A Beacon Of Light . . . The Church And The Liturgy Are Universal

By FR. RICHARD D. BRETON JR.

(Editor’s Note: Fr. Richard D. Breton Jr. is a priest of the Diocese of Norwich, Conn. He received his BA in religious studies and his MA in dogmatic theology from Holy Apostles College and Seminary in Cromwell, Conn.)

• + + Over the last few weeks, we have explored the importance of the Church’s liturgy. In doing so, we explored by whom, how, and when the liturgy is celebrated. Today we will examine where the liturgy is celebrated.
  The celebration of the liturgy is not necessarily confined to a particular place. The Church is universal, and so, this universality reaches to the ends of the Earth. As Catholic Christians, we are called to worship, “in Spirit and in truth.”
  In fact, Jesus Himself tells this to the Samaritan woman in the Gospel of St. John. As Jesus was traveling from Judea to Galilee, He passed through Samaria and visited a place called Sychar. Scripture tells that this was the place of Jacob’s well. It was here that Jesus encountered the Samaritan woman. During their conversation, Jesus tells her of “life-giving water” that He can give. She, in turn, wants to be quenched by this “life-giving water.”
  As the dialogue continues, Jesus encourages the woman and tells her: God is Spirit, and His worshipers must worship “in the Spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). This was in response to the woman’s statement of having to worship in Jerusalem, as opposed to on the mountain where they were. For the Samaritan woman worshiped on the mountain as her ancestors had done for many years.
  In the worship of the New Covenant, there is no exclusive connection to any one place in order to worship. The world is sacred and is entrusted to the children of God. What matters most, is that whenever the faithful gather together, they are the “living stones” that are built into a spiritual house of worship. For we are the Body of Christ, through which we are the temple of the living God. This is accomplished through the living waters that spring up within, through Baptism.
  With this being said, our practice of religion is a liberty that we as Americans freely exercise. In exercising our religious liberty, we are able to construct buildings as visible signs of our faith in the world. These buildings become more than just gathering places for the Body of Christ to worship, they become signs of the Church living in a particular place. They become the dwelling of the God where men can be reconciled and united to Christ (Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 1180).
  What kind of construction should this building be? The Catechism explains this: “A church, ‘a house of prayer in which the Eucharist is celebrated and reserved, where the faithful assemble, and where is worshipped the presence of the Son of God our Savior, offered for us on the sacrificial altar for the help and consolation of the faithful — this house ought to be in good taste and a worthy place for prayer and sacred ceremonial.
  “In this ‘house of God’ the truth and the harmony of the signs that make it up should show Christ to be present and active in this place” (CCC, n. 1181).
  The house of God must be equipped with signs and symbols that designate it as something extraordinary, thus raising it above ordinary earthly use. Among these symbols, and among the most important, is the crucifix. For it was the cross on which hung the “salvation of the world,” and the crucifix is the altar of the New Covenant in Christ. As blood and water flowed, the death of Christ on the altar of the cross, becomes the wellspring from which the sacraments of the Paschal Mystery flow (CCC, n. 1182).
  In the same way, the altar of the church is the focal point of the sanctuary. It is the place where the sacrifice of Calvary is made present to the faithful. This happens under sacramental signs of bread and wine, transformed, into the real Body and Blood of Christ. The altar is the table of the Lord to which the faithful are invited to participate in the sacred liturgy.
  Among the sacred furnishings of the house of God is the tabernacle. The tabernacle is the place where the Real Presence of the Lord is reserved. It should be of a worthy and noble construction. Its placement should be prominent, as to reflect the centrality of belief the Eucharist plays in our life. The placement of the tabernacle should encourage an attitude of adoration toward the Lord truly present in the Blessed Sacrament.

Gutting The Mystery

Here I think it is appropriate to recognize the great harm that has occurred in the post-Vatican II era regarding our belief in the Eucharist. Recently there was an article that appeared in Catholic World Report entitled, “Gutting the Mystery out of the Mystery.” The author, Fr. Peter M.J. Stravinskas of the Priestly Society of Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman and editor of the Catholic Response, offers a clear and concise explanation of this very fact:
“In the Credo of the People of God, Pope Paul VI lovingly referred to the tabernacle as ‘the living heart of each of our churches.’ So, what should we make of the relegation of the tabernacle to a side altar, separate chapel (or closet), resulting in the replacement of Christ at the center, usually by an enthroned priest? Out of sight, out of mind. With the tabernacle off the central axis, should we be surprised by the rise of chit-chat and the entrance of people into their pews resembling their mode of accessing a seat in a movie theater?”
So, the placement of the tabernacle plays a pivotal role in enhancing our belief in the Real Presence.
In another way, there are other sacred objects that also enhance the church building, making it a place to worship. Of particular interest are the Sacred Chrism, the chair, and the ambo. All three of these contribute to where the liturgy is celebrated. Sacred Chrism is the consecrated oil that is used in the Dedication of a Church. In that Rite, the Chrism is used to anoint the walls and the altar of the building, setting them aside as holy objects. In the same way, the chair, or cathedra for a bishop, express the priestly office where the liturgy is presided over and the faithful are directed in their prayer.
The ambo is the place reserved for the holy word of God. Like the Altar of Sacrifice, the ambo is seen as the Altar of the Word where Sacred Scripture is proclaimed and explained to the faithful. Here is what the Catechism says about this: “The dignity of the Word of God requires the church to have a suitable place for announcing his message so that the attention of the people may be easily directed to that place during the liturgy of the Word” (CCC, n. 1184).

The New Life

The liturgical life of the Church is celebrated in many other ways outside the physical building of the Church. Many of these liturgical moments are often forgotten. For Catholics, these other liturgical moments begin with Baptism. We often take for granted that Baptism is always done at church. What about the moments when it cannot, or must be done elsewhere, like in the hospital? This can happen either at the side of a newborn child’s incubator, or at the bedside of someone who has long yearned for membership in the Church.
And what about the times when the Sacrament of Confession is given at various conferences of the faithful, or even yet, at the scene of a tragic accident as a dying person expresses his darkest sins to a priest who just happens to be driving by and hears his last Confession.
Or even yet, maybe it’s the gathering of family and friends as they celebrate the blessing of a new home. Or maybe it’s the gathering of the faithful, as the Portuguese do, on the seven Sundays of Easter to celebrate the Domingas, where prayers and the rosary are offered in the homes of those designated as recipients of the Holy Ghost Crown.
Wherever the liturgical rites of the Church are celebrated, they are all linked to the celebration of the Paschal Mystery. Moreover, the liturgy is the means through which the faithful “enter into the house of God,” and to do so “we must cross a threshold, which symbolizes passing from the world wounded by sin to the world of the new Life to which all men are called. The visible church is a symbol of the Father’s house toward which the People of God is journeying and where the Father ‘will wipe every tear from their eyes.’ Also for this reason, the Church is the house of all God’s children, open and welcoming” (CCC, n. 1186).
Over the next few weeks, we will explore the individual sacraments to see how they are a necessary part of the active life on the faithful.
Until then, may you have a Blessed Advent Season!