Sacred Space is a concept that is understood by quite a number of people. It is the thought that there are places where God's Grace specially touches where people receive more grace. The concept is seen in the book of Exodus, when God entered the tabernacle of the Hebrews in the desert: "then the cloud covered the meeting tent, and the glory of the Lord filled the Dwelling" (40:34). The concept is extended in the New Testament to include even the physical presence of the Apostles: "[the people] even carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on cots and mats so that when Peter came by, at least his shadow might fall on one or another of them... and they were all cured" (Acts 5:15-16).
The Western Church preserves an understanding of Sacred Space in her churches, tabernacles, and Sacraments, but also has an understanding of Liturgical Time - which is Sacred Time.
The Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel in his book "The Architecture of Time" says that it is significant that the first consecrated thing in the Old Testament was a day; the people were not just to remember God's rest - they were to enter into that rest by resting themselves. The Catholic Church takes this concept and applies it to the life of Christ, which all people are called to enter into.
In this season of Advent, the tone of the Church's prayers, Masses, and celebrations throughout the world are anticipatory; we are waiting for the coming of the Lord. In the Liturgy of the Hours, which are the prayers said seven times a day throughout the world by priests, the first antiphon is "The Lord will come from His holy place to save His people." We profess the coming of Christ every day in the Mass during the Sactus when we say the words that the angels said at Jesus' birth: "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts. Heaven and Earth are full of your glory; hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest." But during Christmas we will enter into the mystery of His coming in a special way, and it requires preporation. The Incarnation is so very central to salvation that the Church has a preporatory season so that we become like the faithful Israelites waiting for the Messiah.
During Advent, we are like Simeon and Anna - who represent faithful Israel. We wait daily in the temple and watch for the coming of the Lord. We say with the Psalmist of Psalm 144 "Reach down from heaven and save me; draw me out from the mighty waters." We weep with the musicians of Psalm 137 who say in exile "by the rivers of Babylon there we sat and wept, remembering Zion; on the poplars that grew there we hung up our harps." Because we have sinned, and fallen short of the glory of God. But we have hope, because we know that Christmas is coming.
When Our Lord arrives, then we will sing the Gloria again; during Advent it is not sung (see below). We will proclaim with Zechariah that "[the Lord] has come to His people and set them free" (Lk. 1:68). Anticipating our final end, we will say with Simeon "now You let your servant go in peace; Your word has been fulfilled: my own eyes have seen the salvation which you have prepared in the sight of every people" (Lk. 2:29-31).
Pope Benedict XVI says of the Mass "let us discover the intimate riches of the Church's liturgy and its true greatness: it is not we who are celebrating for ourselves, but it is the living God Himself who is preparing a banquet for us" (Heart of the Christian Life, 25). That is the reason that we really don't care when the literal date of the birth of Christ is; we enter into it intimately and completely - body and soul. During the opening prayer of the Mass on Christmas day, the words are "this is the night, that Christ is born;" the words are in the present-tense, not past. It is as if we celebrate the incarnational coming of Christ right now.
Forty-nine Christians from the city of Abitene in the year 304 were captured by the Roman proconcil Anulinus. When asked why they disobeyed the Emporer's order forbidding Christians to gather on Sunday, one of them responded "Sine dominico non possumus" - without Sunday we cannot live. Those martyrs understood Sacred Time, and that by entering into the Eucharist, they were entering in to the live of Christ Himself. In this holy season of Advent, may we all come closer to the incarnational reality of the imminent Lord.
W.A. Mozart: Gloria (Coronation Mass in C-major K317) - YouTube
The Western Church preserves an understanding of Sacred Space in her churches, tabernacles, and Sacraments, but also has an understanding of Liturgical Time - which is Sacred Time.
The Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel in his book "The Architecture of Time" says that it is significant that the first consecrated thing in the Old Testament was a day; the people were not just to remember God's rest - they were to enter into that rest by resting themselves. The Catholic Church takes this concept and applies it to the life of Christ, which all people are called to enter into.
In this season of Advent, the tone of the Church's prayers, Masses, and celebrations throughout the world are anticipatory; we are waiting for the coming of the Lord. In the Liturgy of the Hours, which are the prayers said seven times a day throughout the world by priests, the first antiphon is "The Lord will come from His holy place to save His people." We profess the coming of Christ every day in the Mass during the Sactus when we say the words that the angels said at Jesus' birth: "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts. Heaven and Earth are full of your glory; hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest." But during Christmas we will enter into the mystery of His coming in a special way, and it requires preporation. The Incarnation is so very central to salvation that the Church has a preporatory season so that we become like the faithful Israelites waiting for the Messiah.
During Advent, we are like Simeon and Anna - who represent faithful Israel. We wait daily in the temple and watch for the coming of the Lord. We say with the Psalmist of Psalm 144 "Reach down from heaven and save me; draw me out from the mighty waters." We weep with the musicians of Psalm 137 who say in exile "by the rivers of Babylon there we sat and wept, remembering Zion; on the poplars that grew there we hung up our harps." Because we have sinned, and fallen short of the glory of God. But we have hope, because we know that Christmas is coming.
When Our Lord arrives, then we will sing the Gloria again; during Advent it is not sung (see below). We will proclaim with Zechariah that "[the Lord] has come to His people and set them free" (Lk. 1:68). Anticipating our final end, we will say with Simeon "now You let your servant go in peace; Your word has been fulfilled: my own eyes have seen the salvation which you have prepared in the sight of every people" (Lk. 2:29-31).
Pope Benedict XVI says of the Mass "let us discover the intimate riches of the Church's liturgy and its true greatness: it is not we who are celebrating for ourselves, but it is the living God Himself who is preparing a banquet for us" (Heart of the Christian Life, 25). That is the reason that we really don't care when the literal date of the birth of Christ is; we enter into it intimately and completely - body and soul. During the opening prayer of the Mass on Christmas day, the words are "this is the night, that Christ is born;" the words are in the present-tense, not past. It is as if we celebrate the incarnational coming of Christ right now.
Forty-nine Christians from the city of Abitene in the year 304 were captured by the Roman proconcil Anulinus. When asked why they disobeyed the Emporer's order forbidding Christians to gather on Sunday, one of them responded "Sine dominico non possumus" - without Sunday we cannot live. Those martyrs understood Sacred Time, and that by entering into the Eucharist, they were entering in to the live of Christ Himself. In this holy season of Advent, may we all come closer to the incarnational reality of the imminent Lord.
W.A. Mozart: Gloria (Coronation Mass in C-major K317) - YouTube