The Traditional Latin Mass - Part III - Liturgy of the Word and the Great Right to Left Movement…
THE LITURGY OF THE WORD: EPISTLE, GRADUAL, GOSPEL & THE GREAT MOVEMENT FROM RIGHT TO LEFT
How the Word of God enters the sanctuary and transforms the faithful
I. Transition to the Liturgy of the Word: Hearing Before Sacrifice
Having completed the Collect, the Church enters the first major liturgical ascent:
hearing the Word of God before approaching the Holy of Holies.
This is not accidental.
As St. Paul writes:
“Faith cometh by hearing.” (Rom. 10:17, DR)
The Church has always understood the proclamation of Scripture as sacramental in character—Christ speaking through His Mystical Body. St. Justin Martyr described this in the 2nd century:
“The memoirs of the Apostles or the writings of the Prophets are read as long as time permits.”[1]
Thus, before the Sacrifice is enacted, the People of God must first listen to Christ.
In the Traditional Latin Mass, this listening is highly ritualized. Every motion, every direction, every chant holds symbolic meaning rooted in the earliest centuries of the Church.
II. The Epistle: Instruction to the Faithful
A. Where the Priest Stands: The “South” Side of the Altar
The Epistle is read on what the Church calls the liturgical south—the right side of the altar as seen from the nave.
This is not a matter of convenience but of symbolism:
In ancient Christian symbolism, the south represents the Church, the “people of light,” since in the Northern Hemisphere the sun shines strongest from the south.
St. Augustine interpreted the south as “the warmth of charity and the illumination of grace.”[2]
Thus the Epistle, which teaches, corrects, and exhorts, is proclaimed toward the already baptized—the household of faith.
B. The Epistle Itself
The Epistle is nearly always from:
St. Paul, or
another apostolic letter.
These letters were the earliest liturgical texts used in Christian assemblies. Unlike the Gospels, which narrate Christ’s deeds, the Epistles form souls, shaping Christian life.
The priest leans slightly toward the text—a posture of reverence and docility. He does not face the people. The Epistle is not a reading “to the audience,” but a proclamation of Christ’s teaching spoken over the people by His representative.
C. Biblical and Patristic Witness
St. Paul’s letters were read liturgically from the earliest days. He commands:
“I charge you… that this epistle be read to all the holy brethren.” (1 Thess. 5:27, DR)
Origen, in the 3rd century, writes:
“When the apostolic word is read in the assembly, Christ Himself teaches His Church.”[3]
Thus the Epistle is Christ teaching through His apostle, made present in the sanctuary.
III. The Gradual, Alleluia, and Tract: The Church Ascends by Song
Between the Epistle and the Gospel comes a set of chants that form a bridge between instruction and proclamation.
A. The Gradual: “Step-by-Step” Ascent
The word Gradual comes from gradus—a step.
Originally sung while the deacon ascended the steps to proclaim the Gospel, the Gradual symbolizes:
the soul ascending toward God,
the Church moving from learning to contemplation.
St. Gregory the Great describes the Gradual as “the chant of holy longing.”[4]
The Gradual is meditative, ornate, and usually taken from the Psalms—the prayerbook Christ Himself prayed.
B. The Alleluia
The Alleluia is the cry of the Resurrection—the song of Easter Sunday, preserved from Hebrew into Greek and Latin. St. Augustine says:
“Alleluia is the song of the pilgrim rejoicing in hope.”[5]
Because of its joyful character, the Alleluia disappears in Septuagesima and Lent, replaced by the Tract, a more austere chant expressing longing and penance.
C. The Tract
From tractus—drawn-out or extended.
The Tract is sung without refrain, imitating:
the unending cry of the soul in exile,
the unbroken lament of Israel awaiting redemption.
The Fathers called the Tract the “chant of captivity.”
Together, the Gradual, Alleluia, and Tract prepare the heart for the coming of Christ in the Gospel.
IV. The Gospel: Christ Speaks in His Own Voice
The proclamation of the Gospel is the summit of the Liturgy of the Word.
A. Movement of the Missal: Right to Left, South to North
Before the Gospel, the server transfers the Missal from the altar’s right side to its left.
This motion is itself a sermon.
Why the Transfer?
From the Jews to the Gentiles
South (right) symbolizes the Church
North (left) symbolizes the pagan nations
The Gospel is taken from the Church and preached ad gentes—“to the nations.”
St. Jerome attests that the north represents “the land of the unconverted.”[6]
Christ’s preaching moved outward
The Gospel’s movement across the altar mirrors the missionary expansion of the Church from Jerusalem to Rome.The Altar as the World
The Fathers often describe the altar as a “microcosm of creation.”
Thus the Gospel moves from one side of the world to the other.
B. The Priest’s Preparatory Prayers
Before reading the Gospel, the priest bows and prays:
“Cleanse my heart and my lips, O almighty God, who didst cleanse the lips of the prophet Isaiah with a burning coal.”
This references Isaiah 6, where the seraph touches the prophet’s lips with a coal from the heavenly altar.
Aquinas sees the coal as a symbol of Christ, whose divinity (fire) is united to His humanity (coal).[7]
Thus, before proclaiming Christ’s words, the priest asks to be purified by Christ Himself.
C. The Gospel Orientation: Facing North
The priest faces north.
This is intentional and ancient.
North symbolizes the realm “of darkness and cold,” says St. Gregory the Great.[8]
Psalm 74: “The north and the sea Thou hast created” (DR), anciently associated with the nations alien to God.
Isaiah 14 and Jeremiah 1 identify the north as the place from which evil comes.
By facing north, the priest symbolizes the Church preaching Christ where He is not yet known.
D. Triple Sign of the Cross: Forehead, Lips, and Heart
This action expresses:
belief in the Gospel (mind)
confession of the Gospel (lips)
love of the Gospel (heart)
It is one of the oldest gestures recorded in Christian worship.
V. The Gospel Proclaimed: Christ Present in Word
When the priest chants, Dominus vobiscum—“The Lord be with you”—the Church acknowledges that:
Christ is truly present in the proclamation of His Gospel.
St. John Chrysostom says:
“When the Gospel is read, Christ Himself speaks.”[9]
The faithful stand—not for the priest, but for Christ.
The Gospel reading is always a climax:
It is the voice of the Good Shepherd.
It is the light shining into darkness (John 1:5).
It is the sword of the Spirit (Eph. 6:17).
The Church responds, Laus tibi, Christe—“Praise to Thee, O Christ”—the earliest liturgical acclamation recorded in the West.
VI. The Sermon (Optional in the TLM)
If a sermon is given, it traditionally follows the Gospel.
This follows the ancient pattern found already in the 2nd century: the word proclaimed, then explained.[10]
The sermon is not part of the Mass proper; it is a continuation of apostolic preaching.
VII. The Liturgy of the Word as a Spiritual Ascent
By the end of Article III’s section of the Mass, the Church has:
Heard Christ’s apostolic teaching (Epistle)
Ascended in longing and praise (Gradual, Alleluia/Tract)
Listened to Christ Himself speaking (Gospel)
The faithful have moved from instruction to contemplation.
As St. Augustine beautifully summarizes:
“The Gospel is the mouth of Christ; He is seated in heaven, yet He does not cease to speak on earth.”[11]
Through the Liturgy of the Word, the Bride listens before she approaches the altar of sacrifice.
ENDNOTES
[1] St. Justin Martyr, First Apology, 67.
[2] St. Augustine, Expositions on the Psalms, Ps. 126.
[3] Origen, Homilies on Luke, 32.
[4] St. Gregory the Great, Liber Antiphonarius, Preface.
[5] St. Augustine, Sermon 256.
[6] St. Jerome, Commentary on Isaiah, ch. 14.
[7] St. Thomas Aquinas, ST III, q. 83, a. 5, ad 3.
[8] St. Gregory the Great, Moralia in Job, Book III.
[9] St. John Chrysostom, Homily 2 on the Gospel of John.
[10] St. Justin Martyr, First Apology, 67.
[11] St. Augustine, Sermon 85.