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September 2, 2021
Thanks to generous donors, an antique altar is being given a new life in our church! During the summer, the altar has been carefully restored, and is now ready to be moved to the church.
The base of the altar is beautifully carved white oak, while the top or mensa will be made from a slab of stone according to Church tradition.
Altar of Sacrifice, Table of the Lord, and Symbol of Christ
“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… The altar, around which the Church is gathered in the celebration of the Eucharist, 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, present in the midst of the assembly of his faithful, both as the victim offered for our reconciliation and as food from heaven who is giving himself to us. ‘For what is the altar of Christ if not the image of the Body of Christ?’ asks St. Ambrose. He says elsewhere, ‘The altar represents the body [of Christ] and the Body of Christ is on the altar’” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, para. 1382, 1383).
“Our earthly altar… signifies Christ and gives us the old expression ‘ the altar is Christ,’ which is why the priest kisses it as he enters the church. To kiss the altar is to kiss Christ. As a sacramental sign of Christ, the altar is treated in a way that makes its ‘Christ-ness’ most evident. It is made of stone and is affixed to the floor, signifying the permanence and eternity of the Son of God. It is marked with five small engraved crosses indicating the five wounds of his body. When the altar is dedicated by the Bishop, it will again be treated as a body: sprinkled with holy water like a Baptism and rubbed with sacred oils in an anointing, which indicates Christ as ‘the Anointed One of God.’ It is then ‘dressed’ in white linen altar cloths, signifying the white robes of heavenly beings, while at the same time showing that the ‘table’ is prepared for the greatest feast ever celebrated. From this table is served God himself in the Eucharist” (Denis McNamara, Catholic Church Architecture and the Spirit of the Liturgy).
Relics in the Altar
Relics of the saints will be placed inside of the altar according to a very ancient tradition. Early Christians celebrated Masses over the tombs of the martyrs, a practice which was confirmed by the Church and continued throughout history. Although we do not worship the Saints, we honor them in this way because of their close resemblance to Christ: “Throughout history the martyrs continue Christ’s self-oblation; they are like the Church’s living altar, made not of stones but of men…”(Joseph Ratzinger, Spirit of the Liturgy)
Photo: The altar awaits the stone top which will be custom made and placed once it is installed in the new church.
