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An altar without a tabernacle
is like death
without resurrection.
A theology of the sanctuary
By Michael R. Carey
n One of the more striking changes in the arrangement of our churches in recent years has been the relocation of the tabernacle from its central place in the sanctuary to a less prominent place in the church. It is my contention that this removal wrongly symbolizes the theology of the Mass and endangers the spirituality of the faithful in their exercise of the common priesthood.
In its long exposition on the Mass, the Catechism of the Catholic Church1 reminds us that the Mass is both a sacrifice and a sacrament: "The Mass is at the same time, and inseparably, the sacrificial memorial in which the sacrifice of the cross is perpetuated and the sacred banquet of communion with the Lord's body and blood" (CCC 1382). This double character of the Mass as both sacrifice and sacrament is the key to a theology of the sanctuary.
The Mass and the priesthood of Christ
It has been the consistent teaching of the Catholic Church that the Mass is a true sacrifice. This is not to say that each celebrated Mass is a distinct and discrete sacrifice. Rather, as the Catechism says, "the sacrifice of Christ and the sacrifice of the Eucharist are one single sacrifice . . ." (CCC 1367). The Mass is "a sacrifice because it re-presents (makes present) the sacrifice of the cross . . ." (CCC 1366).
Christ's sacrifice on Calvary contained two essential elements: the thing to be offered, and the person who offers it. In other words, it contained a victim and a priest, and on Calvary Christ was both. As Victim, Christ died "once and for all," never to die again (Heb. 7:27). The "sacrifice of Christ is unique" (CCC 613) and need never be repeated.
Though a Victim only once, Christ is forever a Priest "according to the order of Melchizedek" (Heb. 5:10). Saint Thomas Aquinas explains Christ's eternal priesthood in terms of the "consummation" of Calvary, which means "that those for whom the sacrifice is offered, obtain the end of the sacrifice," which is their eternal good (S.T. III: 22.5). While this is certainly true, it seems that Christ's eternal priesthood may also be explained in a more dynamic way.
To understand the dynamic character of Christ's eternal priesthood, we need only recall the dual character of his sacrifice. It is both his dying on the Cross (his victimhood) and his offering of that death (his priesthood). Christ's death is necessarily time-bound, because it involves the physical reality of his Body and Blood. The offering of that death, however, represents his spiritual disposition, which is not time-bound. The eternity of Christ's priesthood, therefore, might be understood as his dying disposition of obediential offering, carried with him into heaven.
The notion that Christ's offering (as distinct from his dying) is eternal does not contradict the notion that Christ offered himself "once" (Heb. 9:28). Neither does it imply that Christ offers himself "repeatedly" (Heb. 9:25). Both of those words qualify actions performed in time. But Christ's offering has now transcended time and entered eternity.
This helps to explain the transcendence of the Mass. In heaven Christ has entered "the sanctuary and the true tent which is set up not by man but by the Lord" (Heb. 8:2). With reference to this heavenly sanctuary, the Roman Canon addresses God the Father saying, "May your angel take this sacrifice to your altar in heaven . . . ." The Mass therefore not only transcends place and history with a horizontal vector which makes present the sacrifice of Calvary; it also transcends time altogether with a vertical vector which unites the earthly and heavenly sanctuaries and altars. If our eyes could envision what we believe, we would see angels ascending and descending between them, uniting heaven and earth in a wonderful exchange.
The priesthood of the faithful
The Second Vatican Council teaches us that the faithful also have a real share in the priesthood of Jesus Christ. "The baptized, by regeneration and the anointing of the Holy Spirit, are consecrated to be a spiritual house and a holy priesthood."2
But what does this mean? Isn't there a difference between ordained priests and the laity? The Council stresses that there is indeed a difference between these two forms of priesthood, teaching that "they differ essentially and not only in degree." Nevertheless, each form of priesthood "shares in the one priesthood of Christ." This does not make them equal in authority, though, for they are "ordered to one another" in such a way that "the ministerial priest . . . forms and rules the priestly people."3
The laity exercise their baptismal or common priesthood in a general way whenever they offer "spiritual sacrifices," and when they "present themselves as a sacrifice, living holy and pleasing to God (cf. Rom. 12:1)."4 Like Christ's own priesthood and that of the ordained priest, therefore, the priesthood of the laity consists essentially in sacrifice.
In the celebration of Mass, the laity exercise their priesthood in a special way. There they do not principally offer themselves in sacrifice, but they are to "participate in the offering of the Eucharist" where it is Christ who is sacrificed.5 The relationship in the Mass between the sacrificial action of the laity and the self-sacrifice of Christ is resolved in the principle of the "active participation" of the laity.
Active participation of the faithful
We know that what takes place at Mass is Christ's once-and-for-all dying made present, and joined to his eternal offering. Through the priest, Christ's salvific work is made present. The Mass, then, is not principally anything that we do, but something that Christ does. It is, in essence, the divine interaction of the Holy Trinity: Christ offering himself to the Father, in the Holy Spirit.
Accordingly, the congregation of the faithful, gathered together at Mass, are in a most privileged position. It is therefore right that we pray to the Father: "We thank you for counting us worthy to stand in your presence and serve you." Nevertheless, however honored a position this may be, if the Mass were no more than a sacrifice the faithful would remain no more than privileged spectators. Accordingly, the Second Vatican Council called for the "active participation of the faithful."6 In its major document on the liturgy, the Council fathers even wrote:
The Church therefore earnestly desires that Christ's faithful, when present at this mystery of faith, should not be there as strangers or silent spectators. On the contrary, they should take part in the sacred action . . . .7
To the great misfortune of us all, however, the principle of "active participation" has been misunderstood and trivialized in common practice. As if mere action would lead inevitably to true participation, the implementation of this principle seems too often to have been, "Keep the people busy."
To avoid such trivialization, active participation must answer the following question: Given that the Mass is principally a divine action, how do the congregated faithful really enter into, participate, and become a part of that action while exercising their common priesthood?
One possible answer is based on the imitation of Christ: whatever Christ does, so will I do. Since at Mass Christ offers the sacrifice of himself to the Father, so will I do the same thing. I will come to Mass sacrificing all that I have and all that I am and offer it to the Father. The problem with this theory of participation is that any imitated action remains apart from its imitation. Christ's action and my imitation of it are like parallel tracks of a railway which never meet. However worthy such imitation of Christ is during the rest of our lives, it does not allow us to actually enter into the self-sacrifice of Christ at Mass. The two actions simply do not converge.
Another answer is based on the imitation of Mary. The laity would spiritually offer Christ to the Father just as our Blessed Mother did at the foot of the Cross. In this way the laity would attempt to make Christ's sacrifice their own. The fault with this analogy, however, is that there is not the unity of flesh between Christ and us that there is between the two hearts of Jesus and Mary. Such fleshly union with Christ occurs for us only through the reception of Holy Communion.
And so there seems to be only one way to enter into Christ's sacrifice: through a union with Christ achieved in the sacrament of Holy Communion. As the word "communion" implies, this sacrament allows us to become truly one with Christ. Since the eucharistic elements are in reality Christ's Body and Blood, we are really joined to him when we receive that Blessed Sacrament. He becomes our flesh and blood, and we become members of his Body. Therefore, when Christ offers his own Body and Blood to the Father in the sacrifice of the Mass, we are joined, as members of his Body, in his very self-offering. And unless broken by mortal sin, this sacramental union with Christ continues from one Mass to the next.
At Mass, then, it is not so much that we offer ourselves to the Father in imitation of Christ, nor that we offer Christ to the Father in imitation of Mary, but that by uniting ourselves to Christ through Holy Communion, we are joined to the self-sacrifice of Christ, Victim and Priest. When Christ's self-sacrifice is made present, we too are sacrificed because we are Christ's body. And when Christ offers that sacrifice to the Father, we too make that priestly offering because we are Christ's body. The active participation of the faithful at Mass, then, means the exercise of their common priesthood, based on real union with Christ.
In a very understated way, the Second Vatican Council supports the idea that this is what constitutes active participation. As quoted in the Catechism, the Council says, "That more perfect form of participation in the Mass whereby the faithful, after the priest's communion, receive the Lord's Body from the same sacrifice, is warmly recommended" (CCC 1388).
When the Catholic Catechism tells us that "the celebration of the Eucharistic sacrifice is wholly directed toward the intimate union of the faithful with Christ through communion" (CCC 1382), it cannot mean, then, that the sacrifice is only for the sake of the sacrament. Rather, the sacred banquet of Holy Communion is precisely that which allows us to enter more fully into the sacrificial self-offering of Christ.
Thus the laity's active participation in Mass must mean the exercise of their common priesthood, insofar as this is joined to the unique priesthood of Jesus Christ through Holy Communion. But just as Christ's priesthood continues eternally, so does the priesthood of the faithful continue outside of Mass in a spirituality of daily personal sacrifice. Only a proper theology of the sanctuary, however, will support this extra-liturgical exercise of the common priesthood of the faithful.
Symbol and reality
As we have noted, the Catechism teaches: "The Mass is at the same time, and inseparably, the sacrificial memorial in which the sacrifice of the cross is perpetuated and the sacred banquet of communion with the Lord's body and blood" (CCC 1382). Now let us consider how these two concepts are physically represented in the sanctuary. During the celebration of Mass, the altar
represents the two aspects of the same mystery: the altar of the sacrifice and the table of the Lord. This is all the more so since the Christian altar is the symbol of Christ himself . . . both as the victim offered for our reconciliation and as food from heaven who is giving himself to us (CCC 1383).
It should be noticed that this description of the altar is qualified so that it describes the altar "around which the Church is gathered in the celebration of the Eucharist" (CCC 1383, emphasis added). But of course we believe, and the Catechism teaches, that Christ is truly present even after that celebration is finished. Quoting Pope Paul VI, the Catechism affirms that
the Catholic Church has always offered and still offers to the sacrament of the Eucharist the cult of adoration, not only during Mass, but also outside of it, reserving the consecrated hosts with the utmost care, exposing them to the solemn veneration of the faithful, and carrying them in procession" (CCC 1378).
During the Mass, then, the altar is the symbol of Christ as "victim" and "food." Outside of the celebration of Mass, however, the symbolism changes. The altar then still symbolizes Christ the Victim; but as food Christ's symbolic presence in the altar is overwhelmed by his real presence in the tabernacle.
That Christ's real presence in the tabernacle overwhelms his symbolic presence in the altar seems to be true no matter where the tabernacle is placed in a church. In some cathedrals, for example, the Blessed Sacrament is reserved in a chapel separate from the main sanctuary and altar of sacrifice. In these cases, experience shows that people do not pray around the naked altar, but invariably they kneel in front of the Blessed Sacrament. Most often too, the tabernacle is placed on an altar of repose, so that the correct symbolic relationship between altar and tabernacle is retained.
It seems correct to say, therefore, that outside of the actual celebration of Mass, the two elements of sacrifice and sacrament are most strongly and best represented by the altar and the tabernacle. But, as the Catechism teaches, these two elements are "inseparable" (CCC 1382). Where the fullness of the Mass as both sacrifice and sacrament is to be physically represented, even outside of its actual celebration, there must therefore be a discernible proximity between altar and tabernacle. Where this is not the case, as where the tabernacle is located far from the altar, a faulty theology of the Mass is symbolized.
Symbolizing such a faulty theology of the Mass has real spiritual consequences. If we walk into a church and see only the altar, the church will seem as dead as Christ's dead body. Our natural inclination will be to run away from that altar just as we might run away from Christ the Victim on the Cross. An altar without a tabernacle is like death without resurrection.
In the theology of the Mass presented here, I have held that only the sacrament of Holy Communion really draws us into the sacrifice of the Mass and allows us to fully and actively participate in it. But the same thing is true when the liturgy ends and these mysteries are physically represented. Only the tabernacle draws us towards the altar. Christ truly present as food in the tabernacle gives us the strength to draw close to him symbolically present as Victim on the altar.
For the Lord's people to exercise their common priesthood more faithfully by living sacrificial lives even outside the celebration of the Mass, they must identify with Christ the Victim, symbolized in the altar. But this is more difficult when they cannot at the same time draw close to Christ their Victor and strength, truly present in the tabernacle.
If our churches are to continue to be places of devotion and prayer outside of Mass, and if we want to encourage and support the Lord's people to live sacrificial lives and so exercise their common priesthood, then in our churches the tabernacle should be physically so related to the altar that people can pray before both of them at the same time.
No priesthood without sacrifice; no Christian sacrifice without sacrament. It's so simple. How could we ever have gone wrong? n
1 Catechism of the Catholic Church. Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1994. Hereafter cited as CCC, with reference to paragraph numbers.
2 Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Lumen Gentium 10.
3 Ibid.
4 Ibid.
5 Ibid.
6 Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Sacrosanctum Concilium, 14.
7 Ibid., 48.