THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK

You may have read in the Catholic press about the rumpus over a new church in the Diocese of Leeds, where the Parish Priest, supported by a fair number of parishioners, wants the tabernacle in its central place behind the altar, while the Bishop wants it in a different, though prominent, place, and will not consecrate the church until that is done.   What is going on here?

Catholics are familiar with the centrally placed tabernacle and are – or were – taught that this contained the really present Christ, through the consecrated Eucharistic species.  They are – or were – taught to honour this presence by genuflecting as they passed before it, or towards it on first entering the church.  In case this is thought to be obsolete teaching, perhaps it is worth repeating that all the above still remains true.  If we are not able to genuflect, we should make some other gesture of reverence, such as a deep bow.

The centrally placed tabernacle was a particular requirement of the reforms of the 16th. century Council of Trent, in order to heighten reverence towards the Eucharistic species.  Prior to that the Sacrament had been reserved – principally so that it could be made available to the sick outside Mass – in various locations, prominent or otherwise.  In England it was the custom to have a ‘hanging pyx’, suspended above the altar, safely out of the way of sacrilegious hands, and lowered for use by means of a chain.

At the time of the Council of Trent, regular reception of Holy Communion was not the norm.  The faithful often had access to the Eucharist in more indirect ways: Exposition, Benediction, Adoration, carefully watching the Elevation at Mass.  None of these things have been rendered redundant, of course, but it is now the norm to receive Holy Communion at any Mass we attend.

It is true that there can be a certain tension between the location of the tabernacle – containing the pre-consecrated Hosts – behind the altar, and the celebration of Mass at that altar.  Mass is essentially an action, rather than a ‘state’.  There can be visual confusion, too; for example, when the priest at Mass seems to incense the tabernacle, he is in fact incensing the crucifix located above it.

When Westminster Cathedral was opened in 1903 the Blessed Sacrament chapel was – and still is – not central, but in the north aisle.  I wonder if there was an outcry at the time; I have never seen any documentation.

On the other hand we need to be careful that we do not lose the feature of prayer before Christ truly present in the tabernacle.  It is worth noting that several modern spiritual movements – which are actually proving very successful in the not always uplifting Western European Catholic scene – make much of traditional Eucharistic Adoration.  We also have to guard against automatically pooh-poohing what previous generations did, on the assumption that it must be wrong, and that in some actually quite imaginary ‘early Church’ (whatever that may be) they had the one and only model which we must slavishly follow.  We will have to bear all this in mind when our new basilica finally rises from the ground and becomes an actual building.