It doesn’t, but there is always consecrated Hosts kept in the Tabernacle. If there is no tabernacle on the altar, one only does a bow to the altar before sitting.When Catholics genuflect before they take their seat in the pew, exactly what are they genuflecting to? The body and blood of Christ? If so, I thought the wine and bread didn’t turn into the body and blood of Christ until it is consecrated by a priest?
Absolutely - although some Catholics absentmindedly fail to make the distinction and will genuflect before the altar even when the Tabernacle is kept elsewhere.It doesn’t, but there is always consecrated Hosts kept in the Tabernacle. If there is no tabernacle on the altar, one only does a bow to the altar before sitting.
I’d also like to add, that sometimes people genuflect when there is no tabernacle present, but either because they don’t know or mixed it up. I do that a lot because I’m going between churches with a tabernacle and those without and without thinking start to genuflect and then realize my mistake.It doesn’t, but there is always consecrated Hosts kept in the Tabernacle. If there is no tabernacle on the altar, one only does a bow to the altar before sitting.
Ah good…thanks. I’ve seen the gold thing before…I can’t remember if it was real life or TV. If there are always consecrated hosts, that makes sense.The tabernacle contains a ciborium (a gold cup on a pedestal with a gold lid) and in the ciborium is the Body of Christ in hosts consecrated at a previous Mass. Extra hosts are always consecrated at Mass for the purpose of taking Communion to the sick and the shut-ins during the week. No consecrated wine is ever kept in the tabernacle