Glory to you, O Lord

[StGeorgesSquire]

When I went to the Catholic Church in my Catholic friend many years ago I noticed before the Gospel is read, the congregation crosses themselves thrice: once on the forehead, once on the lips, and once on the heart. I do the same at my church and was wondering: Where did this tradition come from? Is it just a Catholic thing or do other liturgical churches do this too?

 

[Mintaka]

There is a very old prayer that the priest or deacon says (usually under his breath) before he reads the Gospel, where he prays that the Word of God will be in his thoughts, on his lips, and in his heart. (And this is an official part of Mass, at least in the Roman/Latin Rite.)

This is such a good prayer that it is common for laypeople to indicate that they also pray for this grace, by making the same motions. It is not something written into Mass and not everybody does it, but it is a very old custom.

Some people don’t know the prayer, but they know it is a set of gestures showing reverence for Jesus and the Gospel. So they just do it too. (This is how kids start out.)

I will try and find you a link to the prayer later, but right now my insomnia is over and I am going to sleep!

 

[seagal]

You got my curiosity up so I went looking and found a link at EWTN that explains the gestures used at mass. Here’s the interesting bit:

It is worth pointing out that No. 134’s indication for the people to make the triple sign of the cross is a novelty of the third edition of the Roman Missal. It was not found in the corresponding No. 95 of the earlier GIRM from the 1970s, where the gesture was prescribed only for the minister reading the Gospel. In making this indication the missal simply recognizes a practice which had already become almost universal among the faithful over the centuries.

The origin of the sign of the cross on the forehead and the heart is Frankish or German, and it probably entered into the Roman liturgy sometime between the years 800 and 1000. The sign of the cross on the lips was added rather later, but it is not clear when it became standard practice.

The people probably started mimicking the gesture of the priest or deacon at some point. Nobody seems to know when, but I would hazard a guess that it was not until after the Roman liturgy was fully unified following the Council of Trent. This practice was probably also reinforced by catechists teaching children the gestures for Mass.

 

[StGeorgesSquire]

Thank you for the replies! I think it’s a wonderful thing to do! I actually noticed that when I do that, I pay closer attention to the Gospel. Maybe it’s just me, but it works

 

[Mintaka]

So first, Latin Rite laypeople copied the gesture on their own initiative.

Then the GIRM tried to decree that every layperson must do it, but nobody bothered to actually tell laypeople. And it’s still optional in the EF and the Anglican Use.

Heh, heh, typical bureaucratic silliness. There are some things that nobody should attempt to legislate. In this case, you see the authorities going against custom by trying to legislate custom… and so they get ignored by custom.

One of the ancient rules in all the Rites is that laypeople don’t really have rubrics for their worship, or only the most minimal ones. That’s why different areas have the laypeople doing slightly different things… and that’s perfectly okay! Laypeople are not clerics, and our spiritual duties and needs at Mass are different. The folklore of what Catholic laypeople do at Mass, their silent add-on prayers, etc. is generally very edifying and very personal. That personal nature is what makes it special and meaningful; if it were demanded, it would be burdensome.

On the other hand, you also see that “everybody knows” what prayer goes along with the gesture, but the cleric reading the Gospel does not actually have that prayer in the rubrics for him to say! It’s a sotto voce prayer entirely created and maintained by custom! (And in this case, the GIRM does not attempt to legislate it. Which is good.) But since historically clerics are much more tightly regulated in their conduct at Mass, it’s amusing to see them getting the freedom to act while laypeople get bound.

So there’s an interesting contrast of legal approaches within the space of a paragraph in the GIRM, and with regard to the same gesture. Bureaucratic silliness, as I said. You probably won’t see it in the next edition.

 

[brad90956]

I was taught to do this many years ago in Catholic grade school. Before hearing/reading the Gospel, I ask God for the wisdom to open my mind and understand what I am hearing/reading, that I may speak the truth about the Gospel and that His words may always be in my heart and guide me throughout life.

 

[Graceful_Lamb]

lifeteen.com/blog/why-do-catholics-cross-their-head-lips-heart-mass/

 

[ccmcmg]

St Georges Squire,
I just want to say how nice it is to see you here! Hope all is well with you!

Christina

 

[MorEphrem]

Heh, heh, typical bureaucratic silliness. There are some things that nobody should attempt to legislate…

One of the ancient rules in all the Rites is that laypeople don’t really have rubrics for their worship, or only the most minimal ones…

On the other hand, you also see that “everybody knows” what prayer goes along with the gesture, but the cleric reading the Gospel does not actually have that prayer in the rubrics for him to say! It’s a sotto voce prayer entirely created and maintained by custom! (And in this case, the GIRM does not attempt to legislate it. Which is good.) But since historically clerics are much more tightly regulated in their conduct at Mass, it’s amusing to see them getting the freedom to act while laypeople get bound.

:clapping: