The committee of liturgists that were charged with revising the Mass in the late 1960s, originally proposed that there would be several Responsorial Psalms during the Mass, including one just prior to the proclamation of the Gospel. However, the group of bishops responsible for overseeing this committee rejected this idea. All that remains is the Gospel Acclamation. For most of the year this consists of the acclamation “Alleluia!” bracketing a verse that tries to draw our attention to the importance of the Gospel reading that will be proclaimed. Since the Gospel Acclamation is meant to be a rather triumphant greeting of the Lord who is about to speak to us in the Gospel, the preference is for this acclamation to be sung. If the Gospel Acclamation is not sung it may be omitted (GIRM #63, only at Mass when there is only one reading before the Gospel, therefore it is never just recited at a Sunday Mass); if it is recited it should be spoken with vigor. Because the word “Alleluia!” is a sort of joyful shout, it is considered inappropriate during the Lenten season, and is replaced by another phrase. Of course, for the Proclamation of the Gospel all the people stand.
The Gospels are the story about what Jesus said and did. While there is certainly a biographical character to the Gospels, they are more “portraits” of the life of Jesus rather than “pictures.” One characteristic of the Gospels, which makes them often more easy to understand, is that can be broken into short sections which can be understood on their own. We call these sections “pericopes.” For any one Sunday, a complete story or section of teaching from the Gospel is read. Often one Sunday’s Gospel reading immediately follows the previous week’s Gospel reading.
There are several actions that the priest or deacon does in the act of Proclaiming the Gospel. If a deacon is assisting at the Mass, he should be given the preference in proclaiming the Gospel. During the Gospel Acclamation, the deacon stands before the presiding priest and says, “Father, give me your blessing,” to which the priest responds, “The Lord be in your heart and on your lips that you may worthily proclaim his gospel. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, + and of the Holy Spirit.” If there is no deacon assisting at the Mass, the priest bows before the Altar and inaudibly says, “Almighty God, cleanse my heart and lips that I may worthily proclaim your gospel.” After greeting the People with “The Lord be with your,” and receiving their “And also with you,” the deacon or priest proclaims, “A reading from the holy gospel according to (N).” He then makes the sign of the cross on the book, and then on his forehead, lips and breast. Strictly speaking, the congregation is not asked to mimic this action, although it seems to have become customary in most places. After proclaiming the Gospel, as the congregation responds, “Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ,” the deacon or priest kisses the book and says inaudibly, “May the words of the gospel wipe away our sins.” If the Bishop is presiding at the Mass, the deacon or priest does not kiss the book, but rather brings the Book of the Gospel to the Bishop, as the Apostle and Guardian of the Gospel for the diocese, to kiss; all should remain standing until the Bishop kisses the Book of the Gospel, before sitting for the homily.
