Q: One of my great honors is the proclamation of the Gospel and the subsequent reverencing of the Book of the Gospels with a kiss and silent prayer: “Through the words of the Gospel may our sins be wiped away.” Very often, at weddings or funerals, the readings, including the Gospel, are printed on paper and not in a book. While it’s the proclamation of the Gospel, “the words,” that we honor, I must confess that I feel a bit awkward kissing a plastic page protector in a three-ring binder. Is it still appropriate to kiss the page in this circumstance? 

Thank you for all your insights! I look forward to reading all your posts and am grateful for the opportunity to ask you questions.

==

A: Yes, it’s still appropriate, but you point out a very good reason why reading from plastic laminated sheets is a bad idea. Same for reading from a phone or tablet.

One option is to request that you proclaim the gospel from Volume IV of the lectionary especially for this reason. All the wedding readings are in there.

View All Blog Posts | Explore Books | Submit a Blog Question | Share Post via Email