Not your normal everyday..... table

I once heard it said that you should venerate the Altar as you would venerate Christ. The Altar in the church is a very special place. It normally is on the second highest, if not the highest, elevated part of the floor in the church. And this is rightfully so since it is where we recall the sacrifice made by Christ. This is the final and eternal sacrifice that is recalled, when Christ offered himself up, becoming the eternal Passover Lamb. Today, this sacrifice is manifested for us in the Eucharist, which takes place on that Altar in our Church.

The Altar, then, truly is a symbol of Christ which deserves to be venerated. I am not talking about a full genuflection or kneeling, but maybe just a keen awareness of its presence and a simple but honorable bow whenever it is being passed or crossed. This is not just a table but a place for the Eucharist to rest during the Mass and Adoration. And keep in mind that the Eucharist truly is the physical presence of Christ, not just a symbolic one. And there are very few places where we set the Eucharist down.

I heard from the same Priest that on Good Friday, when we strip the Altar bare, it is actually Christ that we are stripping as he prepares to be hung on the cross. It is this humiliation of his that he endured willfully for our sake. Why? Because he saw us as his best friends. And that is what friends do for each other—endure humiliation, even until death. And we thank him and honor him for this by venerating those things that remind us of him.