Two Gospels???

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romanholiday

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I have a situation that I need some help with. I have been asked to read at a wedding in about a month. I received an email saying I was doing the 2nd reading from Mark 10:6-9. My immediate reaction was that I can’t do that as I’m not ordained. Here is what they have:

1st reading: 1 Corinthians 13
2nd reading: Mark 6
Gospel: John 15

I don’t believe it is licit to have 2 Gospels at the same Mass (at least in the Novus Ordo) Also, there is no OT reading. Does anyone have any citations from Church documents to back me up? I am looking, but any extra eyes or thoughts would help a lot! Thanks.

Also, I need to clarify if the wedding is actually going to be a celebration of Mass or just a service. If it is NOT a Mass, would that make any difference in the reading selections?
 
Generally speaking, the first reading ought to be Old Testament. Corinthians should be the second reading. And yeah, only one Gospel reading.

(The only way I can think of that someone would make this mistake is if one day at Mass, they mistook a 1st or 2nd John reading for a Gospel of John reading.)

I think you might want to talk to the priest, if you can, so that he can break it to the bride and groom. People get offended so easily, and they won’t be able to tell him that he doesn’t know anything about Gospel reading rules.

OTOH, the priest could certainly read one Gospel and quote the other as part of his homily. Heck, the Mark reading is only four verses long, and would pretty much have to be mentioned anyway.
 
You might ask the Cleric doing the service if he minds/will permit two gospel readings… you’d most likely still need a second reading, which probably should be NT.
 
And yet, during the Easter season, we have two NT readings.

I’d mention the oddity of having the second reading be from Mark’s gospel to the cleric doing their marriage prep. If he doesn’t have a problem with it, leave it at that.
 
There is a handy little booklet (I think it’s entitled “Together for Life”) that helps a couple plan all the selections for Mass texts. I’d recommend getting that so that the bride and groom can see exactly what is permissible and what is not. Two Gospels = not.
 
MusicMan said:
And yet, during the Easter season, we have two NT readings.

I’d mention the oddity of having the second reading be from Mark’s gospel to the cleric doing their marriage prep. If he doesn’t have a problem with it, leave it at that.
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I agree. It is the Celebrant’s task to keep things in order.
 
The problem is I can’t just “leave it” if the priest has no problem with it. As an non-ordained person, I cannot read a Gospel during the liturgy. To do so, with full knowledge of it being illicit, would be sinful on my part. I have talked to 3 priests I know and trust and they have all said that it is NOT permissable to substitute a 2nd Gospel for the 2nd reading. 2 Gospels have not been allowed since 1964 (Last Gospel from John back then). In addition, they said that the only time there is not the sequence of OT, NT, Gospel is during the Easter season. And that is licit because it is part of the rubrics for the Easter season. I’ll talk to the priest celebrating the wedding and if he has no problem with it, even after I point out the GIRM and other documents, I will probably have to back out of reading if it is not changed.
 
romanholiday said:
The problem is I can’t just “leave it” if the priest has no problem with it. As an non-ordained person, I cannot read a Gospel during the liturgy. To do so, with full knowledge of it being illicit, would be sinful on my part. I have talked to 3 priests I know and trust and they have all said that it is NOT permissable to substitute a 2nd Gospel for the 2nd reading. 2 Gospels have not been allowed since 1964 (Last Gospel from John back then). In addition, they said that the only time there is not the sequence of OT, NT, Gospel is during the Easter season. And that is licit because it is part of the rubrics for the Easter season. I’ll talk to the priest celebrating the wedding and if he has no problem with it, even after I point out the GIRM and other documents, I will probably have to back out of reading if it is not changed.
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That is the correct course of action. If the couple and celebrant all refuse to act morally by choosing a licit liturgy, you have a duty not to be complicit.
 
romanholiday said:
…I don’t believe it is licit to have 2 Gospels at the same Mass (at least in the Novus Ordo) Also, there is no OT reading. Does anyone have any citations from Church documents to back me up? I am looking, but any extra eyes or thoughts would help a lot! Thanks.

Also, I need to clarify if the wedding is actually going to be a celebration of Mass or just a service. If it is NOT a Mass, would that make any difference in the reading selections?
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From the Rite of Marriage, Chapter II, Rite for Celebrating Marriage Outside Mass:
“41. The liturgy of the word takes place in the usual manner. There may be three readings, the first of them from the Old Testament.”
 
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