Cathal Barry
The Church teaches that when the faithful assemble in the same place, they are gathered to be ‘built into a spiritual house’, writes Cathal Barry
The Church teaches that the worship “in Spirit and in truth” (Jn 4:24) of the New Covenant is not tied exclusively to any one place.
The whole Earth is “sacred and entrusted to the children of men”, the Catechism of the Catholic Church states.
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 Pet 2:4-5).
The declaration on religious freedom, Dignitatis Humanae, states that when the exercise of religious liberty is not thwarted, 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,” the Catechism notes.
According to the decree on the ministry and life of priests, Presbyterorum Ordinis states that a church is a “house of prayer” in which the Eucharist is “celebrated and reserved”, where the faithful gather and where the presence of the Son of God, “offered for us on the altar of sacrifice bestows strength and blessings on the faithful”. A church must, therefore, be “spotless and suitable for prayer and sacred functions”.
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, the constitution on the sacred liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium, says.
The altar of the New Covenant, according to Church teaching, is the Lord’s Cross from which the sacraments of the Paschal mystery flow.
On the altar, which is the “centre” 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”.
The tabernacle, according to Pope Paul VI, is to be situated “in churches in a most worthy place with the greatest honour”. “The dignity, placing, and security of the Eucharistic tabernacle should foster adoration before the Lord really present in the Blessed Sacrament of the altar,” Sacrosanctum Concilium states.
The chair (cathedra) of the bishop or the priest, according to the Church, “should express his office of presiding over the assembly and of directing prayer”, while the lectern (ambo) should provide “a suitable place” for announcing the Gospel message.
The Catechism states that the church has an “eschatological significance”. “To enter into the house of God, we must cross a threshold, which symbolises 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, according to the Catechism, toward which the People of God is “journeying” and where the Father “will wipe every tear from their eyes”. Also for this reason, the Church is the house of all God’s children, “open and welcoming”.
