I've Got Good News: The Gospel

Until this point, we've been seated for the entirety of the readings. Then, to a chorus of "alleluia", we all stand. This reading is a bit different.

This is the Gospel.

This is part four of my series on the Mass, Guided Missal. 

Part 1: Opening the Doors
Part 2: A Rite for Wrongs
Part 3: Word.

So, why the change in posture? Does it really matter if we hear the Gospel sitting, or standing, or balancing on one foot?

Sorta. 

We use posture as another, deeper way of worshiping. We don't just pray using our lips; we include our entire bodies. Each posture says something different, for a different purpose. Here's a brief rundown: 

Sitting: We sit during the readings because we are "taking in" what God has for us. Sitting is a posture of relaxed receiving.

Standing: We stand at various points because when you are standing, you are ready. You can't be caught off guard. When we hear the Gospel, we stand because we are like soldiers at attention, ready to carry out our "orders" found within.

Kneeling: Kneeling is a sign of reverence and submission. We are recognizing the kingship of God and placing ourselves at his mercy. Just as a soldier kneels when yielding, we kneel to surrender to God and acknowledge his holiness.

Prostrate: Prostration is rarely used in liturgical settings, the notable exception being ordinations. Prostration is a form of complete submission...of leaving oneself completely defenseless at the hands of the Almighty. 

Orante: The orante position, standing with arms out from the body, palms open and up, is rarely used by the congregation. You may note that this is the priest's stance during the collects and Eucharistic prayers. Like prostration, orante is symbolic of leaving oneself completely open to God's will. It is a cross between the submission of kneeling and the receiving of sitting.

So, we stand. Then what? The priest (or, if present, deacon) announces "A reading from the Holy Gospel according to ___" and then, the entire church seems to come down with a very specific itch simultaneously. You then notice that it is not, in fact, an itch, but rather a small gesture: the thumb is used to trace a cross on the forehead, lips, and heart. 

This gesture is known as the Small Sign of the Cross, and it dates back to the earliest days of Christianity. See, before we had the Sign of the Cross we know today, it was customary to trace the cross on, well, everything. The first century Christians traced the cross on their bedpost before going to sleep, on their bread before eating, on their children, on themselves, on everything! 

This practice of tracing the cross on one's forehead comes from the Book of Revelation: "Do not damage the land or the sea or the trees until we put the seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God." (Rev. 7:3)

We still carry this gesture with us today, with the added crossing of the lips and heart. The meaning behind this is "May the Gospel be always on my mind, my lips and in my heart". It is another way of saying "Don't let this just be a reading. Let this be my life." 

Just as we used the Sign to swear ourselves to the actions of the Mass in the Introductory Rite, now we use it to swear ourselves to live by the Gospel and its contents. 

After the Gospel, the priest or deacon presents a homily, a (hopefully) short reflection on what the Gospel means to us today. "But Nick," you might ask, "my priest's homilies are so boring." Unfortunately, there's nothing I can do about that. He is human, after all. But, regardless of the monotone of the priest or seemingly lacking content, God still has something to say to you through him. So, even if it's unexciting, listen. After all, Jesus comes to us in bland, tasteless wafers.

Part 5: Offer It Up