www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology How Common Is This Practice ?

At one small Ukrainian Catholic parish I visit, near the beginning of the liturgy, everyone comes forward to kiss the Evangelium. I've been to several Eastern Catholic churches over the years, as well as a few Orthodox ones, and I've only seen this done at one church. Does anyone know how widespread this custom is ?

I have never seen this during the Divine Liturgy, however, it does occur after the Gospel readings in Orthros.

At my last parish all the children came up to hear the Gospel reading and then kissed the Gospel after the reading.

I think it is more common among the Melkites who will sometimes have the children stand upfront around the priest for the Gospel reading and some Ukrainians and Rusyns copied it. I take it this is borrowed from the custom of venerating the Gospel at Orthros but since very few parishes have Orthros they do it at Liturgy.

Well, at Holy Transfiguration, everybody clusters around the Solea for the Gospel, but there is no kissing of the Book at that time. We do venerate the Gospel at Orthros.

Dear Lawrence,Once in Canada,in a Ukrainian Orthodox Church,I observed the priest bringing the Gospel up the aisle during the Little Entrance.The faithful on either side kissed the Gospel.I later asked a Ukrainian priest from the Poltava if he had ever seen or heard of this custom;he said he hadn't,neither in Ukraine nor in the US.Since this church was in Windsor,Ontario,I suspect this may be a Bukovinian practice.Sadly,the Liturgy was preceeded neither by Orthros nor the Hours.I DIDN'T see this practice in the Romanian Church here in the Detroit area.

I'm UGCC and normally Read the Epistle and Gospel every week in English after they are chanted in Ukrainian .

I normally venerate the Gospel after the two candle bearers [ I read from the front of the Church and the left hand side ]

Last year while Father was on Holiday in Ukraine we had a Priest from Ivano Frankivsk serving us and once he had realised that I was reading , he came down the side Aisle at the Little Entrance and indicated that I should Venerate the Gospel then . I'd never seen this before either but my SF assures me that it does happen in some areas of Ukaraine

I have a Ukrainian prayer book for children that specifically says that this is normal practice. It is NEVER done among Orthodox. This is mostly because, at least among the Russians, the Gospel is properly venerated at matins during all night vigil the preceding saturday evening. if you want to do it, that is place to turn up.

Our (Ruthenian Catholic) parish's children come forward and stand close to the Priest during the Gospel, then venerate the Evangelion following the Gospel, as do the servers.

Parents accompanying their children to the front also venerate the Evangelion at the same time.

Yes, we do this at Matins, but not Liturgy.

One thing the OCA does, however, that I really like is that during the Litany for the Catechumens, the catechumens come to the front and stand in front of the ambo, and at the Prayer over the Catechumens, the priest prays for each one and placed his hand on the head of each, naming him (or her) by name. I have never seen this done in any other jurisdiction, including the ROCOR.

This is done by at least some Melkite parishes. Holy Transfiguration in McLean, VA, has a pretty constant flow of adult catechumens, and Father Joseph prays over each one as described. Catechumens are also dismissed before the Creed.

This practice at the Little Entrance is not uncommon in Ukrainian Catholic parishes, especially those that are smaller in physical size. I've generally always followed this practice as a deacon. In Ukraine one can find this practice in quite a number of village churches, and I do not think it is a simple copying of the Melkite practice but rather a very old Constantinopolitan practice (as I recall Mohyla mentions this as well). Veneration of the Logos at this time of the Liturgy is very appropriate and an ancient practice.

As either the Third Antiphon or Beatitudes are taken in their entirety in Ukrainian Catholic parishes, I have even been able to do this even in some larger churches without a great deal of rushing, especially if the faithful come forward rather than the deacon walking throughout the entire church. I've seen this done in a couple of Ukrainian Orthodox parishes as well. It is a common enough custom for our Eparchial Bishop to mention in a recent letter about H1N1 that the faithful could simply cross themselves and bow rather than kiss the Evanhelia if they prefer.

Oh my. It's gotten to that point, has it? I wonder why a bishop would feel it necessary to endorse faithless behaviour and sew the seeds of doubt in the minds of his flock?

The day that my bishop saw fit to issue a letter like that would be the day I would seriously consider priestly retirement.

Fr David Straut

It was not mandated but only suggested ("if they prefer"). The reverence for the Logos is still made. It would be unfortunate for a priest to retire over minutia.

In any case, the very act of going to Liturgy, standing in a crowded church in close proximity to people from all over the place, breathing all over each other, shaking hands, kissing each other, stifling an occasional cough or sneeze, is a much surer way of passing along the influenza virus than kissing a silver- or gold-plated Gospel. This kind of germ phobia always struck me as silly.