As I have often said, Christianity is about Christ. It is not about the buildings. If there is anything to be learned about this pandemic, it is that a church building can be taken away from us. But Christ cannot be taken away from us. It would be prudent to prepare for the taking away of the church buildings. Why? Because the Archdiocese is currently facing lawsuits after lawsuits for allegations of child sexual abuse. In the future, some of those church buildings may be sold. So, if there is anything this pandemic has taught, it is not to turn sacred objects into idols. Those sacred objects are to be respected, but God alone is to be adored and worshiped.
The tabernacle in our church building is sacred, but Catholics do not worship the tabernacle. It is what is inside the tabernacle that we worship. In the Old Testament, the Israelites also did not worship the tabernacle. They understood that it was the dwelling place of God and therefore sacred and worthy of respect and honor. The Israelites worshiped what the tabernacle contained - God Himself.
In the New Testament, the New Ark of the Covenant is not made of finest gold as the old one was. The New Ark of the Covenant was Mary (see my article here). Catholics do not worship Mary, the New Ark of the Covenant. We worship God and God alone. During the pandemic, it was not the church building that Catholics miss because the Protestants were correct when they say that we can worship God anywhere. So long as there are two or three gathered in my name, so there I am also in the midst of them (Matthew 18:20). When Mass was offered in the parking lot, people rejoiced because they received Holy Communion. We attend Church to receive His Body and Blood so that we be one with Christ. It was never about the building. It was about the Eucharist, the receiving of the Body and Blood of our Lord. Even Archbishop Michael understood this clearly. According to the Pacific Daily News:
In a pastoral letter to Catholics, Brynes wrote that the decision wasn't taken lightly as the Holy Eucharist is the source and summit of the Catholic faith.The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Catholic faith, not the church building.
In the Old Testament, the Jewish Temple was the cornerstone, both literally and figuratively, of Jewish worship. In the New Testament, the Christian body is the temple where the Holy Spirit dwells and Christ is the chief cornerstone (Acts 4:10-12). In the Old Testament, the Ark of the Covenant was made of finest materials and pure gold. In the New Testament, the new Ark of the Covenant was Mary. A created being became a living tabernacle of our Lord Jesus Christ. Mary was the fulfillment of the Ark who took the joy, power, and presence of Jesus wherever she went.
When we receive the Body of Christ in Holy Communion, we also become living tabernacles like Mary. As living tabernacles, we are to take Jesus into the world, allowing His presence in us to shine before others so that they too will believe and worship the one true God. It is for this purpose that Christ built His Church, which is not a building made of stone. Jesus told us to worship Him in "Spirit and in truth". What does that mean? According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
CCC 1179 The worship "in Spirit and in truth" of the New Covenant is not tied exclusively to any one place. The whole earth is sacred and entrusted to the children of men. What matters above all is that, when the faithful assemble in the same place, they are the "living stones" gathered to be "built into a spiritual house." For the Body of the risen Christ is the spiritual temple from which the source of living water springs forth: incorporated into Christ by the Holy Spirit, "we are the temple of the living God."
There are several Catholics who attend church out of obligation, and this is the wrong mentality as to why we attend church. I was brought up this way. We HAVE to go to Mass rather than we WANT to attend Mass. Scott Hahn said that if Catholics really believe that they are truly receiving the body of Christ, there would be a very long line in church. But we don't see those long lines. Rather, we see some people rushing out of the church after communion, thinking they already fulfilled their Sunday obligation. I used to be one of them. The Way taught me differently. Now, I attend Mass cuz I want to, not cuz I have to. Now, I go to Mass out of love, not out of obligation. I was glad when they started Mass in the parking lot cuz I can receive Holy Communion.
ReplyDeleteDiana, Rohr made this post. Can you expound on this?
ReplyDelete"If you're Catholic, then it really is about the building. Because if you're Catholic, your church building is not a building, it is a sacred space, a consecrated space, a descendant of the Tabernacle of Moses wherein was kept the Ark of the Covenant and upon which the Shekinah, the cloud of God's glory, settled.
And our modern Catholic churches, despite the oft irreverence and sometimes sacrilege that occurs in them, are no different.
The Ark of the Covenant of Moses' day, which once held the Manna from Heaven, is now our Sacred Tabernacles, which now hold the True Manna from Heaven, the Bread of Angels, the Panis Angelicus, the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ."
Dear Anonymous at 10:18 am,
DeleteRohr is correct in that a Catholic church building is a sacred and consecrated place. However, he is incorrect when he said that it is about the building. The building does not make us Catholic. If you are Catholic, it is about the Eucharist. The streamlined Mass is inadequate because the Catholic faithful could not receive the Body of Christ.
Also, the Old Ark of the Covenant never pointed to the tabernacles found in our modern churches today. The Old Ark of the Covenant pointed to Mary, the New Ark of the Covenant and true tabernacle. Mary was the vessel where God dwelt and the gateway in which our Lord came through incarnated as man. There are many Early Christian documents saying that Mary was the New Ark of the Covenant.
The hosts inside our tabernacles is what we worship because that is the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, but we do not worship the tabernacle. The tabernacle is worthy of reverence and respect as a place where the hosts are kept for adoration outside of Mass and for distribution to the faithful and the sick. The host in the tabernacle was meant to be consumed so that we become living tabernacles.
Actually it is WHO (not “what”) is inside the Tabernacle. Our Lord is the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity (not just an object) and He waits for us inside the Tabernacle.
ReplyDeleteReferring to Our Lord in the Eucharist as a thing (what) instead of the Person He is (Who) seems disrespectful.
Dear Anonymous at 10:21 pm,
DeleteIt can be both a “who” or a “what” without any disrespect. A person can ask what is inside the tabernacle. And the answer would be “it contains the consecrated hosts, which retains the real presence of Christ and thus Christ Himself.” We usually say, “the consecrated hosts are stored in a tabernacle after Mass, so that the Blessed Sacrament can be brought to the sick and dying outside the time of Mass.” Jesus is always brought out of the tabernacle to meet us so that we become one with Him.