This series of posts has attempted to give an overview of the history and place of the practices of reservation, adoration, exposition, and benediction as associated with the Holy Eucharist. In part, the genesis of the series was the occasional question asked on “the sidewalk of the church” whether our church offers Eucharistic Adoration. What they are really asking is whether the parish has Eucharistic Exposition ending with Eucharistic Benediction. Continue reading →

Today some churches are able to have a chapel where perpetual adoration (latria) is available to the faithful. In the liturgical regulation “perpetual” does not necessarily mean 24-hours per day, but there are parishes where that is a possibility. The one inviolable requirement is that the exposed Eucharist not be left alone. Thus, some parishes have extended periods, e.g. 12 hours per day, when the Eucharist is in exposition. Continue reading →

There has been reservation and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament since the early days of the Church. But it was only in the 13th century that instructions and norms for tabernacles were established. But with the 16th century Council of Trent, a new era began in the devotion of the faithful to Christ’s Real Presence in the Eucharist. Continue reading →

The title of this post might strike you as odd but there is a history. There was a trend in the history of the Church, some point to periods as early as the 4th century, when the reception of the Eucharist began to diminish. There was not a corresponding diminishment of faith, orthodoxy or rejection of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, rather it was a growing sense of not being worthy. The history and scholarly opinions on the underlying reasons are subject of much ink and debate, but from that period of history up into the middle ages, various synods, local councils and Church councils directed that there was a minimum for the reception of the Eucharist. We see that legacy today in the “Easter Duty,” the reception of the Holy Eucharist at least once during the Easter Season. This trend seems to have been consistent up to the 9th century when another issue arose. Continue reading →

The very first post in this series was titled “Reservation, Adoration, Exposition, and Benediction: The Eucharist Outside of Mass.” Earlier posts covered the history and practice of reserving the Eucharist which, in time, led to the norm and use of tabernacles in the Church. A previous post also discussed the lexicon of the Catholic faith with regard to reverence for the Eucharist. The precise term is latria which in our time is translated as “adore” or “worship” – and is reserved for use in speaking of God and because of our doctrine of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist – also when referring to the Eucharist. Continue reading →

The previous post asked: “What impact would the reforms of Vatican II have on the placement of the tabernacle in Catholic Churches – especially the ones being designed and built in the years following Vatican II? Today’s post offers an answer to that question. Continue reading →

The first norms governing tabernacles were only promulgated in the Middle Ages. While monastic communities internally developed some norms and practices, there were no uniform customs regarding where tabernacles were to be located in churches. The Church had been operating for more than 1200 years. Continue reading →

The Church has always been conscious of the respectful care of consecrated Eucharist and in providing for a place where the Eucharist can be kept at the conclusion of Mass. This place is now commonly known as the Tabernacle. The Latin word is tabernaculum, a hut or tent and conveys the idea of a structure at which or in which to dwell or to rest. Continue reading →

This series does not undertake to explain the Catholic doctrine of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist; that is perhaps for another time, although the Catechism is an excellent place to begin your own research (para. 1373 is a good starting point). Our starting point will be in the reservation of the Eucharist. Continue reading →