Evaluating The Place Of The Lectern, Pulpit, And Bible

This article clarifies the purpose of the lectern (here discussed using the synonymous term ambo), pulpit, and Bible. Embellishments that characterized these items in earlier times are less appropriate when the action of proclamation is emphasized over the adoration of beauty. The proclamation of sacred Scripture is of central importance in liturgical celebration. The lector proclaims the Word of God from the book at the ambo. The ambo and book are active elements in the liturgical action and should not be perceived simply as inert objects. They derive their special quality from the holy action itself in which the body of Christ celebrates liturgy. Ambo and book are symbols in the action of the living Word of proclamation. There is a trend in our celebrations toward excessive, or the wrong kind of, reverence for the book itself. One of these trends is lifting up the book after the proclamation while announcing,"This is the Word of the Lord. " This focuses on the book, as if it were…