The Place of the Book of the Gospels in the Liturgical Life of the Church
Christ as teacher holding the book of gospels. He sits to teach, in the Jewish fashion.
What is an evangelarium?
An evangelarium is a metal shrine used to safeguard the book of the Four Gospels. The one which we have ordered is being made in Spain by skilled silversmiths and enamel workers. It has been several months since we paid the deposit and we are told that we should expect delivery in late August. The finished work will look like a very decorated case in which the Book of the Gospels will be enshrined.
Proclamation of the gospel
The Second Vatican Council reminds us of an ancient Christian truth – that Christ is truly present among His Church when the Gospel is proclaimed aloud. For that reason we spend money and time on decorating the book from which the Gospel is read in the Church. In the throwaway society in which we live, it is easy to treat the sacred with distain. Altar vessels are often of inferior artistic value. Vestments are chosen because they are easily machine washed, electric votive lights replace candles because they are more convenient. In the same way of thinking, we could end up with recorded music and non-alcoholic wine or fruit juice for the Eucharist. Because it is Christ himself who comes into the assembly when the Gospel is proclaimed, we must mark the moment with the finest of everything, our hearts humble and our minds pure. Nothing is good enough for the arrival of the Lord Jesus.
Catholic tradition of decoration
We Catholic people need to be reminded of the glorious record of decorating the book of the Gospel and its shrine so that the words of the Gospel might be honored. The Book of Kells, the Lindesfarne Gospel and various other masterpieces of Celtic artwork were all decorated Gospel books. From the start of Christianity, the Word of the lord, especially the four gospels have been treated with respect and reverence.
Liturgical usage
The evangelarium is intended to accentuate the importance of the Gospel book in the life of the Church. We carry the Gospel book in procession into the Eucharistic assembly and we kiss it when the Gospel has been proclaimed. The box or shrine in which it is contained is carried into the Mass by the deacon and placed on the altar. When the Gospel is proclaimed, the Shrine is sometimes incensed. It is carried high to the ambo where it is opened. The evangelarium is always carried by an ordained minister, just as the Gospel is always proclaimed by an ordained minister. This is because it is a priestly act to open the Gospel and to proclaim it in the assembly.
When a deacon is ordained, the bishop presents him with the book of the Gospels and commands him to “teach what you believe, practice what you preach, and believe what you preach.” When a bishop is ordained, his head is anointed with Chrism. Then while he is still wet with the oil, the book of the Gospels is opened over his head almost like a tent and he kneels beneath it. He is to be the servant of the Gospel. When a synod of priests is held in a diocese, the Book of the gospels is placed on a chair of state in the middle of the floor.
History of the Gospel book in Church Councils
In 325 A.D,. the council of Nicea met with the Emperor Constantine to discuss the problems of the Church. We have artists impressions of the event, the first council of the Church. They all show the bishops and the Emperor sitting in a chamber. In the center of the room is a throne, and on that throne is an open book of the Gospels. In the Second Vatican Council, the great Pope of the twentieth century John XXIII ordered that the ancient practice of the Church be revived. Each day when the bishops gathered, a throne was set up in the basilica of Saint Peter’s in Rome. On it was an open Book of the Gospels.
The Book of the Gospel is the only book that is carried in procession.
The action of proclaiming the Gospel is a sacred one, and is always done by a sacred minister, one who has been ordained for the purpose - either a deacon, a priest or a bishop.
The people stand up to welcome the Lord Jesus.
The minister who is about to proclaim the Gospel then bows to the altar and prays silently; “May the Lord be in my heart and on my lips, so that I may worthily proclaim your holy Gospel.” The Book of the Gospels is taken by the minister to the ambo where it is opened. The minister then intones “A reading from the Holy Gospel according to ….” Then the priest makes the sign of the Cross on the page to be read and he applies that sign onto his forehead, his lips and his breast.
Incense may then be shaken around the ambo so as to symbolize the sacredness of the action about to be undertaken.
When the Gospel is completed, the minister intones; “The Gospel of the Lord”. The people reply; “Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.” The minister then kisses the book and says silently; “By the words of the Gospel, may my sins be washed away.”