Cory wrote “What is it called when the Priest holds up the Lectionary before the Gospel reading and we all bow to it? Is it okay to just skip this part.”
My understanding is that there is no instruction to bow to the Lectionary in the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite.
On the last question, the 1973 Directory for Masses with Children has:
“47. … Depending on the text of the reading, it may be helpful for the children to read it in parts distributed among them, as is provided for the reading of the Lord’s passion during Holy Week.”
This is from Chapter 3 “Masses with Children in Which Only a Few Adults Participate”.
Chapter 2 is “Masses with Adults in Which Children Also Participate” and concludes with: “19. … Wherever the bishop permits, in addition to adaptations already provided in the Order of Mass, one or other of the particular adaptations described later in the Directory may be employed in a Mass celebrated with adults in which children also participate.”
So from the above, it seems to that if there are children reading at the Mass it is permissible, with the bishop’s permission.
But the third edition of the Roman Missal (the 2010 English translation) has in the General Instruction:
“109. … if there are several readings, it is well to distribute them among a number of readers, and the same applies for other matters. However, it is not at all appropriate that several persons divide a single element of the celebration among themselves, e.g., that the same reading be proclaimed by two readers, one after the other, with the exception of the Passion of the Lord.”
In footnote 32 to General Instruction of the Roman Missal n. 21 it has: “Special celebrations of Mass should observe the guidelines established for them: … for Masses with children, cf. Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship, Directory for Masses with Children, 1 November 1973 ….”.
So one part of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal is saying to follow the Directory for Masses with Children. Another part is saying it it not appropriate to do what it says to do.
Which is confusing. To be safe that no liturgical law is being broken the solution is not to do it, have just one reader. But if there are children doing the reading and there is more than one reader, it is difficult to say this is incorrect.
[Excerpts from the English translation of the Roman Missal, © 2010, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved.]
