i went to an opus dei retreat in washington, dc. at the mass there, a screen of some sort was placed in front of the tabernacle before mass began, why?
To draw attention where it belonged - to the altar where Christ will come down at the Consecration of the Mass - instead of to Christ present in the tabernacle. It’s akin to a church having a Blessed Sacrament Chapel or some place away from the altar of sacrifice to keep the Blessed Sacrament.
To expand on baltobetsy’s explanation, though Christ is always present in the Tabernacle, during the Mass it is more appropriate to focus on the altar, where not only the presence of Christ, but the presence of the entire drama on Calvary become sacramental realities.
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