I bring this formation home with renewed attention to how we hear Christ in our parishes. Prayerful preparation helps lectors proclaim clearly. The sung psalm gives us words to answer God, while silence allows the Word to take root. At the table of the Word, Christ prepares us to receive him at the Eucharistic table and carry his love into the world.

In the 2017 animated movie Coco, inspired by the Mexican holiday Dia de los muertos, we hear sung, “Remember me, though I have to say ‘good-bye.’ Remember me, don’t let it make you cry. For even if I’m far way, I hold you in my heart… remember me.”

“John the Baptist was there with his two disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by he said, behold the lamb of God.” (Jn. 1:35-36).