General Instruction of the Roman Missal
“The Church has always venerated the divine Scriptures just as she venerates the Body of the Lord, since from the table of both, the Word of God and the Body of Christ she unceasingly receives and offers to the faithful the bread of life …” (Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, 21)
As a result of this conciliar decree, the order of readings used at Mass was revised in the late 1960s and published in 1969 as part of the revision of the Order of Mass and the Roman Missal. This new “Lectionary” was the first time in over 1000 years that a separate book was prepared from which to proclaim the readings – separate from the “Sacramentary” which is the book of prayers used by the priest.
This new Lectionary proclaims the Gospels in a 3-year cycle. Year A is based on the Gospel of Matthew, Year B on the Gospel of Mark, Year C on the Gospel of Luke. The Gospel of John is brought in during special seasons and feast days, particularly during Lent and Easter. Weekend Masses have three readings: the first reading is usually from the Old Testament, the second reading from the Letters (Epistles) of the New Testament, and the third reading is the Gospel reading. Weekday Masses usually have only two readings, one from the Old Testament or the Letters of the New Testament, and the Gospel reading.
This new 3-year cycle allows us to hear all the four Gospels over the course of three years. Several other Christian communions adopted this cycle. If you go to a Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian or Episcopalian service on a Sunday, chances are that you will hear the same scripture readings proclaimed, with only minor variations.
The reformed order of the Mass in 1969 presupposed that the Lectionary containing all the readings would be placed at the ambo before Mass and ready for the reader. This document also made mention of a separate Book of the Gospels, which could either be placed on the altar before Mass or carried during the Entrance Procession. A Book of the Gospels carried in the entrance procession is mentioned in documents describing the 7th and 8th century Roman liturgies and is a dramatic moment in the first part of the Byzantine Liturgy. When the 1969 GIRM re-introduced the practice of processing in the Gospel Book it had historical precedents in liturgies of both East and West.
Since, however, Gospel Books were not available yet in the early 1970s, parishes substituted carrying in the complete Lectionary. This was never authorized by the 1969 GIRM and actually is contrary to the more ancient custom of carrying the special “icon” of Christ, the book of Christ’s words, namely the Book of the Gospels, in liturgical procession.
The 2002 GIRM has tried to clarify the original intent of the 1969 GIRM by specifically noting that it is the Book of the Gospels that is to be carried in the Entrance Procession. The Book of the Gospels is then placed on the altar. Before the proclamation of the Gospel it is carried solemnly elevated during the singing of the Gospel Acclamation from the altar to the ambo und used for the proclamation of the Gospel.
Here at St. Daniel, the Book of the Gospels is carried in procession to the altar. The readers of the first and second reading use the Lectionary (placed at the ambo before Mass). During the Gospel Acclamation (Alleluia) the priest processes the Book of the Gospels from the altar to the ambo to proclaim the Gospel from it, rather than from the Lectionary.
When the children leave for their own Liturgy of the Word or when the RCIA candidates for initiation are dismissed, their prayer leader or catechist carries out a lectionary (which contains all three readings) as a sign that they now go to listen to and break open the meaning of these readings. The Word prepares them to join us then for Eucharist – the children for when they come back for the Liturgy of the Eucharist and the catechumens and candidates in the RCIA for the time when they celebrate their baptism or initiation and join us for the Eucharist, usually at Easter.
While processing the Book of the Gospels may depart from recent practice in many U.S. parishes, it is actually a return to a more ancient Christian liturgical practice. So is the practice of the RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) with catechumens and already baptized candidates for initiation being dismissed after the Liturgy of the Word, to study the Word with a catechist. This was the order of initiation during the first centuries of the Church before infant baptism became the norm. Today, with adults coming to the baptismal font again, the Church restored this ancient tradition of initiation to meet the needs of the people.
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