Candles and the gospel reading

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I think it’s inconsistent to have candles beside the deacon, priest, or bishop when he reads the gospel – and NOT to have candles besides the readers who read the non-gospel readings.

These are ALL the word of God. The candles seem to only follow the priest. The words don’t seem to mean everything that they should.

God is speaking to us through ALL the readings.
 
Crumpy said:
I think it’s inconsistent to have candles beside the deacon, priest, or bishop when he reads the gospel – and NOT to have candles besides the readers who read the non-gospel readings.

These are ALL the word of God. The candles seem to only follow the priest. The words don’t seem to mean everything that they should.

God is speaking to us through ALL the readings.
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But isn’t it also inconsistent that the Gospel is read by an ordained man and the other readings can be read by anyone?

There Gospel of course occupies a higher place amongst all the readings.
 
ConstantineTG said:
But isn’t it also inconsistent that the Gospel is read by an ordained man and the other readings can be read by anyone?

The Gospel of course occupies a higher place amongst all the readings.
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It is also why we stand for the Gospel, but sit for the other Readings. At a Mass with incense, we also incense the Book of the Gospels (when used separately from the Lectionary).
 
Why not let the Magisterium make this decision? It’s part of the obedience in the church. I try to spend my time thanking God that I can be a part of it.
 
The reason for the candles and for incensing the Gospel Book is a sign of honor given to the Gospel. The same thing happens during the Liturgy of the Hours. You sit through most of it, but you stand during the Gospel Canticles.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF 🙂
 
Our Lord Jesus Christ is the light of the world which shines in the darkness, per the Gospel according to St. John, 1:4-5. He is truly the very light from which all lights are lit. As the Father has eternally kindled the wick that is His Logos, so the aroma which ascends into the air is the Holy Spirit of God. In this intimate communication of pure light, an ever-loving and perfect illumination lights up the entire universe. Remember the Seven Candlesticks in the first chapter of The Revelation? Christ our Lord stands in the middle of them, lightning the three on one side and three on the other side by His eyes, skin, and hair - all burning white, light, fire, and glory.

Metaphorically, the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ is the height of all the readings. Those which come before are foreshadowing or remembrance, but in the Gospel our blessed Saviour speaks His own words. Whereas God speaks through St. Paul, Isaiah, David, or the Psalmist in the first (and second) reading(s), God talks to us directly during the Holy Gospel, using the lips of the deacon or priest or bishop. When God came to teach us Himself, it is far greater than going through a middle-man. He is really here!
 
The priest / deacon reads the Gospel ‘in persona Christi’, as an officially delegated representative of Christ. This is honored by the candles, and this is the essence of the ordination.
 
laszlo said:
The priest / deacon reads the Gospel ‘in persona Christi’, as an officially delegated representative of Christ. This is honored by the candles, and this is the essence of the ordination.
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I’m not so sure about “persona Christi”. That is not part of the rite of ordination to the diaconate, which is when a cleric receives the mandate to proclaim the Gospel. The words used in the rite imply that he is to procliam the Gospel in the name of the Church, not in Persona Christi.

However, it is true that when he says, “This is the Gospel of the Lord” or equivalent words, depending on the rite, it is to be understood that Christ is the Good News. In other words, Christ is the Gospel that he is proclaiming.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF 🙂
 
Yes, this was a misconception in the first edition of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, that the deacon was described as acting 'in persona Christi" which is not considered correct. This was corrected in the second edition.

I got this information straight from somebody at USCCB, when I inquired if there were any errors in the Catechism.
 
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