After the homily, why does the priest bow to the altar before sitting?

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irishcolleen45

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I asked a priest the subject question one time years ago and he said he didn’t do that. Every single priest (or deacon) does bow after he finishes homily.
I know there are relics under or in the altar and this is where the holy sacrifice will take place but why not first bow to the tabernacle where Jesus is present.

Thanks.
 
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Perhaps is an accident derived from the change of facing the people by the priest. In the pre-Vatican II era priests would say mass facing “Ad Orientem” and the tabernacle was also in that direction hence when the priest bowed down to the Altar he was facing the tabernacle anyway.
When they changed to “versus populum” now when the priest bows to the Altar he can be facing away from the tabernacle.
We have a very devout priest in my parish that when he ends the homily and returning to his place passes in front of the altar facing the tabernacle, hence he bows to both. I love this priest I always try to attend at the mass he offers.

Peace!
 
irishcolleen45 said:
I asked a priest the subject question one time years ago and he said he didn’t do that. Every single priest (or deacon) does bow after he finishes homily.
I know there are relics under or in the altar and this is where the holy sacrifice will take place but why not first bow to the tabernacle where Jesus is present.

Thanks.
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Only if he passes the altar on the way back to the presider’s chair. That’s simply an act of reverence to the relic that’s contained in the altar. The priest will also genuflect in front of the tabernacle if he passes the tabernacle on the way back to the presider’s chair after the homily.

If he doesn’t pass the altar or the tabernacle he will not bow or genuflect after the homily.
 
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In my parish, the priest and deacon make a profound bow to the altar before and after the Gospel reading. (There is no relic in the modern altar, but it is still an icon of Christ in the liturgy and his sacrifice.) This is called for by the GIRM.

I find it curious that in my parish, the ministers genuflect during the Entrance Procession, but the GIRM calls for a profound bow here, too.
 
That would make sense.

I like what your priest does.

Thanks.
 
In my case, he would only pass to the right of the altar and Tabernacle.
At other times, the priests and altar servers do genuflect in front of the tabernacle.
 
Anesti33 said:
In my parish, the priest and deacon make a profound bow to the altar before and after the Gospel reading. (There is no relic in the modern altar, but it is still an icon of Christ in the liturgy and his sacrifice.) This is called for by the GIRM.

I find it curious that in my parish, the ministers genuflect during the Entrance Procession, but the GIRM calls for a profound bow here, too.
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There should be a relic in all fixed altars, modern or old (but not in moveable ones) though it’s better not to have a relic installed versus installing a relic of questionable provenance:

“§2. The ancient tradition of placing relics of martyrs or other saints under a fixed altar is to be preserved, according to the norms given in the liturgical books.”

http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/_P4K.HTM
 
Embedded in our altar where the relic would normally go is a row of switch controls, which were apparently linked to stage lighting with various colored gels.
 
In my parish, if the deacon is reading the Gospel, he turns to the priest who gives him a blessing. The deacon then goes to the altar, bows and takes the book (which has the Gospel in it) over to the ambo where he reads the Gospel.
 
This has to be a joke? Stage lighting? Gels? I’ve never encountered something this farcical in a Catholic setting. I was received into the Church in 2005 in a small town “Novus Ordo” parish, in a diocese that wasn’t particularly traditional… the priest gave me a tour as part of my catechism, and made a point of teaching me that the altar contains relics. The Church certainly commands it for all permanent altars! If not, that’s just an act of disobedience.
 
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It’s not an accident. During the Eucharistic liturgy, the altar of sacrifice is the focus of the “action”. In the context of Mass, the altar must be reverenced regardless of where the tabernacle may be.
 
I’m super annoyed by readers and Eucharistic ministers doing what I’d like to call “now sleep.” Then snap back up.

If you believe there’s a saints dones in there and it’s worthy of bowing then bow!

I don’t bow to my god’s but if you believe then carry out the rite. If you don’t then leave.

Sorry rant over.
 
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Ceremonial of Bishops has “71. A deep bow is made by all who enter the sanctuary (chancel), leave it, or pass before the altar.”

General Instruction of the Roman Missal has in 275(b): “A bow of the body, that is to say, a profound bow, is made to the altar;”.

(Excerpt from the English translation of Ceremonial of Bishops (c) 1989, International Commission in English in the Liturgy Corporation. Excerpt from the English translation of The Roman Missal (c) 2010, International Commission in English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved.)
 
The bow is made to the altar not only due to relics in there (also a worthy reason), but primarily because honor is due to the altar itself as a symbol of Christ and as where the Sacrifice is offered.

From the Catechism:
1383 The altar, around which the Church is gathered in the celebration of the Eucharist, represents the two aspects of the same mystery: the altar of the sacrifice and the table of the Lord. This is all the more so since the Christian altar is the symbol of Christ himself, present in the midst of the assembly of his faithful, both as the victim offered for our reconciliation and as food from heaven who is giving himself to us. "For what is the altar of Christ if not the image of the Body of Christ?"214 asks St. Ambrose. He says elsewhere, "The altar represents the body [of Christ] and the Body of Christ is on the altar."215 The liturgy expresses this unity of sacrifice and communion in many prayers. Thus the Roman Church prays in its anaphora:

We entreat you, almighty God,
that by the hands of your holy Angel
this offering may be borne to your altar in heaven
in the sight of your divine majesty,
so that as we receive in communion at this altar
the most holy Body and Blood of your Son,
we may be filled with every heavenly blessing and grace.216
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See also this article:

http://www.catholiccrossreference.com/blog/2013/02/28/why-is-the-altar-a-sign-of-christ/
 
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I was reading a book on the Mass and it expressed the reasons for why the priest faces the altar in the EF. The priest is interceding for us with God, therefore, the bowing is directed towards God.

It went on to say that in the EF the reason the priest kisses the altar every time he turns to face the people, is to excuse himself from turning his back on the Lord.

Very insightful.
 
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