Altars separated from the people vs. altars closer to the people...
The simple idea is that turning the celebrant around and bringing the altar closer to the people is about emphasizing God's immanence and that the celebrant with his/her "back to the people" and leaving the altar against the wall is about emphasizing God's transcendence.
But... not so fast...
What really is immanence and what really is transcendence?
Despite my liturgical inclinations,* I don't think that the reality or "validity" (such an ugly, unhelpful word) of the celebration of the Eucharist requires absolutely the celebrant facing one direction or another or the position of the altar.
What is much more important is some clarity about the REALITY of what's happening...
What could be more distancing of God than worship that becomes merely sign--words and images about God? Reducing the Holy Eucharist to an audio-visual aid to understanding or to edification or to generating affection/piety pushes God further away. Worship as a way to help us think or to be moral or to make us feel, even if its thinking or feeling about God, pushes God further away.
It's as if we gathered-human-beings are talking to each other about someone (God) who isn't there (even if we're saying great and smart and emotion generating things).
But if the Holy Eucharist is the actual encounter/communion with God, then no matter what direction the celebrant faces and no matter how far away the altar, it is REAL immanence. God is there.
So, my (probably over-) simplification:
- Protestantism = indirect encounter with God--only his qualities, his norms and our thoughts/feelings about him.
- Catholicism = direct encounter with God's very self (whether we can "feel" it or not, it is a REAL encounter).
*See the caption under the picture of Grace Church to the right to see my bias.
2 comments:
My hero!
Kyle,
I've been insanely busy (way too busy) and didn't even realize you'd left this comment. I wish I'd seen it sooner.
I've been checking your blog as well and am grateful that you are writing again.
I wish there were some way to really give where I'm going with all of this some traction in parish life. It's easier said than done.
I think STARTING a parish with all of this already built in is easier than trying to draw an already existing parish into it. There is just too much institution to be cared for (and yes, I'm talking about money--especially money to pay the priest). It's becoming clearer and clearer to me that the model we are working with just doesn't work...
pax,
Rob+
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