Advice On The Use Of The Table

The visual appearance of the Table or altar is important in communicating its meaning. This article offers advice for how to present the Table so that it will serve as a symbol of Christ's presence with the people at worship. The holy Table is the physical focal point of every eucharistic place. It must never be overpowered by decorative architecture or suspended crosses; never compromised by the proximity of other major objects such as chair, tabernacle, or baptismal font; never trivialized by minor objects such as bookstands, microphones, cruets, flower vases, devotional aids, and the like being left on it. Roman tradition, despite lapses here and there, has always regarded the holy Table as the main architectural symbol of Christ's abiding presence among his people, recalling to them constantly their fundamental nature as a Table fellowship in him. The Table in this sense is a "blessed sacrament" in its own way and should be treated with the same degree of reverence accorded the s…