190 A Christian House of Prayer is a Place for Silent Reverence and Worship

YOUCAT Lesson 190      

YOUCAT the catechism for Catholic youth

190  What is a Christian house of prayer?

A Christian house of prayer is both a sign of the ecclesial communion of people at a specific place and also a symbol of the heavenly dwellings that God has prepared for us all.  In God’s house we gather together to pray in common or alone and to celebrate the sacraments, especially the Eucharist.  [1179-1186, 1197-1199]

Photo: A parishioner blesses himself with holy water while entering the Catholic Church in Eagle River, Wisconsin. In the center of the photo stands the Easter candle, while behind it is the baptismal font. …..190

“It smells like heaven here.”  “Here you can be very quiet and reverent.”  Many churches surround us perceptibly in a thick atmosphere of prayer.  We sense that God is present here.  The beauty of church buildings directs our attention to the beauty, greatness, and love of God.  Churches are not just stone messengers of the faith, but dwelling places of God, who is really and truly and substantially present in the sacrament of the altar.

“God has set up churches like harbors along the coast, so that you may take refuge there out of the swirl of earthly cares and find peace and quiet.”  St. John Chrysostom (349/350-407)

“The doctrine of the invisible church leads quite logically to the doctrine of invisible religion, and the next step is necessarily the disappearance of religion.”  Paul de Lagarde (1827-1891, German Orientalist and philosopher)

…….WHERE IS THE LITURGY CELEBRATED?

…….1179   The worship "in Spirit and in truth" (John 4:24)⁵³  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." (1 Peter 2:4-5)⁵⁴    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." (2 Corinthians 6:16)⁵⁵ –Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition

…….1180   When the exercise of religious liberty is not thwarted, (compare Dignitatae Humanae 4)⁵⁶   Christians construct buildings for divine worship. These visible churches are not simply gathering places but signify and make visible the Church living in this place, the dwelling of God with men reconciled and united in Christ. –CCC

…….1181   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." (Presbyterorum Ordinis 5; compare Sacrosanctum Concilium 122-127)⁵⁷     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. (compare Sacrosanctum Concilium 7)⁵⁸ –CCC

…..1182   The altar of the New Covenant is the Lord's Cross, (compare Hebrews 13:10)⁵⁹   from which the sacraments of the Paschal mystery flow. On the altar, which is the center of the church, the sacrifice of the Cross is made present under sacramental signs. The altar is also the table of the Lord, to which the People of God are invited. (compare General Instruction to Roman Missal 259)⁶⁰    In certain Eastern liturgies, the altar is also the symbol of the tomb (Christ truly died and is truly risen). –CCC

…….1183   The tabernacle is to be situated "in churches in a most worthy place with the greatest honor." (Paul VI, Mysterium Fidei: Acta Apostolicae Sedis (1965) 771)⁶¹    The dignity, placing, and security of the Eucharistic tabernacle should foster adoration before the Lord really present in the Blessed Sacrament of the altar. (compare Sacrosanctum Concilium 128)⁶²  --CCC

The sacred chrism (myron), used in anointings as the sacramental sign of the seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit, is traditionally reserved and venerated in a secure place in the sanctuary. The oil of catechumens and the oil of the sick may also be placed there. –CCC

…….1184   The chair of the bishop (cathedra) or that of the priest "should express his office of presiding over the assembly and of directing prayer." (General Instruction to Roman Missal 271)⁶³   CCC

…….The lectern (ambo): "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." (General Instruction to Roman Missal 272)⁶⁴ –CCC

…….1185   The gathering of the People of God begins with Baptism; a church must have a place for the celebration of Baptism (baptistry) and for fostering remembrance of the baptismal promises (holy water font). –CCC

…….The renewal of the baptismal life requires penance. A church, then, must lend itself to the expression of repentance and the reception of forgiveness, which requires an appropriate place to receive penitents. –CCC

…….A church must also be a space that invites us to the recollection and silent prayer that extend and internalize the great prayer of the Eucharist. –CCC

…….1186   Finally, the church has an eschatological significance. To enter into the house of God, 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." (Revelation 21:4)⁶⁵    Also for this reason, the Church is the house of all God's children, open and welcoming. –CCC

…….IN BRIEF

…….1197   Christ is the true temple of God, "the place where his glory dwells"; by the grace of God, Christians also become the temples of the Holy Spirit, living stones out of which the Church is built. –CCC

…….1198   In its earthly state the Church needs places where the community can gather together. Our visible churches, holy places, are images of the holy city, the heavenly Jerusalem, toward which we are making our way on pilgrimage. –CCC

…….1199   It is in these churches that the Church celebrates public worship to the glory of the Holy Trinity, hears the word of God and sings his praise, lifts up her prayer, and offers the sacrifice of Christ sacramentally present in the midst of the assembly. These churches are also places of recollection and personal prayer. --CCC