YOUCAT Question n. 190 - Part I. What is a Christian house of prayer?
(Youcat
answer) A Christian house of prayer is both a sign of the ecclesial communion
of people at a specificplace and also a symbol of the heavenly dwellings that
God has prepared for us all. In God’shouse we gather together to pray in common
or alone and to celebrate the sacraments, especially the eucharist.
A deepening through CCC
(CCC
1182) The altar of the New Covenant
is the Lord's Cross (Cf. Heb 13:10), from which the sacraments of the Paschal
mystery flow. On the altar, which is the center 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 (Cf. GIRM 259). In certain
Eastern liturgies, the altar is also the symbol of the tomb (Christ truly died
and is truly risen).
Reflecting and meditating
(Youcat comment) “It smells like heaven here.” “Here you can be very quiet and
reverent.” Many churches surround usperceptibly in a thick atmosphere of
prayer. We sense that God is present here. The beauty of churchbuildings
directs our attention to the beauty, greatness, and love of God. Churches are
not just stonemessengers of the faith, but dwelling places of God, who is
really and truly and substantially presentin the sacrament of the altar.
(CCC Comment)
(CCC
1183) The tabernacle is to be
situated "in churches in a most worthy place with the greatest honor"
(Paul VI, Mysterium Fidei: AAS (1965)
771). The dignity, placing, and security of the Eucharistic tabernacle should
foster adoration before the Lord really present in the Blessed Sacrament of the
altar (Cf. SC 128). The sacred chrism
(myron), used in anointings as the sacramental sign of the seal of the gift
of the Holy Spirit, is traditionally reserved and venerated in a secure place
in the sanctuary. The oil of catechumens and the oil of the sick may also be
placed there.
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