X.

After the first reading comes the responsorial psalm, which is an integral part of the liturgy of the word and holds great liturgical and pastoral importance, because it promotes meditation on the Word of God. The responsorial psalm should correspond to each reading and should customarily be taken from the Lectionary.

The Psalms are poems, intended to be sung. They must be read as poems if they are to be understood. It has a unique style and structure of its own, very different from the poetry of our time. You will see 153 psalms in your bible, but three of them are just repetitions and so there are really only 150 of them. Seventy-three Psalms are attributed to David, but there is no sure way of dating any Psalm. Some are pre-exilic (before 587), and others are postexilic (after 539), but not as late as the Maccabean period (ca. 165).

The majority were composed originally precisely for liturgical worship. This is shown by the frequent indication of liturgical leaders interacting with the community (e.g., Ps 118:1–4).

It is appropriate that the responsorial psalm be sung, at least as far as the people's response is concerned. Hence, the psalmist or cantor of the song sings the verses of the psalm at the ambo or other suitable place. However, in order that the people may be able to join in the responsorial psalm more readily, the people remain seated and listen, but also as a rule take part by singing the response, except when the psalm is sung straight through without the response. If the psalm cannot be sung, then it should be recited in a way more suited to fostering meditation on the word of God.

Most Jews knew most of the psalms by heart. Some of the verses Jesus uttered on the cross are from the psalms and after the last supper he and the apostles went to the garden of Gethsemane singing Hallel psalms

The second reading usually from one of the letters of Paul. (may not reflect the theme of the day; very rarely it does). The Letters were written to the early Christian communities who were working out what it meant to be Christian. The Letters give advice about how the communities should live - how to deal with different issues as they arose. 

Sequence: The Sequence is optional, except on Easter Sunday and Pentecost. It is sung before the Alleluia.

Gospel Acclamation (Alleluia):

An acclamation of this kind constitutes in itself a rite or act, by which the assembly of the faithful praises and welcomes and greets the Lord who is about to speak to them in the Gospel and professes its faith in liturgical song. The Alleluia is sung by all standing, led by either the choir or a cantor, and if appropriate, it may be repeated. The verse itself is sung either by the choir or by the cantor.

The Alleluia is sung in every season outside Lent. During Lent in place of the Alleluia the verse before the Gospel is sung, as indicated in the Lectionary.

GOSPEL DIALOGUE:

Priest/Deacon:      The Lord be with you.

People:                  And with your spirit.

Priest/Deacon:      A reading from the Holy Gospel according to N.

People:                  Glory to you, O Lord.

[At the end of the Gospel, the Deacon, or the Priest acclaims:]

Priest/Deacon:      The Gospel of the Lord.

People:                  Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Gospel Dialogue - explanation

The Holy Mass is a dialogue of love where, particularly within the Liturgy of the Word, God speaks to His people.

In Latin, there are two means of expressing the English word, “word.” The first is scriptum; it refers to the written word — that which you are reading now would fall into this category. The second is verbum. Verbum is the spoken or proclaimed word. The first is static, while the second is dynamic. Within the Church the scriptum is very important, as it is one of the means by which the faith of the Church is protected from error. However, verbum takes pride of place in the Church. It is through hearing that the faith is transmitted. The verbum is that which is proclaimed, giving life to the scriptum as well as life to the hearers of that word. As human beings we are by nature sacramental – we need that which is invisible and spiritual to be brought into the realm of the visible and corporal. At Mass, when the lector proclaims the Word of God (Verbum Domini), our God who remains unseen and who speaks in the recesses of our hearts becomes visible to our senses.

The priest prior to proclaiming the Gospel bows profoundly before the altar and privately seeks the Lord’s blessing by saying quietly, “Cleanse my heart and my lips, almighty God, that I may worthily proclaim your holy Gospel.” The deacon seeks the blessing of the priest who stands in persona Christi capitis (in the person of Christ the head) before proclaiming the Gospel. The priest blesses him saying: “May the Lord be in your heart and on your lips, that you may proclaim his Gospel worthily and well, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

Each of these prayers of blessing is to draw the priest or deacon’s attention to the fact that it is not he who speaks when the Gospel is proclaimed, it is Jesus Christ, the Word of God (Verbum Domini) who is speaking to His people.

It is also for this reason that the minister prior to reading the Gospel says, “The Lord be with you.” To which the people respond, “And with your spirit.” It is a recognition that the Spirit of the Lord is uniquely present in the person of the minister because of ordination, and that it is from this Spirit that the minister dares to give life to the written word (scriptum).

After the minister has announced which account of the Gospel will be read, he and the people prepare themselves to hear the Lord speaking by blessing their minds, their lips and their hearts. Through this gesture, they are purifying their minds, lips and hearts so that they will not only hear God speaking, but allow it to infuse the interior of their life (through the heart and mind) but also to overflow into their actions and words (through the lips).

As the proclamation concludes we recognize once again that we have listened to the Word of God, we praise the one who speaks — “Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.” And finally, the minister as a sign of love and devotion to the Lord, kisses the Gospel while saying silently, “Through the words of the Gospel may our sins be wiped away.”