Book of the Gospels

Good Extraordinary Lectors and Good People,

Here is a little detail about how we can all pray together at Mass better.

We do not process out with the "Book of the Gospels." Why not?

We carry the book in, slightly elevated, before the priest on Sunday and other Solemn Celebrations of the Eucharist. We show this book certain signs of reverence. We place it on the Altar at the beginning of Mass. That is shows that it is special. The priest carries it from the altar slightly elevated from the Altar to the Ambo as everyone signs the Alleluia together. The priest then opens it up.

Why do we treat the Book of the Gospel's like this? The four Gospels are the most excellent part of the Bible. They contain the stories about Jesus Himself.

We must be careful not to worship the book itself however. We are not a people of the Book. We are a people of the Living Word of God, Jesus himself, who comes to us through the written words in the book.

This is why after the book is opened up, and the words written in it are proclaimed and then the at the time of the Homily God opens the word up to us so that is lives in our hearts, this is why we do not show the physical book any more reverence after the homily. We are done with the book itself. It is the Living Word that we experience through the book, not the book Itself which in the end eclipses the physical book.

This is why at the end of Mass we do not close the book back up and carry it out. It is as if we process out with the Living Word of God having jumped out of the book we carried in closed now having been opened up, living in our hearts and we are ready to bring it now through opening ourselves in love to the world so that it may come to live in the hearts of those whom we meet.

We are like a book is you will, filled with the Living Word of God. We open ourselves in love and service. Some in the world will read the love we proclaim by our actions and come not to worship us but rather that same Lord, Jesus Christ, who we have come to know as Our Saviour and Friend.

We can imagine the book saying "please don't carry me out at the end of Mass. After I have done my job of bringing you the Living Word of God, he must increase and I must decrease. And please don't confuse me with the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar. Jesus trully come to be with us in the bread and wine which become His body and blood. He is present there in a way that we can only begin to imagine. He is with us in physical realities after the Mass has finnished. He is there in the tabernacle. We worship Him there. Don't forget Him there. Don't over foccus on me. I remaine a simple physical object at the level of my substance. I am by nature made of ordinary paper that will pass away. The Eucharist as a thing changes on the level of substance and becomes what it points to. It is a sacrament. It is the sacrament of sacraments. I have my proper honors but please don't over do it."



Sincerely,

Fr. St. Martin

Attention Mass Helpers

Some of you may have received an email which contains much of this same information. There is however more in this blog entry then exists in the similar email.

Did you know that you can access the Schedule on-line now? Just click on "Calendar". Then click on the event in the calendar on any Sunday called: "10:30am Mass at Sacred Heart full ASL" You will see the schedule that way. If you have a Google calendar you can add this event with the schedule to your personal calendar and it will be updated automatically. If you do not have a Google calendar you can get one with your free Google account. Just go to Google and sign up for one. Let me know if this does not work. Please look at the other articles in this section of the website as well. After each article there you can add comments. This is a great way to have a kind of ongoing town meeting of sorts or at least a support and preparation for one.

Thank you for all your good work at Mass. It is a great sign of your faith in the power of the Sunday Eucharist. Your good preparation and dedicated service are a light to the world. If you have any questions about how to go about the various things you do at Mass and other people might benefit from seeing the answers to those question please leave a comment at the bottom of this article. You can also learn alot from going to the general in structions for the Mass in a work call, "General Instruction of the Roman Missal." The whole thing is on the web. The Church puts it there. Click here to read it.

Thankfully,

Fr. St. Martin