E SACRIFICE OF THE MASS

54
THE GOSPEL.
iniquities shall be taken away, and thy
sin shall be
cleansed." Then only did the Prophet gain courage
to give God s message. The fire is the figure of the
grace of the Holy Spirit which consumes all imper
fections, and cleanses the heart to preach the Gospel.
The second prayer is as follows : May the Lord
be in my heart and on my lips that I may worthily
and in a becoming manner (this refers to the leading
or explanation) announce His Gospel.
After saying this prayer in secret the priest moves
to the right side of the altar, and in a loud voice
addresses his salutation to the people, The Lord be
with you, the server answers and with thy spirit,
which means here a mutual desire of priest and people
to announce and receive the Gospel in fitting dis
positions.
The priest then says, according to the passage that
he is going to read, either the beginning of the
Gospel according to St. Matthew (or another
Evangelist) or a continuation of the Gospel.
The words of the Church indicate that there are not
four Gospels, but one Gospel written by four Evangelists
from different points of view. The server answers
Glory be to Thee, O Lord, because the good news
of the Gospel teaches us to honour and praise God.
The priest makes the sign of the Cross on the
" This is the book
Missal, not to bless it, but to signify
of the Crucified." The Gospel is the word of the
Cross. The priest next makes the sign of the Cross
on his forehead, lips, and heart, to remind us that we
ought to carry the doctrine of a crucified Redeemer in
our mind, on our lips, and in our heart.
The Church s Rubrics observed in the reading of the
Gospel show her esteem for the Sacred Word.