What is the meaning of a Catholic Saint being "Raised to the Altar"?
score:4
What is the meaning of a Catholic Saint being "Raised to the Altar"?
"Raised to the honour of the altars" is an old expression which has a very deep historical tradition.
In the Early Church, the mass was often celebrated in the catacombs, where priests often say mass next to or over the tombs of the martyrs.
For the first three centuries the Eucharist celebrated in houses, in homes and in secret.
For the first three centuries the Eucharist was celebrated in the houses and homes of Christians. In times of persecution these celebrations would have been in secret, in catacombs and other hidden spots. At other times Christians gathered together openly in each others’ homes or in ‘house churches’ for the Eucharist though Mass was not celebrated publicly as it is in our own time. - The Early Church
When the Church gained the freedom to worship openly, she started to build churches which contained stone altars. These altars eventually contained a portion of the body of a Martyr, known as as relic.
The Mass is the apex of our faith while here on earth and the Catholic tradition that exists now (over the long centuries), is that only the relics of canonized saints may be placed in consecrated altars in Catholic churches. Thus the saints are actually raised to the honour of the altars.
The tradition of placing relics in altars goes back to the persecution of Christians in Rome. As early as 125 A.D., Christians crept into the catacombs below the city of Rome to celebrate Mass. Early priests chose the tombs of Christian martyrs as altars.
This tradition continues today in most of the altars in Catholic churches around the world. Our altar contains a recess in the mensa (or tabletop) that contains five relics. The relics are sealed under an altar stone.
All but one of our relics are first class relics, meaning that they come from the saint’s body and are usually a small piece of bone or hair. The second class relic is taken from one of the belongings of that saint, often a piece of fabric from the clothing worn by that saint. - The Five Relics in the Altar
More post
- 📝 Has the Anglo-Catholic understanding of suicide changed in the 20th-21st century enough to render Chesterton's comparison with martyrdom irrelevant?
- 📝 What does it mean to judge the fatherless?
- 📝 What is the history of offertories?
- 📝 Is Christianity just a belief system, or is it also a system for organizing and governing society?
- 📝 Reformed perspective on "It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us" (Acts 15:28)
- 📝 Was Jesus in unity with the Holy Spirit?
- 📝 Can Catholics or other Christians support ending abortion without making it illegal?
- 📝 If Joseph Smith "inaccurately" translated Egyptian hieroglyphs in his Book of Abraham, does this cast doubt on his translation, the Book of Mormon?
- 📝 How does the LDS church back up the statement "I'm stronger than Satan"?
- 📝 What is the biblical basis for the claim that abortion is immoral?
- 📝 What is the history behind Angelus prayer?
- 📝 Is Padre Pio known to have sworn, at least rarely?
- 📝 Why have a photo of the bishop in the sacristy?
- 📝 Is a marriage between a transman and transwoman in accordance with Roman Catholic canon law?
- 📝 Can we really claim to have the power of God's heritage?
- 📝 At what time did the scourging at the pillar take place on Good Friday?
- 📝 Why there isn't a daily prayer structure like Liturgy of the Hours among Protestants?
- 📝 What is the biblical basis for the belief that the soul/spirit continues after death?
- 📝 Is Christianity evolved from shamanism?
- 📝 How did the Crusades impact modern Christianity?
- 📝 Is there a quote/saying in bible "Do not close the mouth of a bull which threshes the grain"?
- 📝 How do the Eastern Orthodox interpret this verse from Psalm 69:3?
- 📝 Which scriptures tells us that Jesus laughed or was happy?
- 📝 Why doesn't the Orthodox church consider Saint Augustine Doctor and Father?
- 📝 What kind of baptism do the Anglican's practice?
- 📝 What are the main arguments Protestants use against the idea of the perpetual virginity of Mary?
- 📝 How do I verbalize "Lesson: 1 John 4:7-21"?
- 📝 What significance do the church fathers attribute to Simon of Cyrene carrying the cross of Christ?
- 📝 Is the 'Jazz Mass' still able to be celebrated?
- 📝 Does a Mass intention have any value now, if the Mass will be held, possibly, a year later?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 What is the meaning of a Catholic Saint being "Raised to the Altar"?
- 📝 What is the reasoning for Latin being the official language of Catholic Mass?
- 📝 What is the consequence of being baptized twice, according to the Catholic Church?
- 📝 What is the meaning of peoples being divided up "according to the number of the gods" in Deuteronomy 32?
- 📝 What exactly is the meaning of the text of Doxology in the concluding part of Catholic Eucharistic prayer?
- 📝 From Catholic perspective, what is the meaning of the tearing of the veil at the death of Christ?
- 📝 Catholic - What are the best arguments for Mark 16:9-20 being Inspired scripture?
- 📝 What does the Catholic Church think about God being defined as "that than which nothing greater can be conceived"?
- 📝 What is the meaning of "Advocata Nostra" according to Catholic Tradition & Teaching?
- 📝 What is the Catholic view of water being turned into wine at Cana?
- 📝 What are the criteria for a saint becoming the Patron saint of something in the Catholic Church?
- 📝 What are the major arguments Protestants make for the Catholic Church being apostate?
- 📝 What is the biblical basis for in the catholic theology of a priest being in "persona christi"?
- 📝 What is the biblical basis for Jesus being God incarnate?
- 📝 What is the Roman Catholic view on Matthew 23:9?
- 📝 What is the meaning of "let the dead bury their dead"?
- 📝 What is the origin of the Catholic apocrypha?
- 📝 What were the Nephilim, and what role did they play in the Bible beyond just being mentioned?
- 📝 What were Martin Luther's main disagreements with the Catholic Church?
- 📝 What is the meaning and origin of bridal veils in Christian weddings?
- 📝 At what point is a new soul created according to the Catholic Church?
- 📝 What is the specific meaning of "die" in Genesis 2?
- 📝 What is the purpose and meaning of the Christian Flag?
- 📝 What is the Catholic Church's answer to Nancy Pelosi's argument of a double standard between abortion and the death penalty?
- 📝 What are the steps to become Confirmed in the Catholic church?
- 📝 What effect did the Reformation have inside the Catholic Church?
- 📝 What is the Catholic teaching on the use of animals?
- 📝 What does the Catholic church teach about fate of non-Catholic christians?
- 📝 What does the Roman Catholic church teach about those who die having never heard of Christ?
- 📝 What is the meaning of 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice'?