A Treasure To Be Shared

https://www.thecatholicthing.org/2019/03/16/the-communion-rail-and-complementarity/ The opening lines from an article by Fr. Jerry J. Pokorsky. Read more at the link above. The traditional Communion rail has functional and sacramental purposes. It distinguishes the sanctuary from the nave and the priest from the people. The architectural logic of the Communion rail symbolizes the sacred (“set apart”) and ministerial priesthood with the priest offering Mass as a mediator in Christ the Head. The priest, as male, images Jesus as the Divine Bridegroom in union with His beloved Church. And he feeds the Bride of Christ at the Communion rail, from the “table of the Lord.” Bride and Bridegroom are distinct but never divorced. The Communion rail accentuates the sanctuary as the “Holy of Holies” hearkening back to Jewish worship. The Mosaic Law dictates the preparations of an Old Testament priest – cleanliness, vestments, offerings – for entry into the “Holy of Holies.” (Lev. 16...

photo: http://peregrinacionvirtual.blogspot.ca/2013/05/32-nuestra-senora-de-walsingham_17.html The Beauty of Order Souls need beauty. Beauty is ordered; order is beautiful. Souls need true spiritual structure(s), order, to support a right orientation to God. Communion rails or altar rails, like iconostases and rood screens, provide a focus whereby worshippers, i.e., communicants, can draw near to the Lord in confidence. The rail reminds us that God is above us and yet not distant from us. The altar or communion rail identifies the arena in which the most profound Mystery one can encounter in this life becomes present. When we altar servers approach the sanctuary, we do so by kneeling at the Foot of the Altar. In a sense, we are kneeling at the feet of the Lord. Crossing the Line The altar rail provides a distinction between the profane and the sacred. When a soul has a clear distinction between the sacred and profane to guide them, it is much easier to see where one sh...