With the Introductory Rites of the Mass completed, all may be seated to attend to the Word of God proclaimed in the Liturgy of the Word.
When the Sacred Scriptures are read in the Church, God himself speaks to his people, and Christ, present in His Word, proclaims the Gospel. Therefore, the readings from the Word of God are to be listened to reverently by everyone, for they are an element of the greatest importance in the Liturgy (GIRM §29). Let us all be attentive to the Word of the Lord, as the Lord’s people were in Nehemiah 8.
Saint Jerome translated Hebrew and Greek Scripture into the Catholic Church’s Vulgate Bible
The Lector proceeds to the ambo for their proclamation of the Word. The ambo is a dignified place suitable for the proclamation of the Word of God. The ambo is dedicated for the reading of Scripture, the Psalms, and the Easter proclamation of the Exsultet. Likewise it may be used for the Homily and for announcing the Prayers of the Faithful (GIRM §309).
If a Lector approaches the altar (from the nave of the church) or crosses the altar (from across the sanctuary), they make a profound bow to reverence the altar. If they leave or cross the sanctuary after their proclamation, they again reverence the altar with a profound bow.
Standing at the ambo, lectors traditionally place their hands on the edges of the book, as they would if they were holding it in their hands to proclaim the reading.
Proclamation is to be in a loud and clear voice, in a tone corresponding to the solemnity of the gathering and the genre of the Scripture itself (a reading, a prayer, an explanatory comment, an acclamation, or a sung text) (GIRM §38).
At the end of the First Reading, after a brief pause to indicate its separation from the Scripture proclaimed, the lector pronounces the acclamation: ‘The Word of the Lord.’ All reply, ‘Thanks be to God.’ A further moment of silence may be observed, so that all may meditate on the Word (GIRM §128).
‘The Psalm is more than a response to the first reading: it is a sung proclamation of God’s Word and fosters meditation on what the assembly has heard.
It is a carefully selected, prayerful response to the Word of the Lord just proclaimed.
The psalm is a song; every effort should be made to ensure that it is sung.
The psalm is sung in responsorial style: the cantor sings the verses of the psalm and the assembly repeats the refrain.
The psalm is never introduced with the phrase “The response to the psalm is…” or any other introductory words’
(CCCB Pastoral Notes for the Missal, # 167-168).
In the absence of a psalmist or cantor, a lector proclaims the verses of the Psalm and the people make the response (GIRM §129).
If there is to be a Second Reading before the Gospel, the lector proclaims it from the ambo. All listen and at the end reply to the acclamation, as above (GIRM §130).
‘If there are several readings, it is well to distribute them among a number of lectors. However, it is not appropriate that several persons divide a single element of the celebration among themselves, e.g., that the same reading be proclaimed by two lectors, one after the other, with the exception of the Passion of the Lord’ (GIRM §109).
Especially in the proclamation of the Gospel, the Risen Christ speaks to His disciples in every time and place (see Evangelii Gaudium §19).
Before the Gospel, all rise, with the chant of the Alleluia, ‘Praise the Lord’ (Revelation 19).
If the celebrant proclaims the Gospel, he proceeds to the center of the altar, bows, and with hands joined, prays Munda cor meum, ‘Cleanse my heart and my lips, almighty God, that I may worthily proclaim your holy Gospel’ (GIRM §132; Isaiah 6:6). The celebrant may look to the altar Cross during this prayer.
If a deacon is present to proclaim the Gospel, he bows before the celebrant, hands joined, and asks, ‘Your blessing, Father‘ (GIRM §175). The Priest blesses him, saying, ‘May the Lord be in your heart.’ Signing with the Cross, the deacon responds with his Amen.
If there is no procession with the Book of Gospels, the deacon proceeds to the ambo, reverencing the altar whenever passing in front of the altar.
At the ambo, the deacon or priest greets the people, hands joined, saying, ‘The Lord be with you.’
The people reply, ‘And with your spirit.’ Then he says, ‘A reading from the Holy Gospel (GIRM 134).
The Sign of the Cross is made on the book with the thumb. Then the Sign of the Cross is made with the thumb on the forehead, mouth, and heart, which the people do as well. The people acclaim ‘Glory to You, O Lord.’
After proclaiming the Gospel with joined hands, he acclaims, ‘The Gospel of the Lord.’ All reply, ‘Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ.’
He venerates the book with a kiss, praying the Per evangelica dicta, deleantur nostra delicta, ‘Through the words of the Gospel may our sins be wiped away.’
If the bishop is presiding, he may kiss the book and, if appropriate, impart a blessing to the people with the Book of Gospels (GIRM §175). The book is not to be raised high; only the Pope may bless the assembly with the book after the Gospel has been read (Elliott, Ceremonies of the Modern Rite, p.97).
The people then sit to attend to the homily.
The homily follows, as an integral, liturgical act of living commentary on the proclaimed Word of God (GIRM §§ 65, 213; SC § 52). As a liturgical act, the homily should be offered by the celebrant himself, or by a concelebrating priest, or, if appropriate, a deacon (GIRM §66). A moment of meditative silence is observed after hearing the Word of God and the homily.
A Homily is prayer of worship over the Word of God, offered with and for the gathered faithful, to admonish and challenge them to imitate the Lord’s beautiful teachings (CCC §1345). With a compelling desire to present Christ who stands at the centre of each homily, the prayer of the homily might realize Pope Francis’ exhortation of the homily as an intensely happy or consoling encounter with God’s Word for our revitalization in Christ’s mission (EG§135).
The celebrant rises to lead the assembly in a public profession of faith, in the Creed. The Altar is the focus of attention during the recitation of the Creed. All bow their heads at the Name of Jesus, and all bow at the conception by the Holy Spirit and incarnation of Jesus Christ, up to and including the name of Mary.
The celebrant, still standing, faces the people and introduces the Prayer of the Faithful using one of the Missal formulas or simply ‘Let us pray.’
The celebrant faces the altar with hands joined in prayer, while the deacon, lector, or cantor read the prayer intentions at the ambo. The minister is in place to pray the intentions immediately following the celebrant’s introduction, and remains there in a prayerful posture until the concluding prayer and the assembly responds with their Amen (CCCB Pastoral Notes for the Missal, # 197).