THE REAL ABSENCE by Gary L. Morella
oday in the Church God is being increasingly relegated to a
side chapel using the concilior docs of Vatican II for justification.
Typically, Eucharisticum Mysterium is quoted:
"It is therefore recommended that, as far as possible, the tabernacle
be placed in a chapel distinct from the middle or center part of the
church, above all in those churches where marriages and funerals take
place frequently, and in places which are much visited for their
artistic and historical treasures."
What isn't quoted from Eucharisticum Mysterium is a subsequent paragraph
which says that the tabernacle MAY be placed on the altar.
Father Regis Scanlon has noted that the more authoritative and more recent
Code of Canon Law and Inaestimabile Donum ("approved and confirmed by his
holiness Pope John Paul II") make no such recommendation. Inaestimabile Donum
states that:
"The tabernacle in which the Eucharist is kept can be located on
an altar, or away from it, in a spot in the church which is very
prominent, truly noble, and duly decorated, or in a chapel suitable
for private prayer and for adoration by the faithful."
The Blessed Sacrament "can" be kept "in a chapel suitable for private prayer and
for adoration by the faithful." This is a necessary option for pastors in
historic cathedrals which are visited daily by tourists who may not keep
silent or convey the reverence due to the Blessed Sacrament. Since these
cathedrals are also parishes, the parishioners have a right to private prayer
and worship of the Blessed Sacrament, and the Blessed Sacrament has every
right to be respected. So, there is a good reason to have a side
chapel for private worship of the Blessed Sacrament in places like the
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in
Washington, D. C. that are large enough to have a side chapel which is
still part of the church building and still visible to all.
However, most churches don't have a tourist traffic problem.
Consequently, there is no good reason to move the Blessed Sacrament
from the sanctuary. The negative effects connected with moving
the tabernacle from the center of the sanctuary have been noted by Msgr.
Peter J. Elliot as stated in his recent book, Ceremonies of the Modern Roman
Rite:
"Studying the development within these directives, we see first of all
that Inaestimabile Donum modifies the favor for a eucharistic chapel
in GIRM, no. 276. In the decade separating the two instructions,
problems had arisen with a diminution of devotion to the Eucharist,
not dissociated from inadequate attention to the place of reservation
in new or renovated churches. This may explain why Canon 938.2 seems
to reflect the mind of Inaestimabile Donum more than GIRM and the
instructions on eucharistic worship. Canon 938.2 is not a mere
synthesis of previous instructions. It corrects misinterpretations of
those rules by saying only: "The tabernacle in which the blessed
Eucharist is reserved should be placed in a distinguished place in a
church or oratory, a place which is conspicuous, suitably adorned and
conducive to prayer." We also see that locating a tabernacle on an
altar always remains a valid option and is nowhere ruled out."
The most "prominent" place in most churches and chapels is in the center of the
sanctuary, which everyone faces when they come in to pray. When the
tabernacle is removed from this most prominent place, the faithful are
left with the impression that the Blessed Sacrament is not worthy
of adoration which begs the question, "what or who is worthy of adoration?"
The answer would seem to be our fellow parishioners whom we now face in many
Churches instead of our God.
This is the most likely message that will be conveyed to the people who
see no other reason for removing the tabernacle! This has contributed
the massive loss of faith in the Real Presence of Christ in the
Eucharist among American Catholics over the last number of years. If the
Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist is lost, the Faith is lost - an axiom.
If the mystery of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is destroyed, Roman
Catholicism is destroyed - another axiom.
Also, if the tabernacle is moved to a side chapel which is not
prominent and in full view of the faithful, especially if it is not
connected to the main body of the Church, only those people who visit the
Blessed Sacrament regularly will be aware of the Real Presence of Christ in
the Eucharist. How can our children be catechized concerning the
Church's faith in the Eucharist given this poor example?
Today, many of our Churches have turned into "Our Lady of Perpetual Din".
because people stand around and talk in church, even when
the Blessed Sacrament is present. The removal of the tabernacle
from the central position of so many churches has contributed to the
general loss of reverence toward our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.
So, another negative effect of moving the tabernacle out of the
sanctuary into a separate eucharistic chapel is that the church
building becomes Protestantized: a church of God becomes a church of
the people and a church of prayer becomes a church of fellowship. But,
our Lord said quite vehemently: "It is written, 'My house shall be
called a house of prayer'" (Mat 21:13).
It is true to say that Christ is present in the minister, in persona Christi,
in the Word, in the congregation, and everywhere in creation. But the key is
that He is SUBSTANTIALLY present, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity, in the
Blessed Sacrament, a Real Presence which transcends all others which are only
spiritual. I will not fall down and adore a tree. But I will get on my knees
and adore my God in the Holy Eucharist. This centerpiece of the Faith has been
lost to a generation of Catholics who don't believe it because it has been
removed from the center of our Churches.
Something is very wrong when the acclamation at the beginning of each station
of the Cross is changed from "we adore Thee O Christ and we bless Thee, because
by Thy Holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world" to "we worship you O Christ,
in ourselves, and in our neighbor" which is dangerously close to pantheism. I
observed this recently at a RCIA service in the Johnstown PA Cathedral. There
is not much of a difference between the latter and a secular world that worships
"ourselves" and "neighbors" exclusively as evidenced by the 6 PM news.
We are told that God is too perfect to be in the center of our Churches.
Rather, He must be placed in a chapel befitting His title as Supreme Being
where He can be given our undivided attention. Now, I ask you if you had
friends coming over to visit your house and you were particularly proud of your
father, would you restrict your friends visitation to one room of your house
with your father likewise restricted? Of course not. If you really loved your
father, you would want him to meet your friends in the living room or the most
prominent room of the house and you would not ask him to sit in a chair toward
the back recognizing the fact that he wants to enjoy your company and that of
your companions during the course of their visit. To do otherwise would be
cruel and indicative of a lack of respect for one's flesh and blood.
Do we treat our God any less?