![]() This traditional understanding behind the moving of the Missal from right to left can also be found in the 19th century classic The Catechism Explained by Father Francis Spirago: ![]() Transferring the Missal from one side of the altar to the other also recalls to our minds how Our Lord was led about from one iniquitous judge to another. This is symbolized by carrying the Missal to the other side of the altar. The Jews, to whom the “Gospel of the Kingdom” was first preached, rejected it. ![]() As the South, with its luxuriant vegetation, was regarded as a type of the realm of grace, so the cold North, with its extensive wastes, came to be regarded as the realm of evil…But when the Gospel of Christ was preached, the face of the earth was renewed, and love for God and for virtue was re-enkindled in the hearts of men.Īs with many liturgical practices that have organically developed over the centuries, the symbolism behind this traditional practice has other meanings as well. If this custom is followed, the priest will face toward the North when reading the Gospel. According to an old custom, church and altar should be erected in such a manner that the priest faces the East ( ad orientem) when offering Mass. In his pre-conciliar classic, The Latin Mass Explained, Monsignor George Moorman helps to explain the meaning behind this moving of the Missal from right to left:Īfter the reading of the Gradual or Tract, the server carries the Missal to the left (or Gospel) side of the altar. This brief procession, in which the altar server may also be joined by a thurifer and torch bearers, can be an act of liturgical mystery for the newcomer. However, while the Missal sits on the right side of the altar for the first reading, the server moves the Missal to the left side for the proclamation of the Gospel. Unlike in the New Mass, where the Liturgy of the Word (Old Testament, Epistle, and Gospel) are all read from the ambo, in the Traditional Mass both the Epistle and Gospel are read at the altar by the priest. The reading of the Gospel on the left side of the altar is no exception. This ritual is often replete with symbolism and liturgical meaning. From the (near) exclusive use of Latin, to the direction of the priest (ad orientem), to a greater emphasis on silence and kneeling, the newcomer soon realizes that there is much ritual contained within the old Rite. Someone attending the Traditional Latin Mass for the first time will immediately be struck by several noticeable differences from the New Mass. ![]()
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