The Deacon

One of the observations I frequently hear from those who attend an Eastern-rite Catholic liturgy is that the sense of reverence strikes them. The word “reverence” comes from the Latin reverential, meaning “awe” or “respect.” In the Catholic tradition, reverence is considered a virtue that can and should be cultivated in the soul, and is an act showing the proper honor and respect toward all persons, places, things associated with God, the Church, family, those in service, etc.

Unfortunately, Western society has developed a casual and even, at times, disrespectful attitude toward the sacred.

Within parish churches this is not helped by some of the attitudes and behaviors on the part of those in ordained ministry or those who help to serve around the altar and who perhaps treat the celebration of the Eucharist in a manner that is more akin to a family meal at home or, worse, a fast-food restaurant! At the opposite extreme, of course, there are those who seem to want to make the liturgy a form of stiff theatrical performance, with the sanctuary as a stage and the nave holding an audience who demonstrate a passive sense of decorum.

I would argue that the remedy to these extremes is the intentional cultivation of the virtue of reverence, demonstrating a sense of awe, honor and respect to people, places and things that are consecrated to God as holy.

The Catholic Church, in both the East and the West, has wrestled for 2,000 years with the proper way to maintain a sense of reverence in churches and other sacred environs, such as shrines, monasteries and religious houses. The reason for doing this is quite simple: God is with us, and he is holy.

This is highlighted, for instance, near the conclusion of Sunday Orthros (Byzantine matins) when the antiphon “Holy is our Lord our God” (cf. Ps 99:9) is sung three times with the verse, “Exalt the Lord our God and worship at his footstool, for he is holy” (v. 5).

The Hebrew word for “holy” is kadosh, which is a word signifying something that is awe-inspiring, sacred and distinct from profane things. God is the source of holiness since he is the superlative of holy — that is, “Holy, Holy, Holy”). The reference to the footstool is associated in the Psalms with the Ark of the Covenant, and may hearken back to the time when the 70 elders of Israel ascended Mount Sinai to be in communion with God, but were only permitted to see his feet upon the mountain duriing this glorious theophany (cf. Ex 24:9-10). This same glory is embodied liturgically in the tabernacle with the Shekinah glory cloud over the Ark in the Holy of Holies.

In the Byzantine Christian tradition, the footstool of God is the cross of Jesus Christ, which is placed centrally in the sanctuary of the church. As the Book of Hebrews relates, in the church we have not come to Mount Sinai and to the “blazing fire, gloomy darkness and storm,” but rather to “Mount Zion and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and countless angels in festal gathering, and the assembly of the firstborn enrolled in heaven, and God the judge of all, and the spirits of the just made perfect, and Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant” (cf. 12:18-24). The liturgy is this place of a holy encounter with the glory of God surrounded by the saints and angels while standing before our judge in the royal throne room.

The Eastern Churches make very intentional efforts to help maintain this sense of God’s holy and heavenly presence in our midst — especially in the Eucharist — and to guard and cultivate the virtue of reverence that should flow from this awareness as we participate in the worship:

• The church is treated symbolically as a tripartite mountain-temple which we all ascend in prayer.

• The sanctuary and nave especially are adorned with holy icons of Christ, the angels and the saints, most especially the Virgin Mary.

• We face in an eastern direction, toward the Lord who is seen as returning in glory.

• The liturgies are all sung or chanted, generally without instrumentation, and not only by the choir, but by the clergy and the faithful.

• The icons and the people are incensed as a reminder of the clouds of the High Place, the fragrance of paradise, the presence of the saints as a cloud of witnesses and our ascending prayers.

• Vestments are considered luminous garments, reflecting the divine glory of God, which now clothes us by grace.

• The exhortation and petitions of the deacon are for both the other clergy and the faithful to be attentive and to pray.

• Holy Communion is distributed with prayerful respect and devotion.

While the East has its own particular style and order to these practices and signs of celebration, it is important to stress that the West also has these signs, and they serve the same symbolic and participatory value for laity and clergy. As ordained clergy in proximity to holy things, we are especially charged with helping to guard and cultivate the virtue of reverence among the assembled clergy and faithful since in our prayer we stand before the holy presence of a holy God who is with us.

FATHER DANIEL DOZIER is co-founder and chief learning officer for The Center for InMinistry Development and an associate professor of Scripture and Catholic leadership, www.inministrydevelopment.com