Bulletin column from February 19, 2023

The prayer book which the priest uses to celebrate Mass is called the Roman Missal. At the beginning of the Missal is a document called the General Instruction of the Roman Missal. This document gives various guides for the celebration of Mass. Paragraph 308, when discussing the decoration of a Church, states: “Either on the altar or near it, there is to be a cross, with the figure of Christ crucified upon it, a cross clearly visible to the assembled people. It is desirable that such a cross should remain near the altar even outside of liturgical celebrations, so as to call to mind for the faithful the saving Passion of the Lord.” At Saint Frances Cabrini the cross on the back wall serves this purpose for the people of God assembled in Church. However, a problem arises for the priest. Due to the priest celebrating Mass with his back towards the crucifix, he does not have a cross to aid him in praying the Mass. As much as I love seeing the wonderful people of God in my life, during the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, I prefer to look upon my crucified Lord. For this reason, starting in lent I will place a cross on the altar.

The purpose for emphasizing the cross during Mass is manifold. For the sake of brevity, I will just mention one purpose. The cross which adorns the altar should remind us that every time we celebrate the Mass, we are announcing “the death of the Lord, until the time when he comes again” (1 Cor 11:26). In our Lord’s memory, we recall by faith the great sacrifice of our Lord, offered once and for all, upon the Cross when he died for us on Good Friday. Furthermore, when Jesus becomes present upon the altar under the appearance of bread and wine (since he himself said that “my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink” (John 6:55)), we are able to sacramentally enter into the presence of the Lord. This is the same Lord who died and rose again. This is the same Lord who offered himself for us on Good Friday. Through the Mass we are brought into the presence of that most perfect sacrifice of praise and worship which Jesus Christ offered to God the Father on Good Friday. Indeed, while it may appear to the physical eyes as if you are in a Church, to the eyes of faith you are in fact on Mount Calvary at the foot of the Cross every time you attend Mass. The cross on the altar is supposed to remind the priest and the faithful of that fact.