Liturgical Moment of the Week: The Altar

By Fr. Brian+

The altar is arguably the most important part of the physical church building. It is a reminder that Jesus was a sacrifice for our sins.

At the altar we place our offerings of bread, wine, and finances, asking God to use what we offer up to him. From the altar we prepare and serve communion - Jesus’ Body and Blood.

The altar is the centerpiece of worship. It’s where we look, where the celebrant stands, where the cross of Jesus rests, where the church gathers, at the Lord’s table, to receive Holy Communion.

The altar is stripped on Maundy Thursday so that it is bare for Good Friday, an indication that our souls are bare. It is a moving ceremony, symbolic that the altar of our hearts is empty and missing the departed Jesus.

The two altars, one without and the one within, belong inseparably together. The visible altar at the heart of the church is but the external representation of the altar at the center of the human breast, which is God’s temple, of which the church with its walls and arches is but the expression and figure.

Worship Without Words: The Signs and Symbols of Our Faith, Patricia S. Klein