Liturgical Cogitations

Details: 05 February 2010

How Awesome

In the ancient Mass text for the blessing, dedication, and consecration of a Catholic church building as well as the Mass text for the annual anniversary-celebration of that event, the opening words of the entrance antiphon (the “Introit”) are those spoken by the Patriarch Jacob (whose name was changed by God to Israel) recorded in the Book of Genesis (28:17): “How awesome is this place. It is the house of God and the gate of heaven.” These words, of course, are applied to the Catholic Church building.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains, “The worship in spirit and truth (John 4:24) of the New Covenant is not tied exclusively to any one place. The whole earth is sacred and entrusted to the children of men. What matters above all is that, when the faithful assemble in the same place, they become the living stones gathered to be built into a spiritual house (1 Peter 2:4-5). For the Body of the risen Christ is the spiritual temple from which the source of living water springs forth. Incorporated into Christ by the Holy Spirit, we are the temple of the living God ( 2 Corinthians 6:16).”

Yet, says the Catechism, “Christians (when they are not being persecuted) construct buildings for divine worship. These visible churches are not simply gathering places but signify and make visible the Church living in this place, the dwelling of God with men who are reconciled and united in Christ.” This is why not only the altar, but the walls of the church are anointed with sacred chrism at its consecration. A Catholic church building is “a house of prayer in which the Eucharist is celebrated and reserved, where the faithful assemble, and where there is worshipped the presence of the Son of God, our Savior, offered for us on the sacrificial altar for the help and consolation of the faithful. Therefore, this house ought to be in good taste and a worthy place for prayer and sacred ceremonial. In this house of God the truth and harmony of the signs that make it up should show Christ to be present and active in this place.”

Furnishings

The central furnishing of every Catholic church is always the altar, without which there can be no Catholic Church. It is the supreme symbol of Christ Himself. Therefore, it is anointed, kissed, incensed, clothed in beautiful linens, surrounded with lights and flowers, etc. Also, “the altar of the New Covenant is the Lord’s cross, from which the sacraments of the paschal mystery flow.” The Catholic altar is the stone of sacrifice upon which the dying and rising of Jesus are made present at every Mass. It is also “the table of the Lord to which the People of God are invited. In the liturgies of some Eastern Rites it is, as well, a symbol of the empty tomb of the risen Christ.”

The tabernacle is next in importance in Catholic churches where our Lord’s abiding presence rests for the sick and for those others who were unable to be present during Mass, as well as for the worship of His continued presence in the Eucharistic species. It should always be situated in such a way that its connection with the altar and the sacrifice of the Mass is apparent and be locked in a place that is most worthy and is of the greatest honor. The dignity of its location and its security should be such as to foster adoration before Jesus, truly present in the most Blessed Sacrament of the altar. The Catechism says, “A church must also be a space that invites us to the recollection and silent prayer that extends and internalizes the great prayer of the Eucharist.”

Other Signs

The Catechism teaches, “Finally, the church has an eschatological significance. To enter the house of God, we must cross over a threshold, which symbolizes passing from the world wounded by sin to the world of the new Life to which all men are called. The visible church is a symbol of the Father’s house toward which the People of God are journeying and where the Father will wipe every tear from their eyes (Revelation 21:4). For this reason, the Catholic Church herself is the house of all God’s children, open and welcoming.”

Pews and other accommodations for the faithful to be able to kneel, stand, or sit in the course of the liturgy or when making private visits to the church are important. However, other furnishings are usually needed too. One of these is the lecturn (ambo, pulpit, etc.). Since it is the place from which the word of God is proclaimed and from which the preaching of the Church takes place, it should have a worthiness and dignity in keeping with its high function and ought to be situated “so that the attention of the people may be easily directed toward it, during the liturgy of the word.” A church should also have a prominent chair to be used by the priest celebrant of such a type that it expresses clearly that in the liturgy the priest is the “icon of the living Christ” and exercises his office of presiding over the liturgical action and of directing and leading the prayers. The chair should also suitably be seen as associated with the chair (cathedra) of the Bishop in the diocesan Cathedral, since the priests are commissioned to stand in the Bishop’s place in those Eucharistic celebrations when he himself is not present. As Saint Ignatius of Antioch wrote, “Without the Bishop, there can be no liturgy which is licit.”

Holy Water

The Catechism notes that “The gathering of the People of God begins with Baptism. A church then must have a place for the celebration of Baptism, a baptistry, and also a place for fostering the remembrance of the baptismal promises (holy water fonts). “The blessed water is a sacramental. Touching it and making the sign of the cross with it, if done with contrition and devotion, can remit venial sins and make one less unworthy to participate in the sacred liturgy. Also the building called ‘a church’ symbolizes the People of God, called the Church. Touching the holy water upon entering the church building is meant to remind a Christian that he or she entered the Family of God, the Catholic Church, through the sacred waters of Baptism and that he or she has a lifelong responsibility to keep the vows and commitments which flow from Baptism.

The Catechism also says, “The renewal of baptismal life requires penance. A church building then must lend itself to the expression of repentance and the reception of forgiveness, which requires an appropriate place to receive penitents.” On the first Easter Sunday evening, Jesus confided to His Catholic Church the pardon for human sins which He won for humanity on the cross, and solemnly instituted the Sacrament of Reconciliation, commissioning His Apostles to give to people His own divine forgiveness (John 20:22-23). Confessionals are the usual places where this Sacrament can be properly and suitably celebrated.

Catholic churches from the grandest cathedrals and basilicas to the humblest missionary huts in the jungle truly are on earth awesome places, the houses of God, and the gates of heaven.