The Altar is Christ

This past Sunday at St. Ann Church in Hull, we liturgically celebrate the Solemnity of the Anniversary of the Dedication of the Church, and in last week’s blog Father Scott reflected on the meaning of this celebration. To dive deeper into the mystery of the significance of the Dedication of a Church, it seems opportune to examine the ritual of dedicating the altar which is central to the life of the Church. The ritual book for the dedication of an altar goes as far as to say “it came to pass that the Church’s writers see in the altar a sign of Christ himself - hence the saying arose: ‘The altar is Christ.’” This is connected to how priests and deacons venerate the altar with a kiss at the beginning and end of every Mass.

The ritual for the dedication of the altar includes four important ritual actions: anointing, incensing, covering, and lighting. Each of these ritual actions help to visibly express the invisible work that God accomplishes through his Church especially in the celebration of the Mass. The ritual book explains these actions saying: 

• The anointing of the altar: by the anointing with Chrism the altar is made a symbol of Christ who, before all others, is and is called, “The Anointed One”; for the Father anointed him with the Holy Spirit and constituted him High Priest, who on the altar of his Body would offer the sacrifice of his life for the salvation of all. 
• Incense is burned on the altar to signify that the Sacrifice of Christ, which is there perpetuated in mystery, ascends to God as a pleasing fragrance; this is also a sign that the pleasing and acceptable prayers of the faithful rise up to the throne of God. (See Revelation 8:3-4)
• The covering of the altar indicates that the Christian altar is the altar of the Eucharistic Sacrifice and the table of the Lord; the Priests and the faithful stand around it and, in one and the same action but with a difference of office, celebrate the Memorial of the Death and Resurrection of Christ and eat the Lord’s Supper. For this reason the altar is prepared as the table of the sacrificial banquet and adorned as for a feast. Thus the decoration of the altar clearly signifies that it is the Lord’s table, at which all the faithful meet with joy to be refreshed with divine food, namely the Body and Blood of Christ sacrificed. 
• The lighting of the altar reminds us that Christ “is a light for revelation to the Gentiles,” (Luke 2:32) whose brightness shines out in the Church and through her upon the whole human family. 

Each of these actions are accompanied by prayers that express the meaning behind the rituals. 

1. The anointing:
   May the Lord by his power sanctify this altar,
   which by our ministry we anoint,
   so that, as a visible sign,
   It may express the mystery of Christ,
   who offered himself to the Father for the life of the world. 
2. The Incensation:
   Let our prayer rise, O Lord,
   like incense in your sight;
   and as this house is filled with a pleasing fragrance,
   so let your Church be fragrant with the aroma of Christ. 
3. The Covering and the Lighting:
   May the light of Christ shine upon the table of this altar,
   and may those who share the Lord’s Supper shine with his light. 

From the deep imagery of the rite of dedication, it can be seen that the altar is not a mere table but the visible expression of Christ himself. The liturgy in this way can help us see the invisible works of the Lord.