A Look at the Mass: The Gospel

Today is a blessed day within the history of the Church. The pope, earlier today, beatified Pope Venerable Paul VI, meaning we shall now refer to him as Blessed Paul VI. This is of great importance, because by my estimation, Pope Francis is in many ways continuing what Blessed Paul VI began, as did Pope St. John Paul II and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. Blessed Paul VI is known primarily for his encyclical Humanae Vitae, in which he confirmed the Church's teaching against contraception, but he did so much more as pope. He closed the Second Vatican Council and he was the first pope to travel outside of Europe, leading by example the Council's call to evangelize all peoples by bringing the Gospel to them.

It is appropriate, then, that this day we reach the high point of the Liturgy of the Word in our look at the Mass - the Gospel. The Gospels have always received a special reverence not given to the other readings. This is not to lessen them in any way, but instead heightens the importance of the Gospel. It is well to note the words of Jungmann:

"It is a strict rule which holds true in all liturgies, that the last of the readings should consist of a passage from the Gospels . . . . there was never any doubt that the Gospels hold the highest rank ; they contain the 'good tidings,' the fulfillment of all the past, and the point from which all future ages radiate. And just as in a procession of the clergy the highest in rank comes last, so too in the series of readings (The Mass of the Roman Rite, Volume 1, 442)."

Jungmann goes on to describe how it is the Gospel Book which is often decked on the outside with gold and silver and precious jewels. The pages were often written in special script and ornamented with characters and pictures. Lastly, it is only the Gospel Book which may be placed on the altar, excepting of course the Blessed Sacrament and those items used with it including the missal.

Obviously, if you've been following the past few posts, you know the reason I'm going to give for all this ostentation; the Gospels are the very words of Jesus Himself! Through its proclamation we are instructed in the Christian life by our Divine Master and given an account of the most holy mysteries of His life on earth, from His Incarnation through His Ascension into Heaven.

But let us also consider the universality of the Gospels, for their presence in all the Rites of the Church shows their importance. When considered as a whole, the four Gospels may be seen to address the entire world. Matthew wrote his Gospel to the Jewish people, those familiar with the Law and Prophets, to show how Jesus is the fulfillment of both the Law and the Prophets. Mark's Gospel is written to the Romans, the center of the Western world at the time, and consequently to all under their jurisdiction. Luke composed his Gospel especially for the Greeks, those people so concerned with virtue and philosophy to show how Jesus Christ is the perfect man. As a Gentile writing to Gentiles, we can here see the message going out to all the world, not just those in the Roman Empire, who may be somewhat familiar with the Jews. Lastly, John writes specifically for the spiritually minded, as his Gospel primarily shows Jesus as the Son of God.

But let us go a step further in our consideration of the universality. Jesus is shown as Son of David, Son of Man, Son of Adam, and Son of God, primarily in each of the four Gospels, respectively. Throughout the year, then, we see Jesus as King, as Servant, as Perfect Man, and as God Himself, for the Gospels are read throughout the year on the weekday readings. The three Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), are read on Sundays on a three year cycle, except for the Easter Season, when the Gospel of John is used. We, then, see Jesus in His totality.

Throughout all of the posts leading up to this, I have stressed enough, I feel, the importance of Gospels being the very words of Jesus Christ Himself. Suffice it to say, one last time, however, that we must not see the deacon or priest when he reads the Gospel, but our Lord Himself. It is for this reason that dramatic readings of the Gospel, or skits in its place, or personal interpretations are forbidden. They are the works of men, but the Gospel is the work of God, given us through the hands of the Apostles.

And each was given through an Apostle. Matthew and John were of the Twelve. Mark was the scribe of Peter, and thus, his Gospel may be said to be from Peter. Luke, likewise, was a close collaborator with Paul, and thus Luke's Gospel, may be said to come from Paul. Ultimately, though they all come to us from God.

Upon the conclusion of the Gospel, the deacon proclaims, "The Gospel of the Lord," and the people respond, "Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ." Notice the difference from the other readings, although this is a peculiarity to the English translation, for in the official Latin the conclusion of the Gospel is, "Verbum Domini," like the other readings. Regardless of the translation though, we can once again see a final proclamation that the foregoing words are the words of God. In the English translation, there is a special stress laid upon the fact that the foregoing passage was, "The Good News of the Lord," for "Gospel" means "Good News." God the Son became man and died for our salvation, and He rose from the dead and ascended into Heaven exalting our human nature. This is indeed good news! The reason for the response is fairly self-evident following this. We give praise to Jesus Christ, present in the proclamation of the Gospel, for His acts of our redemption.  

The final part of the conclusion to the Gospel is its veneration by the deacon or priest, or when present, the bishop, even though he doesn't proclaim the Gospel. The kiss here is similar to that given to the altar. The altar is kissed in order to pay reverence to the Sacrifice of Christ; the Gospel book is venerated with a kiss to pay homage to the call He has given us to be His disciples. Let us remember His words, "You did not choose e, but I chose you (John 15:16)."

The words used, after kissing the Gospel book are, "Through the words of the Gospel may our sins be wiped away." We must remember the words of our Lord, "I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance (Luke 5:32)." The words of the Gospel should lead us to repent of our sins and to desire more fully the life Jesus Christ calls us to. In a Pontifical Mass, i.e. one celebrated by the bishop, the bishop then blesses the people with the Gospel book after he venerates it. This is in a sense a lead-in to his homily, his instruction. It figuratively says, "May the words of the Gospel, which I am about to expound, bless you and take root in your minds and hearts."

Let us now briefly mention the homily. The Roman Missal states, "Then follows the Homily, which is to be preached by a Priest or Deacon on all Sundays and Holydays of Obligation; on other days, it is recommended." Within the homily, the words of the Gospel are expounded for us. While it is true any text of the Mass may be preached upon, since the Mass is scripturally based, and all Scripture finds its definitive revelation in Jesus Christ, we may say that whatever the bishop, priest, or deacon preaches upon is based upon the Gospel. In fact, the entire Christian life is based upon the Gospel, and therefore, as long as the minister preaches on the Faith, he is preaching on the Gospel. Through this preaching, we should also be led to desire more fully the Christian life to which we have been called, as I stated above.

While there were attempts made, in the past, to discredit the homily as a part of the Mass, these seem to have been silenced by the rubrics of the Ordinary Form. Indeed, the ancient Church inherited the custom of the preaching a sermon on the Scriptures from the Jewish Synagogue, and it has always been a part of the Mass, especially by the bishop, and on Sundays. It ultimately finds its reference in the bishop, who in the early Church would preach on the Gospel to the people gathered for the celebration of the Eucharist on Sundays. Once parishes developed and not everyone could be under a bishop, this right of preaching was extended to priests and even deacons.

I say it finds its reference in the bishop due to the manner in which he preaches. He delivers his homily from his cathedra seated, as a sign of his authority and teaching office, as the Apostles refer to when selecting deacons so they may devote themselves, "to the ministry of the word (Acts 6:4)." All other preaching, of a deacon or priest, is done standing, and they may only preach when they are allowed to do so by the bishop. Thus, when they preach, they do so in union with the bishop. Therefore, when we listen to the homily, let our hearts also be opened, so that the mysteries of the Gospel may be opened unto us and we may grow in our love for our Divine Lord, Jesus Christ!