A Catholic Missal at Mass

  • Thread starter Thread starter fkoenig99
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
F

fkoenig99

Guest
I received a nice gift from a Catholic priest about 13 years ago - a St Joseph Sunday Missal. I bring it to each mass I attend, and follow the mass and of course listen and follow the text of God’s Word (readings and Gospel) . Recently I was told by a Deacon I know at my parish that we are not to read the missal; only to listen to God’s word. I’m confused. When did this go into effect? Why do they even publish Sunday Missals if one is not to bring it to mass. I listen to God’s word during the readings of course, and by reading the text along with hearing only increased God’s Word working through me. If this is new age of Catholicism and not using the missal, what happen to the old ways? Was everybody wrong then? Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you
 
fkoenig99 said:
I received a nice gift from a Catholic priest about 13 years ago - a St Joseph Sunday Missal. I bring it to each mass I attend, and follow the mass and of course listen and follow the text of God’s Word (readings and Gospel) . Recently I was told by a Deacon I know at my parish that we are not to read the missal; only to listen to God’s word. I’m confused. When did this go into effect? Why do they even publish Sunday Missals if one is not to bring it to mass. I listen to God’s word during the readings of course, and by reading the text along with hearing only increased God’s Word working through me. If this is new age of Catholicism and not using the missal, what happen to the old ways? Was everybody wrong then? Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you
Click to expand...
*Balderdash. It’s up to the individual. * Some people absorb best if they read while they listen. I certainly do. While I don’t follow the opening/closing prayer or EP in my missalette, I do follow the readings and the responsorial psalm. While I have heard comments like those from your deacon they were both wrong and misplaced.
 
Here’s a good answer from the Nov 2000 Issue of Lay Witness Magazine, which is a good solid Catholic source of information. Their answer is complete with quotes from Vatican documents (a good sign that you’re getting a true answer).

**Hand Missals **

***Many of the lay faithful find that hand missals and missalettes are extraordinarily helpful in fostering their active participation at Mass. They find that hand missals help them prepare for Mass by allowing them to meditate upon the Scripture readings beforehand. They also find that hand missals prevent their minds from wandering during Mass and allow them to understand better the words of the priests and other ministers who speak with a foreign accent, or when the acoustics of the church are poor. ***

The Church has never questioned, let alone legislated against, the use of hand missals. On the contrary, in 1972, the following query was put to the Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments: “Are hand missals still needed?” The Congregation replied:

***“Since the reform of the liturgy the usefulness of hand missals for the faithful is often questioned. All now understand the words spoken at Mass; what is more, as far as the biblical readings are concerned, all ought to be listening attentively to the Word of God. Nevertheless, hand missals, it seems, remain necessary. People do not always hear well, especially in large churches, and what they do hear physically they do not always understand right away. They, therefore, often need to go back over the texts heard during a celebration. In addition, the liturgy, and the Eucharistic celebration above all, is ‘the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed; at the same time it is the fount from which all the Church’s power flows’ (Vatican II, Sacrosanctum Concilium, no. 10). All the concerns of the spiritual life must be brought to the liturgy and that happens if participation is truly actual and ‘aware.’ This requires frequent meditation on the liturgical texts both before and after the celebration.” ***

Hope this helps you. By the way, I love my missal… it really helps me stay focused at Mass!

God Bless,
Gary
 
Thank you very much for your prompt reply and clarification. I certainly undertand the church’s reasoning now. God Bless You!
 
By all means, continue to read your missal during Mass if it’s helpful. It is up to the individual to choose whether to read along or not. In my parish I have seen people with a missal or a copy of the Magnificat.
 
I use my Magnificat at every Mass I attend; the beauty of a daily missal.

I have a hearing deficiency and even wearing a hearing aid I cannot always understand the words of the Priest and/or the lay readers (actually, primarily the lay readers) so reading the text in my daily Magnificat is very helpful. And, in fact, I use my Magnificat when I watch the Daily Mass on EWTN. I follow the Mass as though I were actually in the chapel.

I wonder where your Deacon heard that it was improper to use the Missal.

:highprayer:
 
I am a very visual person. Reading along helps me better absorb the readings.
I did have a pastor who talked about canceling the missalettes. He was of the opinion that people would listen better without the missalettes to follow. He made the point that you are not reading the exact word at the same pace as the person proclaiming the word.
It is the lector’s job to proclaim the Word of God. In that role, I have had people tell me they close their missalettes when it is my turn to read so that they can listen. This is more a reflection of God working through me than any natural talent on my part.
St. John of the Cross wrote that it is the priest’s job to read the Word and for the laity to read the priest. Keep in mind that during his time, few people could read. Of course, lay persons did not act as lectors.
Most literate people do absorb more when they can follow along what is being read aloud. Keep your missal and follow the word in print while the lector proclaims the Word.
 
I’ve heard this said before, but never from an authoritative source. I can’t imagine there ever being a rule directing how the faithful receive the word of God. That just makes no sense. As a lector, I try to provide the most meaningful and accurate reading possible, but I understand that it’s helpful for people to follow along.

I usually try to get to Mass a few minutes early to read through the day’s readings before Mass starts. Sometimes that preview helps me tie everything together once I hear them a second time and then commented on in the homily. Let’s face it, some readings are harder to understand than others. It makes sense to use all available resources to better understand God’s word. I usually try to listen attentively, but it’s nice to be able to be able to follow along in case I miss something or don’t quite get it the first time through.
 
tcm22 said:
I’ve heard this said before, but never from an authoritative source. I can’t imagine there ever being a rule directing how the faithful receive the word of God. That just makes no sense. As a lector, I try to provide the most meaningful and accurate reading possible, but I understand that it’s helpful for people to follow along.

I usually try to get to Mass a few minutes early to read through the day’s readings before Mass starts. Sometimes that preview helps me tie everything together once I hear them a second time and then commented on in the homily. Let’s face it, some readings are harder to understand than others. It makes sense to use all available resources to better understand God’s word. I usually try to listen attentively, but it’s nice to be able to be able to follow along in case I miss something or don’t quite get it the first time through.
Click to expand...
Well said.
 
FYI everyone - I copied this paragraph verbatim from the USCCB, usccb.org/liturgy/girm/bul4.shtml

“The key word in all of this is listening. We are called to listen attentively as the reader, deacon or priest proclaims God’s Word. Unless one is unable to hear, one should not be reading along with a text from a missal or missalette. Rather, taking our cue from the General Instruction itself, we should listen as we would if Christ himself were standing at the ambo, for in fact it is God who speaks when the Scriptures are proclaimed. Carefully following along with the printed word can cause us to miss the gentle voice of the Holy Spirit, the message that the Spirit may have for us in one of the passages because we are anxious to ‘keep up,’ to move along with the reader.”
 
fkoenig99 said:
FYI everyone - I copied this paragraph verbatim from the USCCB, usccb.org/liturgy/girm/bul4.shtml

“The key word in all of this is listening. We are called to listen attentively as the reader, deacon or priest proclaims God’s Word. Unless one is unable to hear, one should not be reading along with a text from a missal or missalette. Rather, taking our cue from the General Instruction itself, we should listen as we would if Christ himself were standing at the ambo, for in fact it is God who speaks when the Scriptures are proclaimed. Carefully following along with the printed word can cause us to miss the gentle voice of the Holy Spirit, the message that the Spirit may have for us in one of the passages because we are anxious to ‘keep up,’ to move along with the reader.”
Click to expand...
Thankfully that’s not a binding document. To be rather blunt it smacks fairly strongly of ignorance or at least “incompleteness.”

For the above comments might be true for some under certain conditions. I absorb the material best if I read and listen at the same time. I have even been known to have a pencil in my hand to mark-up a reading before Mass so I’ll absorb even more the second time through during Mass.

Visit just about any literature glass in any college. Someone will be reading to the class --be it the instructor or a student yet each of them will have books cracked in front of them.

To suggest that somehow thwarts the Holy Spirit (at least for me) is ridiculous. Particularly when one considers the shortcomings of some of the readers here locally.
 
fkoenig99 said:
FYI everyone - I copied this paragraph verbatim from the USCCB, usccb.org/liturgy/girm/bul4.shtml

“The key word in all of this is listening. We are called to listen attentively as the reader, deacon or priest proclaims God’s Word. Unless one is unable to hear, one should not be reading along with a text from a missal or missalette. Rather, taking our cue from the General Instruction itself, we should listen as we would if Christ himself were standing at the ambo, for in fact it is God who speaks when the Scriptures are proclaimed. Carefully following along with the printed word can cause us to miss the gentle voice of the Holy Spirit, the message that the Spirit may have for us in one of the passages because we are anxious to ‘keep up,’ to move along with the reader.”
Click to expand...
That was how my old pastor stated it, or words to that effect.
We either try to “keep up” with the reader, or read ahead.

O’Malley–I’m with you. When I listen to a lecture, I take notes (or doodle) to better hear what is being said or taught. As a visual learner, I too absorb more when I read and listen simultaneously.
In non-Catholic services, members of the congregation often take notes on the sermon or write down the scriptures being read. Sometimes, I do wonder why we don’t. I mostly think about this when a telephone number is given during the announcements.
I have heard some very good homilies. I want to remember key points. If I took notes, I could refer back to them later. That’s one side of the argument. The other comes from a Charismatic Conference I attended. “We come not for information, but for transformation.”
 
fkoenig99 said:
FYI everyone - I copied this paragraph verbatim from the USCCB, usccb.org/liturgy/girm/bul4.shtml

“The key word in all of this is listening. We are called to listen attentively as the reader, deacon or priest proclaims God’s Word. Unless one is unable to hear, one should not be reading along with a text from a missal or missalette. Rather, taking our cue from the General Instruction itself, we should listen as we would if Christ himself were standing at the ambo, for in fact it is God who speaks when the Scriptures are proclaimed. Carefully following along with the printed word can cause us to miss the gentle voice of the Holy Spirit, the message that the Spirit may have for us in one of the passages because we are anxious to ‘keep up,’ to move along with the reader.”
Click to expand...
I think carefully following along actually AIDES me to hear the gentle voice of the Holy Spirit.
 
fkoenig99 said:
FYI everyone - I copied this paragraph verbatim from the USCCB, usccb.org/liturgy/girm/bul4.shtml

“The key word in all of this is listening. We are called to listen attentively as the reader, deacon or priest proclaims God’s Word. Unless one is unable to hear, one should not be reading along with a text from a missal or missalette. Rather, taking our cue from the General Instruction itself, we should listen as we would if Christ himself were standing at the ambo, for in fact it is God who speaks when the Scriptures are proclaimed. Carefully following along with the printed word can cause us to miss the gentle voice of the Holy Spirit, the message that the Spirit may have for us in one of the passages because we are anxious to ‘keep up,’ to move along with the reader.”
Click to expand...
I would say that this applies only to those whose reading skills are poor. The person proclaiming God’s Word should be reading neither too quickly nor too slowly. The person listening and following along with the printed word will then have no trouble reading at the same pace.

I have found that, the few times I have not had my Missal with me, I did not fully hear what was read - I too am a visual person.

However, the only times I have heard any member of the clergy recommend not reading along it was from someone who deliberately changes words! It would appear that the motive to the recommendation was for us not to be aware of the changes!!
 
Joan_M said:
I would say that this applies only to those whose reading skills are poor. The person proclaiming God’s Word should be reading neither too quickly nor too slowly. The person listening and following along with the printed word will then have no trouble reading at the same pace.

I have found that, the few times I have not had my Missal with me, I did not fully hear what was read - I too am a visual person.

However, the only times I have heard any member of the clergy recommend not reading along it was from someone who deliberately changes words! It would appear that the motive to the recommendation was for us not to be aware of the changes!!
Click to expand...
One of the instructions given to most lectors, is to slow down when proclaiming the Word in order for those in the back of the church to hear. It has to do with presenting to a large audience. Naturally those of us who are good readers will be a little ahead of the lector. I think about musicians who are taught to read notes before they reach them. We have read what is being read a little ahead of the lector, which in effect allows us to hear the Word proclaimed.
The key word you used about changing words is “deliberately.” Some times the lector will interpose words, but the meaning is not changed. Correcting this unintentional error would change the flow of the reading and distract from what is being read. There are also times when the words in the missalette do vary slightly from those being read by the lector.
A person who looks for these differences is another person I would add to those who should not read along. I knew a man who would do that, intentionally look for these differences. He used it as an excuse to leave the Church.

I did find my notes on the St. John of the Cross reference I used earlier. The clergy read books. The layperson “reads” the clergy when they spread the word of God. It was a time when books were expensive and few people knew how to read.
 
fkoenig99 said:
FYI everyone - I copied this paragraph verbatim from the USCCB, usccb.org/liturgy/girm/bul4.shtml

“The key word in all of this is listening. We are called to listen attentively as the reader, deacon or priest proclaims God’s Word. Unless one is unable to hear, one should not be reading along with a text from a missal or missalette. Rather, taking our cue from the General Instruction itself, we should listen as we would if Christ himself were standing at the ambo, for in fact it is God who speaks when the Scriptures are proclaimed. Carefully following along with the printed word can cause us to miss the gentle voice of the Holy Spirit, the message that the Spirit may have for us in one of the passages because we are anxious to ‘keep up,’ to move along with the reader.”
Click to expand...
Wow…I’m sorta shocked to see this. It doesn’t please me to say this, but I vehemently disagree with this statement. As far as I know, the Holy Spirit can speak just as well through the written word as the spoken word. Using them together certainly reinforces the message. At least for me. Lets be honest…not all the readers, deacons, and priests read well all the time.

I have no problem with the admonition to “listen as we would if Christ himself were standing at the ambo,” but I also think that if Christ were reading from the Bible I would love to follow along and hear his oral interpretation. I guess I don’t agree with the idea that reading along detracts from my ability to listen intently. Just the opposite.

Thankfully this is not a binding instruction.
 
I must agree with all posters who said that they need to read from their missals as they follow the lay readers at Mass. For me this is a necessity.

As I mentioned earlier, I have a hearing deficiency and cannot always understand even the Priest when he reads the Gospel. And the lay readers read almost to themselves.:sad_yes:

My church is a large Basilica and possibly the acoustics are not good but hearing the readers (even for the announcements) is not easy. I emailed the Rector and asked him to try to get the readers to speak up and he has done this, but after a few weeks it was back to the norm - reading as though to themselves.

So, I always follow the readings with my Magnificat.

:highprayer:
 
mullenpm said:
I must agree with all posters who said that they need to read from their missals as they follow the lay readers at Mass. For me this is a necessity.

As I mentioned earlier, I have a hearing deficiency and cannot always understand even the Priest when he reads the Gospel. And the lay readers read almost to themselves.:sad_yes:

My church is a large Basilica and possibly the acoustics are not good but hearing the readers (even for the announcements) is not easy. I emailed the Rector and asked him to try to get the readers to speak up and he has done this, but after a few weeks it was back to the norm - reading as though to themselves.

So, I always follow the readings with my Magnificat.

:highprayer:
Click to expand...
It could be the microphone system. I developed my command voice as a drill sergeant. Projecting was not a problem. Then one day they changed to a much more sensitive microphone system. I had people popping out of their seats.
Do you sit near the front or back of the church? My parish, as small as it is, recently upgraded their sound system with speakers set about halfway toward the back of the church.
 
Deb, I sit in the third pew from the front - right side (so I can receive Holy Communion from the hands of the Priest).

Could possibly be the microphone system but I assume since the Basilica underwent a restoration a few years ago that the system would be up-to-date.🤷
 
fkoenig99 said:
I received a nice gift from a Catholic priest about 13 years ago - a St Joseph Sunday Missal. I bring it to each mass I attend, and follow the mass and of course listen and follow the text of God’s Word (readings and Gospel) . Recently I was told by a Deacon I know at my parish that we are not to read the missal; only to listen to God’s word. I’m confused. When did this go into effect? Why do they even publish Sunday Missals if one is not to bring it to mass. I listen to God’s word during the readings of course, and by reading the text along with hearing only increased God’s Word working through me. If this is new age of Catholicism and not using the missal, what happen to the old ways? Was everybody wrong then? Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you
Click to expand...
When did this go into effect? Never
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top