Posted on 11/18/2017 5:44:19 PM PST by marshmallow
November 13, 2017 (LifeSiteNews) — The cardinal archbishop of Wellington, New Zealand, ordered a change in the Mass recently that is “completely contrary” to the governing document for all celebrations of the Catholic Mass in the Ordinary Form, a “creative initiative” the cardinal said was inspired by Pope Francis.
Cardinal John Dew called for churches to divert from liturgical protocol of the Gospel reading conducted by ordained clergy with a Lectio Divina reading of the day’s Gospel performed by a layperson.
Lectio Divina — Latin for divine reading — is an ancient Benedictine practice of prayer involving reading and reflection of Scripture, followed by prayer and contemplation. It’s generally done individually, but can be done in a group, and it is not included in the Mass rubrics.
Cardinal Dew said, “This Lectio Divina initiative is a way the Archdiocese is responding to the plea of Pope Francis to make the sacred Scriptures better known and more widely diffused.”
“He has reminded us that we can take creative initiatives in our parishes so that we can become ‘living vessels for the transmission of God’s word,’” the cardinal said. “Lectio Divina is a wonderful way for us to become these living vessels.”
Instead of two readings and a responsorial psalm before the Gospel at Sunday Mass on October 29, there was to be only one reading (the Gospel), CathNews New Zealand reported, read by a lay reader.
“The lay reader – called the Lectio Divina Leader – will also guide the congregation through the Lectio Divina process,” said Cardinal Dew, “which involves both listening to and reflecting on the Gospel. The process is something all of us can do at home.”
Dew then provided specifics.
“What will happen is the reader will invite the congregation to close their eyes and listen.......
(Excerpt) Read more at lifesitenews.com ...
Oh the horrors....a layperson reading the Bible at church. /sarc
Reading from the Bible is something all should be doing.
The issue isn’t reading Scripture, but I think you know that.
Nice try.
Read what I wrote from the article......a layperson is doing this. And the harm is what? Only a priest can do this??
It is the “spirit of Vatican II” all over again.
A deacon, if you have one, if you don’t, a priest, with a bishop being the last resort.
**Lets Lay People Read Gospel**
Nope!
At Catholic Masses, only priests or deacons are supposed to read the Gospel readings (those from Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), as opposed to the Old Testament readings and the NT Epistles or Book of Revelations.
If you are not Catholic, or are Catholic but don’t know or care about the rules, asking questions is fine. Asking sneering questions, on the other hand, is obnoxious. I don’t do that when it comes to other religions.
What is the harm in a regular person reading from Scripture in church?
What is the harm in a regular person reading the Scripture in church?
The Gospel is proclaimed by an ordained deacon or priest.
I can only imagine what the rationale behind that is.
But why can’t a regular person proclaim the Gospel??
“Harm” isn’t really the issue. In the Catholic and Orthodox Churches, the guidelines — the correct word may be “rubrics”, but I am unsure about that — are strict about who should read the Gospel. The Gospels — again, readings from Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John — are to be read by Priests (or bishops, etc.) or deacons, not by nuns or laypeople. The issue isn’t “harm”. These rules are decided or changed by the Vatican/Councils, not by fiat of individual Cardinals or bishops. Of course, when individual bishops do whatever they please, non-Catholics and Catholics who either don’t know the rules or resent them, ask, “What’s the big deal?” Well, I could ask what difference it makes if an Orthodox Jew eats a ham sandwich...but I wouldn’t ask that, because I understand that there is a logic underlying rules and there is a process to changing rules that make the rules more complicated than just whether one person should be “allowed” to chomp on a ham sandwich.
They aren’t an ordained deacon or a priest.
End of conversation.
“The Gospel is proclaimed by an ordained deacon or priest.”
The Gospel is proclaimed by everything in the universe.
L
Seems Roman Catholicism has set up yet another "tradition" not substantiated in Scripture.
Roman Catholicism can do what it wants...it's just there is no Scriptural prohibition against a regular person reading the texts aloud in church.
So?
What's the requirement that someone has to be ordained to read a text?
Does it make the reading of the text better if the person is ordained?
Except it seems in Roman Catholic churches and only be a "select few".
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