The altar of the parish church of Gampern, Upper Austria. The altar in the Catholic Church is used for celebrating the Sacrifice of the Mass. [1] The altar, typically centrally located in the sanctuary, is to be the focus of attention in the church. [2]

At the center of the sanctuary is the altar, the table upon which the Eucharist is celebrated. According to the Catechism, the altar is “the symbol of Christ himself, who is the priest, the victim, and the altar of his own sacrifice” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1383).

An altar is said to be privileged when, in addition to the ordinary fruits of the Eucharistic Sacrifice, a plenary indulgence is also granted whenever Mass is celebrated thereon; the indulgence must be applied to the individual soul for whom Mass is offered. The privileged altar must be a fixed, or immovable, altar, but in a wider sense, that ...

2020年12月11日 · The altar is deeply significant in the Catholic liturgy, and it is rich with symbolism which draws from both the Old and New Testaments. Two principle scriptural images are linked with the altar: The altar of sacrifice in the Temple of Jerusalem, where the Jews would burn offerings of animals, grain, and other foods to God.

In this article, we’ll delve into its theological and spiritual significance, guided by the teachings of the Catholic Church. What is the Altar? The altar is more than a mere table or podium; it is the focal point of the church where the miracle of the Eucharist happens.

2022年9月29日 · When we go back to the beginnings of the Church, the first Christians used two Greek words to describe their Eucharistic table: thusiasterion, meaning “altar,” and trapeza meaning “table.” The words thus express the twofold meaning of the Mass—a holy sacrifice and a sacred banquet.

The Christian altar consists of an elevated surface, tabular in form, on which the sacrifice of the Mass is offered. The earliest Scripture reference to the altar is in St. Paul (I Cor. x, 21); the Apostle contrasts the "table of the Lord" (trapeza Kyriou) on which the Eucharist is offered, with the "table of devils", or pagan altars.

In the New Law the altar is the table on which the Eucharistic Sacrifice is offered. Mass may sometimes be celebrated outside a sacred place, but never without an altar, or at least an altar-stone. In ecclesiastical history we find only two exceptions: St. Lucian (312) is said to have ...

2022年8月24日 · In every Catholic church we find an altar. In a remote mission station, the altar may be the only object in a simple open structure. This suggests that every church is constructed primarily to contain an altar.

For to understand the true symbolism of the altar—so well known to the first centuries of Christianity—is to hold the key to a deeper understanding of the liturgy itself in its essential core which...