Liturgical Reverence to the Altar: Bow, Kiss, and Incensation describes distinct Roman Rite gestures honoring the altar as the center of Eucharistic thanksgiving and the sign of Christ, without treating the material altar as a deity or devotional image.
Why the altar receives reverence
The altar is the table of the Lord and the place on which the sacrifice of the Cross is made sacramentally present under sacred signs. A dedicated altar also signifies Christ, the living stone around whom the Church is built. Ministers therefore approach it with prescribed reverence, and the celebration unfolds in relation to it. This honor is liturgical and relative: Catholics worship the triune God alone. They do not adore stone, wood, relics, craftsmanship, or the personality of the priest who stands there.
At the entrance, the priest and deacon make a profound bow to the altar unless the tabernacle containing the Blessed Sacrament is located in the sanctuary, in which case the prescribed genuflection is made according to the General Instruction. They then kiss the altar. At the conclusion they kiss it again, after which the priest, deacon, and other ministers make the required profound bow. These gestures have their own objects and moments; combining them casually or multiplying private signs can obscure rather than deepen the Church's language.
Bow and genuflection are not interchangeable
A bow of the body expresses profound reverence and is made to the altar at the appointed times. A genuflection, made by bending the right knee to the ground, signifies adoration and is directed to the Blessed Sacrament and, on specified days, to the Holy Cross. When a tabernacle is in the sanctuary, the ministers genuflect on entering and leaving but ordinarily not each time they cross during Mass. Exact observance avoids both casual neglect and a restless multiplication of genuflections not prescribed by the rite.
The liturgical kiss
The priest and deacon kiss the altar at the beginning and end as an inherited sign of reverence and communion with the sacred action centered there. The gesture is not a greeting to a building, a reenactment of romantic affection, or an optional display of personal devotion. Concelebrants and other ministers follow the directions applicable to their role and the form of celebration. Where a bishop presides, the Ceremonial of Bishops and approved books govern rather than local invention.
Incensation and its ordered meanings
The altar may be incensed at the entrance and again during the preparation of the gifts. When detached from a wall, the priest incenses it while walking around it; when attached, he incenses it while passing along the side. A cross on or near the altar is incensed before the altar when the arrangement permits, or when the priest passes it. Incense then extends to the offerings, the cross, the priest because of his sacred ministry, concelebrants and people because of baptismal dignity, and the Eucharistic species after consecration.[1]
These uses do not all assert the same presence or rank. Incense can express sacrifice, prayer rising to God, purification, honor, and reverence according to its object and moment. Incensing the people does not adore them, and incensing an altar does not make the altar equal to the Eucharist. The thurifer, deacon, and priest observe the approved pattern so that a single sign bears the Church's received meanings. Liturgical Inculturation may adapt forms only through competent authority, not through a celebrant's spontaneous symbolism.[2]
Noble simplicity and obedient care
A parish should train ministers in posture, spacing, safety, and the distinction among altar, tabernacle, processional cross, and images. Architectural difficulty can require practical judgment, but it does not justify treating every sanctuary object alike. Fire precautions, allergies, mobility limits, and local law deserve prudent accommodation. Such care should preserve the sign insofar as possible and avoid embarrassing a disabled minister or turning reverence into a public test of agility.
Correct gestures are neither empty etiquette nor guarantees of holiness. They form the body in ecclesial worship when joined to faith, humility, and charity. A flawlessly executed bow cannot compensate for contempt toward the faithful, and pastoral warmth cannot authorize deletion of the Church's rites. Liturgical Reverence to the Altar therefore embodies the Catholic both-and: visible discipline serving interior worship, the dignity of a dedicated material sign pointing beyond itself, and legitimate variety held within the communion of the Roman Rite.[3]
References
- 1.General Instruction of the Roman Missal — Authoritative Roman Rite norms for the preparation of the gifts, Orate fratres and the people's response, the Prayer over the Offerings, reverence to the altar, bows, kisses, genuflections, incensation, ministerial roles, and faithful observance
- 2.Redemptionis Sacramentum — The instruction safeguarding the Eucharistic mystery through fidelity to approved books, the distinct offices of ordained and lay participants, the rights of the faithful, reverence, correction of abuses, and competent liturgical authority
- 3.Sacrosanctum Concilium — Vatican II's constitution on Christ's action in the sacred liturgy, the Church's public worship, full and conscious participation, liturgical authority, noble simplicity, sacred signs, and the duty to preserve legitimate rites obediently