Within the previous post, I spoke of how the Alleluia is a preparation for the Gospel in that it prepares our hearts and minds to hear the words of Jesus. Nevertheless, there are important ceremonies going on within the Sanctuary during the Alleluia in order that the ministers may prepare themselves for the proclamation of the Gospel and to give it fitting homage. This post will, therefore, deal with all those preparations in addition to the the greeting at the beginning of the Gospel and its introduction.
The Order of Mass states for this portion of the Mass, "If incense is used, the Priest puts some into the thurible. After this, the Deacon who is to proclaim the Gospel, bowing profoundly before the Priest, asks for the blessing . . . . The Deacon . . . then proceeds to the ambo, accompanied, if appropriate, by ministers with incense and candles . . . . (14-15)." We may, then, divide the ceremonies into three, by my view. There is the Blessing to proclaim the Gospel, the Gospel Procession and Introduction, and the Incensation of the Gospel book. All three of these arbitrary divisions overlap each other in their occurrence, so we will simply consider them separately.
The first stage we will consider is the Blessing. Within the full celebration of Mass, i.e. one in which all the ministers are present and perform their parts, the Gospel is proclaimed by the deacon. Part of the deacon's specific ministry is the proclamation of the Word, as belongs to all the ordained. Within the Ordination Rite to the Diaconate, when the Gospel is handed onto them, the bishop prays, "Receive the Gospel of Christ, whose minister you have become. Believe what you read, teach what you believe, practice what you teach." Therefore, it is a deacon who proclaims the Gospel at the Liturgy. In his absence it is either the celebrant himself, or a concelebrant who does so. This is because the preaching of the Gospel is part of the ordained ministry; therefore, only the ordained read it at Mass, and this has been the case from earliest times (with surprisingly few exceptions).
The deacon, however, conscious of the gravity of what he is about to undertake, seeks a blessing from the priest or bishop. The same is true when the bishop celebrates and a priest proclaims the Gospel. The deacon bows before the priest and requests the blessing with the words, "Your blessing, Father." The bishop or priest then blesses the deacon with the words:
"May the Lord be in your heart and on your lips,
that you may proclaim his Gospel worthily and well,
in the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit."
The deacon, now under the power of the Cross, which gives efficacy to the Gospel, goes forth for the Gospel procession. We must here remember the importance of the Cross in relation to the Gospel. As St. Paul said, "We preach Christ crucified (1 Corinthians 1:23)," and, "The word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God (1 Corinthians 1:18)." Jesus Christ Himself preached the importance of the Cross; it was through that instrument He wrought our salvation! How appropriate it is that the Sign of the Cross is then given to the deacon before he proclaims the Gospel. Additionally, we should take note of the Trinitarian blessing, for the commission of Jesus Christ to the Disciples at His Ascension was to baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and to teach all that Jesus commanded them to (Matthew 28:19-20). And this preaching/teaching is done through the Gospel.
It is worth noting that when a deacon is not present and the priest himself proclaims the Gospel, he asks the blessing of God by bowing before the altar and praying:
"Cleanse my heart and my lips, almighty God,
that I may worthily proclaim your holy Gospel."
We should here note, which also holds true for the blessing given to the deacon, the mention of a worthy proclamation of the Gospel. While this idea will be covered further in the next post, it is worth noting the Gospel is treated with the utmost reverence, and therefore is only to be proclaimed by those who can do so in a clear and reverent manner. But more importantly, it is to be proclaimed by those who are worthy in heart. For these two reasons, the prayer of blessing mentions both the lips and the heart, by referencing the prophet Isaiah whose lips and heart were cleansed by a burning coal before he began his preaching (Isaiah 6:6-7).
The Blessing is then followed by the Gospel Procession. Since the beginning of Mass, the Gospel has lain upon the altar. Gueranger here notes, "the Deacon takes the Book of the Gospels, and puts it upon the Altar, because the Altar represents Our Lord; and he thus signifies the identity existing between the Word of God, which is heard in the Gospel, and Christ Jesus (Dom Prosper Gueranger, The Holy Mass, Section: "Gospel")." The Gospel Procession will consist of the thurifer with incense, two acolytes with candles, and the deacon with the Book of the Gospels. Jungmann notes the idea which existed within the Gallican Liturgy, "The well-known commentary on this ancient liturgy . . . sees in the solemn entry of the evangelium (which is accompanied by the chanting of the of the Trisagion and at which seven torches are carried) a representation of Christ's triumphal coming (The Mass of the Roman Rite: Volume 1, 445)." The Gospel Book itself is seen as a symbol of Christ. Although not possessing the same presence as the Eucharist, which is the Real Presence of Christ, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity, the Gospel Book does contain a real presence of the Christ, for He is present in the proclamation of His words, as I have often cited.
The Gospel Procession is done with such pomp to emphasize this. Jesus Christ is speaking to us through its proclamation! It is the intermediate coming of Christ, which St. Bernard speaks of in his homily on the Advent of the Lord:
"We know that there are three comings of the Lord. The third lies between the other two. It is invisible, while the other two are visible . . . . The intermediate coming is a hidden one; in it only the elect see the Lord within their own selves, and they are saved. In his first coming our Lord came in our flesh and in our weakness; in this middle coming he comes in spirit and power; in the final coming he will be seen in glory and majesty (From the Liturgy of the Hours, Volume 1, Wednesday of the First Week of Advent, Office of Readings)."
One of the ways this intermediate coming of Christ is brought about is through the reading and hearing of Sacred Scripture, especially the Gospels. Within the procession, then, we should see the Coming of Christ. Thus, incense, a sign of both an emperor and a deity, is carried before the Gospel Book, and candles accompany it as a sign of joy and the presence of Christ, the light of the world.
The Gospel Book is carried from the altar to the ambo/pulpit, from which it will be read, and it is there placed by the deacon. We now come to the third part of the preparation for the reading of the Gospel, i.e. its introduction and incensation.
The introduction to the Gospel opens with the Dominus vobiscum. As I noted back in the post on the Greeting of the People, this phrase functions as a call to attention. It is of primary importance that we be attentive to this reading. I cannot say enough that it contains the very words of Jesus Christ and is therefore accorded the greatest honor in the Liturgy of the Word. Nevertheless, this Dominus vobiscum, and its reply by the people of Et cum spiritu tuo, have a deep spiritual meaning. Through the Holy Spirit only will we be able to hear the deeper meanings of the Gospel, and therefore the deacon says, "The Lord be with you." However, he as well is need of the grace of the Spirit, for it is he who must worthily proclaim the Gospel for the people to hear it. Thus, the faithful respond "And with your spirit."
These words are followed by the acclamation of which Gospel the reading is taken from. This is done with the words, "A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew/Mark/Luke/John," while the deacon makes the Sign of the Cross on the Gospel Book and on his forehead, lips, and heart. Jungmann explains it in this way, "For the word which Christ brought and which is set down in this book we are willing to stand up with a mind that is open; we are ready to confess it with our mouth; and above all we are determined to safeguard it faithfully in our hearts (The Mass of the Roman Rite, Volume 1, 454)." The Sign of the Cross is then made on the Gospel Book in order to show, as I mentioned before, that it is through the Cross, the Gospel is given its efficacy. The deacon, along with all present, then makes this Sign on the forehead, lips, and heart in order to bless ourselves that we may always hear it, proclaim it, and live it.
The people respond to the announcement of the location of the Gospel reading with the words, "Glory to you, O Lord." Through these words, we again proclaim our belief that Christ is present in the proclamation of the Gospel, for we are not saying simply "Glory to God," but we emphasize Jesus Christ Himself.
While the people make this response, the final part of the Preparation for the Proclamation of the Gospel takes place, which is its incensation. The incense was blessed by the priest at the very beginning of all of this in the same manner as at the beginning of the Holy Mass. Looking at the Extraordinary Form, the words used here are also the same as at the beginning of the Mass, i.e. "Be blessed by him in whose honor thou art burnt (translation my own)." The incense was then carried as part of the procession. It is now used to pay honor to Christ's presence in the Gospel.
The deacon incenses the book with three double swings, the sign of Christ's mystical presence in an object or person. As the Gospel Book is incensed, let us pay homage in our hearts to Jesus Christ, the Word Who became flesh (John 1:14). Through His Incarnation, He was able to speak to us in human language so that we may come to know and love Him, and these words are recorded in the Gospel we are now to hear!
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