Friday, May 25, 2012
245. What are sacred buildings?
(Comp
245) They are the houses of God, a symbol of the Church that lives in that
place as well as of the heavenly Jerusalem. Above all they are places of prayer
in which the Church celebrates the Eucharist and worships Christ who is truly
present in the tabernacle.
“In brief”
(CCC 1198) In its earthly state
the Church needs places where the community can gather together. Our visible
churches, holy places, are images of the holy city, the heavenly Jerusalem,
toward which we are making our way on pilgrimage. (CCC 1199) It is in these churches
that the Church celebrates public worship to the glory of the Holy Trinity,
hears the word of God and sings his praise, lifts up her prayer, and offers the
sacrifice of Christ sacramentally present in the midst of the assembly. These
churches are also places of recollection and personal prayer.
To deepen and explain
(CCC 1181) A church, "a house
of prayer in which the Eucharist is celebrated and reserved, where the faithful
assemble, and where is worshipped the presence of the Son of God our Savior,
offered for us on the sacrificial altar for the help and consolation of the
faithful - this house ought to be in good taste and a worthy place for prayer
and sacred ceremonial" (PO 5; Cf. SC 122-127). 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 (Cf. SC 7).
On reflection
(CCC 2691) The church, the house of God, is the proper place
for the liturgical prayer of the parish community. It is also the privileged
place for adoration of the real presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament.
The choice of a favorable place is not a matter of indifference for true
prayer. - For personal prayer, this can be a "prayer corner" with the
Sacred Scriptures and icons, in order to be there, in secret, before our Father
(Cf. Mt 6:6). In a Christian family, this kind of little oratory fosters prayer
in common. - In regions where monasteries exist, the vocation of these
communities is to further the participation of the faithful in the Liturgy of
the Hours and to provide necessary solitude for more intense personal prayer
(Cf. PC 7). - Pilgrimages evoke our earthly journey toward heaven and are
traditionally very special occasions for renewal in prayer. For pilgrims
seeking living water, shrines are special places for living the forms of
Christian prayer "in Church."
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