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irishcolleen45
Guest
I am just talking about the bow made by the priest when he is going to speak the Gospel or his homily.
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PetraG
Guest
That cannot be right. In the description of the tabernacle in the GIRM (boldface mine), that is in no way implied. Positioning the tabernacle in a conspicuous place that is NOT directly behind the altar is specifically described, while most important point is that the tabernacle NOT be on the altar on which Mass is celebrated.
The Place for the Reservation of the Most Holy Eucharist
314. In accordance with the structure of each church and legitimate local customs, the Most Blessed Sacrament should be reserved in a tabernacle in a part of the church that is truly noble, prominent, conspicuous, worthily decorated, and suitable for prayer.[124]
The tabernacle should usually be the only one, be irremovable, be made of solid and inviolable material that is not transparent, and be locked in such a way that the danger of profanation is prevented to the greatest extent possible.[125] Moreover, it is appropriate that before it is put into liturgical use, the tabernacle be blessed according to the rite described in the Roman Ritual.[126]
315. It is more appropriate as a sign that on an altar on which Mass is celebrated there not be a tabernacle in which the Most Holy Eucharist is reserved.[127]
Consequently, it is preferable that the tabernacle be located, according to the judgment of the Diocesan Bishop:
a) either in the sanctuary, apart from the altar of celebration, in a appropriate form and place, not excluding its being positioned on an old altar no longer used for celebration (cf. no. 303);
b) or even in some chapel suitable for the private adoration and prayer of the faithful[128] and organically connected to the church and readily noticeable by the Christian faithful.
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PetraG
Guest
Considering how many churches are dedicated to Our Lady, who was assumed into Heaven without leaving any relics whatsoever, that is an impossible standard. The impossible is never mandatory.
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LittleFlower
Guest
Yep, this I knew but I didn’t know about the patron saint.
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0104
Guest
I went to church today and the priest just bowed to the altar and not the Tabernacle which was on the side. Knowing what the Eucharist really is and that every time we come to Mass we experience this miracle we need to be more relevant to our savior under the appearance of bread and wine.
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Duesenberg
Guest
There are plenty to go around. Sadly, they are even for sale on eBay. Fixed altars should have a mensa with a relic attached.
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Duesenberg
Guest
Sometimes… Long before that, tabernacles (often in the shape of birds) would be securely elevated and tethered many feet above the church’s main altar of sacrifice.
I bet you did not know that…
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Gorgias
Guest
At what point in the Mass did he bow to the altar?
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greenrangerx
Guest
I’m assuming it’s when moving from the presider’s chair to the ambo to deliver the homily. I know at my church, the priest walks between the altar and the tabernacle at this point, and he bows toward and kisses the altar.
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PetraG
Guest
The entire Mass is a single act of worship that enters in to the very moment of the Sacrifice on Calvary. That is why the attention seems to shift. It doesn’t really; it is just that the entire Court of Heaven is arrayed around the altar during the Mass. Our Lord is in no way being ignored.
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R_H_Benson
Guest
In the traditional Mass, the priest genuflects before the tabernacle each time he passes in front of it. On older altars, the tabernacle was actually sitting on the mensa, or built into a niche right behind it. In most churches, because both the altar and the tabernacle were fixed to the wall, there was no way to pass between them like there is today. That being the case, the priest and other ministers would genuflect to the tabernacle and not simply bow to the altar. This isn’t to say that the altar holds a place of lesser value in the traditional Mass. This is far from the truth. In several variations of the traditional Mass, the epistle and gospel are actually read from the altar, signifying in part the connection between the Word of God and the Sacrifice of Calvary. The Second Vatican Council turned the focus to the altar. Ad orientem worship has largely been abandon for the theology of the council which places emphasis on the Mass as a communal meal and a gathering of the assembly. The altar serves as the focal point of this assembly, and often times, as noted above, the tabernacle is not even reserved in the center of the sanctuary. This change in theology, or at least a different emphasis on what theological aspects the New Rite is designed to emphasize is made evident when the priest must pass between the altar and the tabernacle. The rubrics of the New Rite calls for him to bow to the altar, with no mention made of the tabernacle except for when he first approaches the sanctuary at the beginning of the Mass. If you, like me, are uneasy about this (for this is by no means the only way or the most notable way that the New Rite departs from the traditional rite) , you can always seek out your nearest Traditional Latin Mass.
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runningdude
Guest
Liturgical ministers are integrally helping the priest celebrate the Eucharist. The Eucharist is not just the body and blood of Christ, but the entire service, the Mass, in which the body and blood are consecrated.
Within the Mass, the focus is on the new representation of Christ’s sacrifice, rather than the passed presentation. The body and blood held in reserve in the tabernacle were consecrated in previous Eucharistic service.
The GIRM thus calls for specific reverence to the altar, where the sacrifice of Christ will be represented within the current Mass. The act of genuflecting towards the tabernacle within the Eucharistic service is redundant, and thus omitted, as the whole service is already an act of worship towards the body of Christ.
Within the Mass, the focus is on the new representation of Christ’s sacrifice, rather than the passed presentation. The body and blood held in reserve in the tabernacle were consecrated in previous Eucharistic service.
The GIRM thus calls for specific reverence to the altar, where the sacrifice of Christ will be represented within the current Mass. The act of genuflecting towards the tabernacle within the Eucharistic service is redundant, and thus omitted, as the whole service is already an act of worship towards the body of Christ.
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0104
Guest
Agree totally with you. It is a heavenly Jerusalem on Earth from beginning to end. The saints and angels join us in worship.
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Edmundus1581
Guest
Thankyou! That’s a very good explanation, and, as a reader myself, I learned from “Liturgical ministers are integrally helping the priest celebrate the Eucharist. The Eucharist is not just the body and blood of Christ, but the entire service, the Mass, in which the body and blood are consecrated.”. I’ve been a reader for fifteen years, and have not seen it that way before. Noting the number of readers who bow to the tabernacle, I am guessing that I’m not alone. I think the lay ministers need not just instruction on their particular roles, but on this liturgical principle.
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irishcolleen45
Guest
The priest and the deacon did so this morning at my church. After the deacon read the Gospel, the priest left the presider’s chair, met the deacon at the altar and bowed. The deacon went over to his seat and the priest went to the pulpit to give his homily.
If there is no deacon, after the lector finishes the readings, the priest will leave the presider’s chair, bow at the altar and then go to the pulpit to read the Gospel and give the homily.
If there is no deacon, after the lector finishes the readings, the priest will leave the presider’s chair, bow at the altar and then go to the pulpit to read the Gospel and give the homily.
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irishcolleen45
Guest
I remember that!
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commenter
Guest
The tabernacle is supposed to be prominent and visible to persons who are in the church itself. If this remains true in the chapel setting, then in a chapel is acceptable - for instance, an alcove, where the Blessed Sacrament is visible to both. (My former parish was a modern 1970 building, wherein the Blessed Sacrament was in later years removed from the church itself, and moved to an adoration chapel separated by two hallways, and by 3 doors, from the church room itself. A visitor to the church, or to the chapel, would have no idea where the other room was located.)0104:
Actually, that continues to be the proper place for the tabernacle. (In a chapel within the church is also acceptable.)
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irishcolleen45
Guest
I had the opportunity to attend a Latin Pontifical high Mass with Bishop Athanasius Schneider back in October. The rubrics were unbelievable. I was so amazed at being there that I must say I missed a lot.
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Maximilian75
Guest
They’re utterly stunning, arent they? I love the EF, but have never been able to attend a Pontifical EF… I’ve watched quite a few online, though
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commenter
Guest
The bolded part is not inaccurate, but could be taken out of context. Some Protestant churches regard “communion” as in some way God’s presence in one form or another, only effective while the church service lasts, or only effectively “made present” by the presence of the community; only as long as the community is there. Then it become “old” and no longer God’s presence.
I have seen hints of this even in Catholic teaching and practice, so much so that the tabernacle was moved to invisible location so as not to distract from the “more important” hosts consecrated in this ceremony right now. In extreme cases “old” or less important hosts have been thrown in the garbage.
I think that we bow to the altar in reverence, but genuflect (if physically able) to the Tabernacle in adoration. But if the Eucharist is in the monstrance for adoration, it is removed during the duration of the Mass.
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