The Church has always venerated the divine Scriptures as she venerates the very Body and Blood of the Lord. In our Greek-Catholic Church the four Gospels, which are contained in the Gospel Book, always remain on the Holy Throne (i.e., altar). For from the Holy Throne both of the Word of God and the Body and Blood of Christ are offered to the faithful. In the Gospels the Father, Who is in heaven, comes to meet His children with great love and speaks with them; and the force and power of the word of God is so great that it remains the support and energy of the Church, the strength of faith, the food of the soul, the pure and perennial source of spiritual life.

First, let us consider in general what the holy Gospels signify for the Church. The Church has always regarded the Gospels, together with sacred Tradition, as the supreme rule of faith. The Protestant Reformation, as you will recall, eliminated Tradition as an equally valuable source to understand God’s revelation to humankind through the Person of Jesus.

Sacred Tradition, as seen in the liturgical prayer life of the Church and her religious practices, conveys to us how the Gospels were understood by the early Church and serves as a true guide for interpreting the Gospels. For the revelation of God, as understood by the early Church, was committed to writing both in the Gospels and in the liturgy or worship of the Church. It is Sacred Tradition, that is how the early Church interpreted the writings that conveyed the teachings and life of Jesus, that continues to be a guide for our understanding of the message of the Gospels. Our understanding of the Gospels has always been found in the worship of the Church, especially in the total liturgical life of the Church.

The total liturgical life of the Church consists of much more than just the Divine Liturgy or, as we know it, the Eucharistic Liturgy. Morning Prayer (Matins) and Evening Prayer (Vespers) as well as the prayers at the various hours, are filled with the Church’s true understanding of the Gospels. When, unfortunately, the Divine Liturgy is the only real liturgical service of the parish, we don’t get the full range of the Church’s understanding of the Gospels.

You will recall, if you attended either the Great and Good Friday Vespers or Matins for Pascha, how these services amplify our real understanding of the life of Christ. They truly convey the Church’s interpretation of the Gospels!