Fr. Corapi: The Importance of the Tabernacle

Fr. Corapi was on EWTN tonight saying the Rosary, and it was a scriptural Rosary [which is really awe inspiring especially with someone like Fr. Corapi] so there was an aspect of "learning" involved. As always, he taught me a few things and lead me to "discover" things on my own.

The first thing Fr. Corapi said that got me thinking was that Mary carried within her the "Word." Christ, the Word of God, was carried within her, much as the way the the Ark of the Covenant carried within it the "word of God" when it held in it the 10 Commandments & manna from Heaven. She became the blessed vessel which held the Truth and the Bread of Life.

Fr. Corapi further explained, during one of the Mysteries, that Bethlehem, the birthplace of Christ, means "House of Bread" in Hebrew. A fact such as this clearly is not easily lost on anyone. It shocked me, mostly because I was not aware of this fact, but also because I didn't realize just how important the vessel of Christ is.

As I meditated [and did the rest of the Rosary with Fr. Corapi] it came over me how important and sacred the tabernacle of Christ is. While in Michgan, the church I attended - Our Lady of Good Counsel, didn't have a tabernacle at all when I first started attending. As the new Pastor Fr. John Ricardo established himself, one of the first outward acts he did was to bring the tabernacle into the church, into the sanctuary and behind the Altar. This created a very important visual and spiritual alignment of sanctuary, Altar, Tabernacle, and Crucifix.

When I got to Alaska, I have found that neither of the local churches have the tabernacle within the sanctuary. I know that the rubrics on Tabernacles are somewhat cumbersome and multiplicitous, not so much out of their own nature but more out of their implementation and practice, but there are definitely more reasoned and meaningful placements than others. Considering the purpose of the tabernacle in todays faith, the placement of the tabernacle I believe takes on a crucial role.

Once the tabernacle was a place to house Christ for the sick and infirm unable to come to Mass. During this period [essentially up and to the 1960's] the tabernacle was one of many, because there were multiple altars and tabernacles. The churches were more ornate and the focus of an entering person could be drawn in several directions, all of which holy. Nowadays though there is a sense of confusion or a sense of void when one enters some of the modern churches. Blank walls, the lack of statues & icons, and "misplaced" tabernacles. [I use misplaced because tabernacle placement is open to some interpretation and therefore I don't want to be imprecise in my critique.]

What do I mean by misplaced? Observe people entering pews on Sunday, especially in churches with tabernacles not behind the altar. Where do they genuflect? Toward the altar, 9 times out of 10. Why is this? I suggest two reasons: (1) Because they never learned why or to what they were genuflecting to & (2) when you don't know why you do something, it is done out of habit and not out of purpose. Now don't get me wrong, I don't think people are "bad" for genuflecting in this manner. At least they are making an attempt. Instead I blame those that have the tabernacle in a place which helps facilitate this confusion and practice.

For example, in the church I attend, we have a fully blank back wall in the sanctuary. No statutes, no tabernacle, "no anything." Instead, outside of the sanctuary, next to it in an alcove is the tabernacle. It is a nicely painted alcove, and it is in a semi prominent place, but when you enter and see the altar and crucifix hanging above it your attention is not drawn to the tabernacle... the vessel containing the TRUE PRESENCE OF CHRIST. Which in turn not only creates confusion, but also facilitates the lack of reverence for the True Presence which many parishes are experiencing.

I wish that we could get all churches to bring the tabernacle into the sanctuary, or at least create a grand place of prominence for it. It should be a place where we can worship Christ outside of the Mass, and in which constant attention is drawn to it. Until that happens though, I hope more of us will understand the importance of the tabernacle and remember to show it proper reverence.