of the font opposite ‘Jesus.’
Gospel for the Third Sunday of Lent, Year A for five voices
Evangelist The Lord be with you.
People And also with you.
Evangelist The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John.
People Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Evangelist Jesus came to a Samaritan city called
Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon.
A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her,
Jesus Give me a drink.
Evangelist (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.)
The Samaritan woman said to him,
Woman How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?
Evangelist (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.)
Jesus If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, “Give me a drink,” you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.
Woman Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living
water? Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?
Jesus Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.
At the mention of “this mountain,” the ‘Samaritan woman’ points toward the altar.
‘Jesus’ stands.
A ‘disciple’ comes to the font from behind the congregation, and the ‘Samaritan woman’ returns by the way she came, leaving her bucket by the font.
Woman Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.
Jesus Go, call your husband, and come back.
Woman I have no husband.
Jesus You are right in saying, “I have no husband”; for you have had five
husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!
Woman Sir, I see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshipped on this
mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.
Jesus Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.
Woman I know that Messiah is coming. When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us.
Jesus I am he, the one who is speaking to you.
Evangelist Just then his disciples came. They were astonished that he was speaking with a woman, but no one said,
“What do you want?” or, “Why are you speaking with her?” Then the woman left her water jar and went back to the city. She said to the people,
Woman Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot
A ‘Samaritan’ stands behind the congregation to speak.
‘Jesus,’ the ‘disciple,’ the ‘Samaritan woman’ and the other ‘Samaritan’ rejoin the congregation.
Evangelist They left the city and were on their way to him. Meanwhile the disciples were urging him,
Disciples Rabbi, eat something.
Jesus I have food to eat that you do not know about.
Disciples Surely no one has brought him something to eat?
Jesus My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work. Do you not say, “Four months more, then comes the harvest”? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting.
The reaper is already receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, “One sows and another reaps.” I sent you to reap that for which you did not labour. Others have laboured, and you have entered into their labour.
Evangelist Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I have ever done.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them;
and he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman,
Samaritans It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Saviour of the world.
(Pause.)
Evangelist The Gospel of Christ.
People Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
SUGGESTIONS FOR DRAMATIZING:
‘Jesus’ moves from the front of the congregation toward ‘the blind man’ who is in the midst of the
congregation, accompanied by a ‘disciple.’ The ‘Pharisees stand in front of the altar.
‘Jesus’ mimes the action of spreading mud on the eyes of ‘the blind man.’
‘The blind man’ goes to the font and mimes the washing of his eyes, and then goes to the front of the
congregation. ‘Jesus’ moves to the back of the congregation. The two
‘neighbours’ walk past the man at the front of the congregation.