Mass Talks 11: The Liturgy of the Word

“Then...[Jesus] interpreted to them what referred to Him in all the scriptures. ‘Were not our hearts burning within us while he...opened the Scriptures to us?’” Lk 24

An old canard that is taken as dogma among some anti-Catholic folks is that Catholics simply don’t read the bible. While Catholics could be more proficient in the sacred texts, this might aptly be said of most all Christians. The Catholic Church does have–shall we call it–a bit of ‘prudential caution?’ in regard to reading the bible, and for good reason. The first reason is that the bible is not the writing of man but is the Word of God. One therefore should not read it as if it were just any other book, expecting its meaning to be immediately evident. The bible is both a revelation and a mystery, telling us something both only according to our spiritual readiness to comprehend it. Our Lord at one time averred that for the hard-hearted, His message would be impervious: hearing it they would hear it not. One must then approach the bible with great reverence, humility, and, indeed, with awe. And the second reason for the Church’s somewhat reserved invitation for everyone to read the bible is that the Church has, in her past, suffered greatly by those who have used her own book against the Church, causing factions, divisions and that great Divide that is called the Protestant Reformation. Understanding the Sacred Scriptures correctly requires assistance from the Holy Spirit, an assistance that is not guaranteed to any individual reader except the Pope and to the Church’s general councils. Also, one should realize that the Church does not derive her doctrines from the bible, even though most of the them are to be found there. Our Lord did not ‘found’ the bible but the Church. It is the teaching Church which faithfully hands on Christ’s apostolic truth to us. The bible is a most important adjunct to this apostolic task of teaching Christ’s doctrines.

These preliminary caveats aside, we may state confidently that the Church does want us to know and love the Word of God. We continue today our series of homilies on the Mass with an exposition on the Liturgy of the Word. After the introductory rites have been completed, the people sit to listen to what we common call the readings. I suppose it’s true that Catholics generally have less familiarity with the bible than some other Christians. This may account for the fact that, sadly, we tend to regard the bible readings at Mass as a mere prelude, an aperitif, to the main fair, which is the Holy Eucharist. Although both the Scriptures and the Holy Eucharist are modes of Christ’s presence, the Eucharist is certainly incomparably greater since it is not only symbolic of Christ, not a mere metaphorical ‘presence’ but the very reality of His physical flesh and blood, His total humanity joined to divinity. What then is the reading of the bible at Mass? It is God’s presence in word. An illustration: if family members were to gather to listen to a reading of the last will and testament of their deceased father, one might rightly say that the father would be morally, although not physically, present to them through this reading. In a like way, God is present to the Church when his Word is spoken at Mass. For this reason we ought to be attentive to God speaking! It’s not a time to be reading something else, or allowing our imaginations to wander elsewhere. We should listen attentively to what God is saying to us at this moment. Even though we may have heard it before, it is by the movement of God’s voice, sounding through the voice of the reader, traveling the sound waves that hit our ears, that He penetrates our souls. This is real spiritual nourishment for us, for which reason Vatican Council II says that the Scriptures at Mass are the “table of God’s Word” just as the Eucharist is the “table of his Body and Blood.” Some find it helpful (especially with our somewhat difficult acoustics) to follow the readings with the printed text before them. Since the new translation we must use is not the same as the former one given in our hymnals, we no longer announce the page number, even though the wording will often be rather close to the new one. Perhaps at some future time we will have books that match the spoken text.

I would like you to know how the readings at Mass have been arranged by the Church. On Sundays and solemnities, there are three selections from Sacred Scripture. The first is almost always from the Old Testament (except, in the Easter season, as in today’s reading). The particular passage selected from the Old Testament is designed to match the Gospel reading of the day. Now, here is something for you to notice, that connection between the first reading and the priest’s Gospel. There’s a theme common to both of them. For example, if the Old Testament reading speaks about God being as a Shepherd of his people, the Gospel will be the passage where our Lord speaks of Himself as the Good Shepherd. If the first reading concerns the power of prayer, the Gospel may tell our Lord’s parable about persevering in prayer. You can measure your own success in being attentive at Mass by your ability to see the common link in these two passages. Try it.

After the first reading there is the so-called Responsorial Psalm. It is, of course, a selection from one of the psalms of the bible. In this the psalm itself is sung by the choir, cantor or, less fittingly, it is merely read by the lector. The word ‘responsorial’ refers to the refrain, or people’s part that repeated after each paragraph of the psalm. This refrain is a device enabling you to participate in responding to God who has just spoken to you in the first reading. In the former Tridentine Mass, there was no Responsorial Psalm but the Gradual in its place. This also was a passage from a psalm that, in the high Mass, was chanted. You may wish to know that the Gradual, usually an elaborate Gregorian melody, is still recommended for use, especially when the Mass is sung in Latin. The day may soon come when we may replace these Responsorial Psalms at the Latin Mass with the chanting of the Gradual, especially since our men’s schola is becoming ever more proficient with the Gregorian melodies. By the way, this strange word Gradual, originates from the Latin word gradus meaning ‘step’ It is so named because it is thought that it was originally sung near the steps of the high altar. In any case, after the first reading comes another which is almost always taken from one of the New Testament epistles, usually of Saint Paul and sometimes of Saint Peter, as is the case today. Here the bible passage is not usually made to match the theme of the first reading and the Gospel, but is a continuous reading, Sunday after Sunday, of some portion of a complete letter.

The Holy Gospel stands apart from the rest and is the high point of the first part of the Mass. Here it is Jesus Himself who speaks to us. For this reason there are several distinguishing marks: first, an Alleluia versicle is sung (or in Lent, another refrain is used). This signals our joy, anticipating our delight in hearing the words of our Savior. We stand for His word, out of respect. The Gospel has its own special book, an Evangelistery, of a certain preciousness. It may be carried solemnly in procession with lighted candles to the pulpit where the Gospel is sung or said. It must be read only by a deacon or a priest–not by a layman. Incense may be used to show our reverence for the words that come from the lips of Jesus. And, finally, special marks are put upon the Gospel Book: it is signed by its reader with the sign of the cross and then crosses are made on one’s forehead, lips and breast so as to indicate that one’s thoughts, one’s lips and one’s heart must be purified in order to take in the words of Christ. After the Gospel, the deacon or priest kisses Evangelistary and says, “through these evangelical words, may our sins be blotted out,” a prayer which signifies that the reading of our Lord’s words has a cleaning effect, purifying the soul.

A final point. All the readings of the Mass may be chanted instead of being read, and a particular chant tone is assigned to each reading. There are advantages to this practice and some drawbacks too. Our custom here of late has been to sing only the Gospel so as to highlight further this most important Scripture.

The Liturgy of the Word does not end with the Gospel. The sermon is meant to explain God’s message just read, or to teach the faith on some point or other (as we have been doing). The Creed that follows is our own ‘word’ to God in reply to His; finally, the Prayers of Intercession bring this portion of the Mass to a conclusion. We will yet speak about these in a subsequent homily on the Mass.