A History Of The Mass And Its Ceremonies In The Eastern And Western Church -Rev John O'Brien A.M.

MISSAL STAND

Although the rubric calls for a cushion to support the Missal, general custom justifies the use of a regular bookstand for this purpose. The precise symbolism of the cushion is this: it denotes the tender hearts of the true hearers of the word of God, and not the hard hearts such as were manifested for it by the Jews (Gavantus, 116).