I have been away from the mailbag for a while – it had been slow on questions during the summer and then I was out for a couple of weeks. With a couple of questions in the backlog, back to the mailbag: Question 1: Why does the deacon kiss the book after he is done reading the gospel? (Asked by Jordyn Woods) Answer: To appropriately answer this, let me begin with a citation from the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy from the Second Vatican Council: “…Christ is always present in His Church, especially in her liturgical celebrations. He is present in the sacrifice of the Mass, not only in the person of His minister, ‘the same now offering, through the ministry of priests, who formerly offered himself on the cross’, but especially under the Eucharistic species. By His power He is present in the sacraments, so that when a man baptizes it is really Christ Himself who baptizes. He is present in His word, since it is He Himself who speaks when the holy scriptures are read in the Church. He is present, lastly, when the Church prays and sings, for He promised: ‘Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them’ (Matt. 18:20).” (Sacrosanctum Concilium 7) There are four distinct ways we recognize the presence of Christ in the liturgy: (1) In Word (2) In Sacrament (3) In the priest (who at the consecration acts in the person of Christ) (4) In the Church gathered (the totality of the assembly) Thus, each is reverenced in a pair of ways. The first is through the kiss. At the beginning and end of Mass, the clergy kiss the altar, which is itself a symbol of Christ and extension of the Eucharistic sacrifice. The deacon (or a priest in his absence) kisses the Gospel after the Word is proclaimed, unless a bishop or major prelate is present, in which case, the book is brought to him for the kiss of reverence. In ancient times (and still preserved in some Eastern traditions), the Book was actually kissed by each of the members of the assembly as well. The Sign of Peace (traditionally kiss of peace) also is offered between people present. The second symbol is that of incense, which is why the altar is incensed, the Book of the Gospels is incensed, the Eucharist is incensed, the priests are incensed, and the assembly is incensed. As an aside, some wonder why deacons do not receive a distinct incensation in the Mass like bishops and priests do – because in this particular symbol, they do not represent a distinct representation of Christ like those acting in persona Christi do. Therefore, the deacons carry the symbolism of Christ’s presence as part of the assembly and are properly incensed as part of it. Long answer short, the book is kissed as a sign of reverence to presence of Jesus Christ in the Word proclaimed. Question 2: What should we do if an item is broken and needs to be disposed of, but are unsure if it has been blessed? Also, do you have any practical tips on teaching repentance and contrition to small children who disobey their parents and throw balls in the house? (Asked by Jordyn Woods) Answer: My tip would be that when in doubt, dispose of the item with reverence (as covered in the space before, that means burning or burying wherever possible). As for the latter part, you are on your own, mom! Make them dig the hole in which to bury the object they broke? (just kidding) ----- Thanks for the questions! Remember to post during the course of each week and I will get to some as time allows each Wednesday. O Sacred Heart of Jesus, we place all our trust in you. Amen.