A Holy Place

For Catholics the Church is a ‘holy’ place. We believe that the Lord Jesus is present in the Tabernacles in our Churches. In this place we worship God in every Mass, and receive the Precious Body and Blood of the Lord in Holy Communion. In this sacred place we receive the sacraments; we are baptized, confirmed, receive our First Holy Communion, make our marriage vows, receive forgiveness in the Sacrament of Penance, and for many of us, this will be the place where we will be carried in for the last time when we die.

Our Church is a special place, truly an Ark of the Covenant. We can sing with joy: “The presence of the Lord is in this place.” One thing we need is reverence and respect for this holy place.

“Today’s world desperately needs a "revival of reverence."  We need both to recognize God as God and to express that reverence for God through appropriate bodily gestures.  For example, when we come into church we enter the presence of Jesus dwelling in the tabernacle. We need to remember that this is his house, a part of heaven, and we need to express that remembrance by making a deep bow toward the tabernacle, or, if we are able to kneel, by genuflecting on the right knee, before we enter the pew.  We should offer him the same reverent recognition as   we leave the church and his sacramental presence.   We might also remember to give a slight bow of the head whenever we hear, or say, the name of Jesus. The new regulation of bowing one’s head before receiving Communion is another beautiful act of reverence. This same sense of reverence can be expressed by keeping the Bible, God’s living word to us, in a prominent place in our homes and by kissing it each time we read from it.   True reverence for God naturally leads us to the reverent, respectful love of neighbor.  Mother Teresa loved people because she saw Jesus in them. That was the same Jesus whom she reverenced and experienced in the Holy Eucharist. This means that we, too, will have many daily experiences of Christ. So the heart of our mission as Christians is really to find him hidden in our neighbors, and to accept his challenge to us – to love him, to have compassion on him, to practice justice toward him, to be kind to him.   Then it becomes easier for us to forgive injury as he did, and to be reconciled to those with whom we have difficulties.   Thus, our mission as his disciples is to seek, to find, and to respond to Him in all people and events.” [Fr. Tony Homilies]

There is one more thing that reverence demands! Some people leave Church after Holy Communion or before the blessing! We never go to have dinner with friends and walk out before the meal is over! When we leave early we miss the “Blessing”. Surely we all need God’s Blessing in our lives! What difference does a few minutes make in a lifetime? Why not wait and let the Lord know that you need His Blessings in your life!