Here is a short piece I was prompted to write for next week's newsletter . . .
THE CHURCH
The church is a sacred place where each of us has the privilege of sharing in God’s life and where we shape our lives with God. A ‘sacred place’ means that it has been set aside for the worship of God and for the reception of the sacraments.
The church is not like any other public space; it is not like a hall, a cinema or a theatre. Everything here, that is the art, the architecture, the images communicate one thing – namely, this is a sacred place where God is present.
We belong here, this is our church; laity and clergy alike. The one thing that is required from each of us is RESPECT. That’s why, for example, we are asked to observe an attitude of prayer and silence in God’s house.
The red sanctuary lamp burns day and night indicating that Jesus, God’s only Son, is present in the tabernacle.
Let us renew our love and respect for God’s house and remember, we are in His presence when we come into the church.
5 comments:
A very nice and thoughtfully written article Fr.
I've even re-posted it on my blog for others to take advantage and put it in their newsletters
Thank you, Catholic MC, for your kind words, both here and on your blog. It's always very helpful to receive feedback, especially of the positive kind!
Hi Fr.has the red sanctuary lamp always been used in churches?Was this something that was done also for the Ark of the Covenant?
Young parishoner
Dear Anonymous
Thank you for your query. I'm sorry I've taken a while to reply to you.
Yes, the sanctuary lamp would have been used by the Jewish people in Christ's time, and still is used today.
It's an interesting question and one which I think deserves a detailed explanation. I am preparing a blog post on the subject, so do please keep checking back here.
Thanks Fr.look forward to reading it!young parishoner
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