Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Vatican City (Fides Service) - In the liturgical space of the sanctuary each piece of furniture is actually a “place” of encounter between God and his people. This is what Sacrosanctum Concilium says at paragraph. 7: “Christ is present in His word, since it is He Himself who speaks when the holy scriptures are read in the Church”. In fact the Lecturn is the place where Christ shows himself to his people as Word of God. This is why the Lecturn has always been monumental as the word itself indicates (from the Greek anabáino, to ascend) which qualifies it as a high place well in sight.
In the Book of Nehemiah (8, 1-6) we read that after the return from exile to proclaim the Law “Esdra the scribe stood on a wooden platform which had been built for the occasion”. It would seem that furniture for the reading of the Bible in Jewish synagogues were the origin of lecturns in early Christian and Mediaeval churches, sort of marble stands one of two of them, with one or two flights of stairs, a lecturn and at times a canopy, often delimited by a space inside the Hall destined for lectors and cantors (cfr in Rome the basilicas of St Clement and St Sabina).
In southern Italy many medieval lecturns are flanked by a Paschal Candle of monumental dimensions to indicate the place of the announcement of the resurrection on Easter night (the Exultet hymn). This is why the Lecturn is also identified with the empty Tomb of Christ and this paschal symbology is confirmed by its frequent appearance in images portraying the resurrection of Christ (cycle of Jona). In a number of churches in northern Italy and other regions of Europe lecturns were part of bridges and screens separating the sanctuary from the hall and were given great importance until such structures were eliminated in the 15th-16th centuries to render the altar and tabernacle more visible. In the late Middle Ages with the birth of Orders of preachers and especially in the Tridentine period, the lecturn was replaced with a pulpit placed half way up the hall and used only for preaching, whereas the mass readings were ‘read’ at the altar by the priest, in cornu Epistolae and in cornu Evangelii.
The reform of Vatican II which restored to its former importance to the proclamation of the Word of God, led to a re-thinking of the Lecturn in the liturgical space. The General Introduction to the Roman Missal says: “The importance of the Word demands that in the Church there should be a suitable place for its proclamation and towards which the faithful spontaneously direct their attention during the liturgy of the Word” (n. 309).
The position of the Lecturn therefore must be close to the assembly, within or outside the sanctuary; to one side, it must be set in relation to the seat and the altar of which it should not hide the priority and centrality; it should allow the procession and incensing of the Book of the Gospels, and positioning of candles; it should be functional for the proclamation of the Word and should be placed so the ministers are easily seen and heard by the assembly.
It must be a noble object, an eloquent sign of the Word even when the latter is not being proclaimed: so it should be a permanent monumental and artistic fixture, built in suitable material, (stone, marble, bronze but also wood etc.). The decoration can also contribute to the splendour of the Lecturn: whether it represents the Prophets or the Evangelists, or images of the Lord’s resurrection, iconography should be simple and essential. During the Easter Season a Paschal Candle may be placed next to the lecturn: the paschal candlestick should be truly fitting .
From the Lecturn are proclaimed only the readings, the responsorial psalm and the Easter Exultet hymn or announcement; except for the homily and the bidding prayers, no other reading or announcement may be given from this point. It is advisable that the Lecturn be used only by ordained ministers and instituted readers. Bishop Mauro Piacenza, President of the Pontifical Commission for the Cultural Heritage of the Church. (Agenzia Fides 4/4/2006, righe 52, parole 668)
