Bowing

[ChrisC]

I’ve got a question about something that has nagged me for a long time and I’ll bet I’m not the only person to wonderiabout it.

During the celebration of the Mass, when the priest, deacon or a lay minister moves from one side of the sanctuary to the other traversing between the altar and the tabernacle, to which should he bow, the altar or the tabernacle? My intuition tells me that as important as the altar is, the Real Presence trumps it and the reverence should be directed to Christ in the tabernacle.

Is this a matter of personal choice or is there a correct answer supported by some liturgical document?

Thanks to anyone who take the time to respond to this posting.

 

[SMHW]

My intuition tells me that as important as the altar is, the Real Presence trumps it and the reverence should be directed to Christ in the tabernacle.

Except that the point of the Mass is that Christ become present on the altar.

You might argue that for at least half of the Mass Christ is still present in the tabernacle and not on the altar but you should be looking at the Mass as a whole.

 

[John_Lilburne]

Bow to the altar, do not bow to the Blessed Sacrament during the Mass.

From the 2002 General Introduction to the Roman Missal (GIRM) approved for the USA, which can be accessed from romanrite.com/girm.html :
“274. … If, however, the tabernacle with the Most Blessed Sacrament is present in the sanctuary, the priest, the deacon, and the other ministers genuflect when they approach the altar and when they depart from it, but not during the celebration of Mass itself.
Otherwise all who pass before the Most Blessed Sacrament genuflect, unless they are moving in procession.
Ministers carrying the processional cross or candles bow their heads instead of genuflecting.”

“275. … b. A bow of the body, that is to say a profound bow, is made to the altar;”

The Ceremonial of Bishops is more specific about when this bow to the altar is made:

“Reverence toward the altar
72 A deep bow is made to the altar by all who enter the sanctuary (chancel), leave it, or pass before the altar.”
(Ceremonial of Bishops, Liturgical Press, 1989, ISBN 0-8146-1818-9, page 37).

 

[Elzee]

Assuming the tabernacle is behind the altar, If the priest passes beteween the altar and the tabernacle and bows toward the altar, he basically ends up pointing his ‘backside’ toward the tabernacle. Is this correct? Would it be better if the priest walked in FRONT of the altar to bow to it. I guess this would technically look like he was bowing to both, but it seems more respectful?

 

[cue]

Would it be better if the priest walked in FRONT of the altar to bow to it.

This would be better. I do not believe that the Church envisions much traffic happening between the altar and tabernacle. In an effort emphasize the communitarian dimension of the Mass and to eliminate the supernatural, many have tried to divorce the tabernacle and altar gaining very much in success in America. The Real presence of Jesus Christ can never detract from the Mass, unless people are trying to pervert the Mass into ‘community worship.’

 

[John_Lilburne]

A correction. I wrote “Bow to the altar, do not bow to the Blessed Sacrament during the Mass.” I should have written “… do not bow to the Blessed Sacrament in the tabernacle during the Mass”. Of course there are bows to the Blessed Sacrament, including in the Communion Procession.