The great privilege of reading the Word of God to his people is the central function of this important ministry. It is a privilege because a Lector stands in the long tradition of the prophets as proclaimers of the Word; in the broadest sense, each Christian is a minister of the Word made flesh. Jesus Christ, because we are all commissioned to spread the good news. This is the foremost ministry in the Church, and it comes to every Christian with Baptism into the Body of Christ.
At the liturgical moment when the believers are seated and attentive, the whole focus of the ministry of the Word is upon the one who holds the Sacred Book to read. In a specific sense, the Lector makes the Word of God living and active in the midst of the assembly -- the Lector is God's contemporary prophet!
The minister of the Word must be able to lead others to a greater understanding and appreciation of the Word.