|
|
|
Catechesis on the Liturgy: The Instruments of the Sacred Sacrifice, Sacred Vessels and Sacred Linens (See previous chapter in this series) (See next chapter in this series)
Homily
50. I have a brother, of whom I am very proud, who was a Marine. He was taught at length and with great discipline every detail of the instruments of his work, which were guns, tanks, survival tools, radio equipment and the like. He knows the names of all these things, how they work, how to assemble and disassemble them even in the dark, and even how to recognize which types of weapons are being fired just by the sounds he hears. I have a friend who is in the field of medical pathology, and she is very proficient in using the most sophisticated and up to date instruments to identify any part of the human body no matter how big or how small, even when there has been a part removed, and the feature is completely separated from its context. And so it is that most people know the tools of their own trade or even of their family life with great familiarity. Yet how many Catholics are familiar with the most basic tools of the Divine Sacrifice offered in the Mass? Continuing on our Catechesis on the Mass, let us discuss the instruments of Catholic worship, namely , the altar cloth, the corporal, the purificator, the pall, the Missal, the Chalice, the paten and the ciborium.
The Altar Cloth
51. Every Mass requires an altar cloth, a white cloth that extends and covers the altar. The altar must be used, and not another table, in a Church, but outside of a sacred space any properly disposed table would be sufficient as long as it were covered with an altar cloth. It is reminiscent of the burial cloth, white for the purity of Jesus’ sacrifice, and provides for proper care of any portion of the host or blood which may go astray. So when you see the altar covered with the altar cloth, remember that on the altar at Mass today the One Sacrifice of the One Flesh of Jesus Christ will be offered for the salvation of the world, and move your hearts to repentance, contrition and love for Jesus.
The Corporal
52. The corporal is the next item to discuss. It, with the altar cloth, are the only two sacred linens mentioned in the Code of Canon Law.[1] It is square, folded into nine and stored flat in the burse on the chalice [explain what the burse and altar veil are], made of fine linen or white fabric of the highest quality. It can be any size, and at one time was regularly huge covering the whole altar.[2] It has some functions both practical and divine. It is habitual for a priest to consecrate those hosts which are located on the corporal. So if someone comes to church with unleavened, pure-wheat bread in their pocket, it is not transformed into the body of Christ, for it is not on the corporal. Also, it is there to receive any specs of the precious blood which may fly if there’s a spattering, or any crumbs of the precious body. For the host is of the species of bread, and, even if it is the body of Christ, it crumbles as any unleavened bread would. Every speck, no matter how small, is the fullness of the body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ. There are several instruments used to take care of losing none of these crumbs. The priest’s paten, the little, round golden dish regularly stored on top of his chalice; the altar server’s paten, which he holds under your chin when you receive, and the corporal all preserve these specs, so we treat not the Eucharist like unimportant trash which might fall upon the floor without being of any importance. Every crumb, every drop, is enough to save the entire world and every soul of history. Since it has practical purpose, to catch particles, it therefore should never be flicked but only delicately opened on the altar. In the Order of Mass before the reforms of Vatican II, the priest actually placed the host right on the corporal; now he places the host only on the paten. The corporal has a symbolic association with the holy shroud in which Jesus was buried, since this linen touches the body of Christ. This shroud which bears his image and is stored in the Cathedral of Turin, Italy, a Cathedral named after St. John the Baptist. So when you see the corporal, remember the shroud, and the price Jesus paid to open to you the gates of heaven, and renounce all your sins.
The Purificator
53. On top of the chalice a white cloth is kept which is used to purify the chalice, to catch drops of wine or of precious blood, to brush crumbs into the proper vessels, and to dry the vessels after communion. This cloth or linen is called a purificator. Its use became popular in the 16th century.[3] It is also for attending to any spilling. Because this cloth may easily contain drops of precious blood or crumbs of the sacred host, it is laundered in the Catholic Church with unusual care. The altar cloth, corporals and purificators are cleaned in two steps. A first step is a thorough rinsing, and the second step is the normal laundering we would use for any linen. After the first linen, there may be specs of the host floating in the water. So this water is not cast into the sewer by being poured down the drain. Every Church has a special drain called a “sacrarium,” a sink whose pipe goes right into the gardens and not into the sewer. So the water is used for a more noble purpose, to nourish the beautiful plants around the Church, instead of cast into the sewer with all of humanity’s filth, since there is a chance that the water of the first rinsing may contain the body of Christ, even if just a speck. This form of laundering reflects our belief in Transubstantiation, and is so seriously regarded that it is mandated repeatedly by Church law.[4] So when you see the purificator, remember your Catholic faith, and what the Church teaches us about Transubstantiation.
The Pall
54. There is another feature you see of the chalice, a small one, with a purely practical function, and it is the pall. The pall is a very starched linen or a linen stretched over a card or piece of wood. The pall an optional feature placed on top of the chalice to preserve the precious blood from getting dirtied by falling dust or cobwebs, and to keep insects from accidentally getting into the chalice.
The Missal
55. A very important tool the priest uses for the Divine Sacrifice is the Missal. There are small hand missals, whose use I strongly encourage, which the faithful can bring to every Mass. The Missal, however, to which I now refer is the very large book, often too heavy for our smallest altar boys to carry without great effort, and traditionally printed with a red cover. The Missal is the liturgical book of the Mass mandatory for a priest’s use. “In celebrating the sacraments the liturgical books approved by competent authority are to be observed faithfully; accordingly, no one is to add, omit, or alter anything in them on one’s own authority.” [5] In 2004, the Church published a document to correct liturgical abuses, wherein it is stated, “The reprobated practice by which Priests, Deacons or the faithful here and there alter or vary at will the texts of the Sacred Liturgy that they are charged to pronounce, must cease.” [6] This can apply to the faithful: sometimes I hear “I believe,” instead of “Amen” at communion when I show the host and say, “The Body of Christ.” Others don’t respond at all. The liturgical books prescribe the reply, “Amen” to the faithful. Let’s all do as the Church requires with humility and obedience, learning how to pray from the Church and rejecting the pride of thinking, “Oh, I know better,” and simply do as the Church asks by saying, “Amen.”
The Chalice and Paten
56. The last point for today’s homily is the chalice of the priest, and what I say here goes also for the paten the priest uses, again, that small, round golden plate, and the ciborium, which is the golden vessel in which are kept the hosts for the communion of the faithful, and from which communion is given to you. The chalice has only one function: to physically contain the Incarnate Son of God under the species of wine, as the paten is for the species of bread. What a privilege! A parish may never use secular vessels such as wine glasses or baskets[7] in place of chalices or ciboria. The chalice may be made of precious materials only, such as gold and silver. Easily breakable materials strictly forbidden, as are all vessels “which are devoid of all artistic merit or which are mere containers, as also other vessels made from glass, earthenware, clay or other materials that break easily,” or which “easily rust or deteriorate.”[8] Recently in the Michigan Catholic, I noticed that a prominent photo showed a priest holding aloft the precious blood in a glass chalice at a nearby parish; this is a great scandal. What a privilege this vessel has, a vessel which is made holy by God, yet has no mind or soul and cannot think or love.
Conclusion
57. And on this note, I offer one last spiritual thought. It is a thought I admit is not my own invention, but from the creative mind of St. John Chrysostom, yet I regret I cannot find the exact cite where I read it. And it is this: you see the great care the Church has for the chalice, that we spend lots of money on it, that we lock it up in a safe between Masses, that we forbid it be used except for Mass, and that it is veiled, honored, and kept spotless. If this is how we treat the chalice, similarly should you treat your soul. You are all vessels of God, temples of the Holy Spirit and sanctified by Eucharistic communion. Keep yourselves safe from evil, from sin, from hatred, from slander, from bickering, from arrogance, from lust, from greed, from laziness and all other such evils. For you are worth more than all the chalices in the whole world, and you are a more precious vessel than even the gold of the chalice at Mass. Amen. |