Continuing off of yesterday's post on the significance of Christ's sacrifice on the Cross and its connection to the marital act, I decided to post some interesting traditions of the Catholic Church when it comes to the celebration of the Eucharist. Sometimes if you walk into a Catholic Church, you may see a large metal, wood, or marble canopy hovering over the main altar supported by four columns. This architectural piece, called a Baldachin(Baldacchino) or a ciborium magnum, is one that has a long history, stemming back to the very beginnings of Christianity. Once out of the catacombs, the Christians desired to adorn and dignify the altar.Thus, while the altar retained its primitive simplicity of form and proportions, the baldachinum gave it the architecturalimportance which its surroundings demanded. By its dais-like effect, it designated the altar as a throne of honour. It served also the practical purpose of supporting, between its, the altar-curtains, while from its roof were suspended lamps, vases, richly ornamented crowns, and other altar decorations. The summit was surmounted by the altar-cross. (New Advent).
However, not only did the early Christians do this to dignify the altar, but it also had great spiritual significance linked to the analogy of Christ as Bridegroom and the Church as His bride. Bishop William K. Weigand explains this symbolism:
The baldachin hangs over the altar in a similar way that a baldachin or canopyFurther evidence that the baldachin over the altar images a canopy over a marriage bed, is the early tradition of having curtains in between the pillars of the baldachin; this is exactly like bed canopies which included curtains in between the bed posts. Here are some illustrations of the traditional marriage bed:
may hang over a marriage bed shared by husband and wife. (In a Jewish wedding,
the groom receives the bride under a baldachin.) The Church is the bride of
Christ. When the Eucharist is celebrated, our spousal relationship with Christ
is renewed. (Diocese of Sacramento)
Now compare those marriage beds to two baldachins featured on the New Liturgical Movement, complete with curtains:
As one can see, the correlations between the two are almost unmistakable.Finally, to illustrate the point more fully, here is an explanation of the relationship between Christ's sacrifice on the cross, the nuptial union, and the celebration of the Eucharist by Fr. Thomas Loya and Christopher West:
Baldacchino in St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City
[Photos: New Advent; Wikimedia Commons; NLM; Wikimedia commons]
Like a husband in the marital act, on the Cross Christ gives his body freely, faithfully, fully and fruitfully to His bride. He spends Himself entirely on the Cross and takes on the same posture as a husband after having made love with His wife—a “little death.” The blood and water that flowed from the side of Christ was, to quote the famous modern day Catholic Bishop Fulton J. Sheen, the “spiritual seminal fluid” of the Bridegroom Christ. This is why in my church we sing with great exuberance on the days of Pascha (Easter:) “Christ emerges from the tomb like a bridegroom from the bridal chamber and fills the women with great joy!” Wow! Now is that sexual or what!? That’s the Church. The real Church. And it is also the real “why” behind our being male and female and our whole powerful incredible world of human sexuality.A husband and wife actually find the meaning of their marital union in the Liturgy, in particular the Eucharist. Christ instituted the Eucharist at the Mystical (Last) Supper by saying, “TAKE, eat, this is MY BODY.” These are the same words a husband and wife say to each other in the language of their bodies during their marital embrace (sexual intercourse). Their embrace finds its meaning in the Eucharist which in turn finds its meaning in the consummation of the mystical marriage on the Cross which in turn finds its ultimate fulfillment in the “Wedding Feast of the Lamb” in Heaven. So says the Bible. The bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ makes possible the ultimate fulfillment of what is only foreshadowed in the marital union of husband and wife. All of this is stamped in the language, the “theology” of our bodies. (Catholic Exchange)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------To summarize it all, in the Eucharistic liturgy every time we receive Holy Communion, we "consummate" our union with Christ! We receive Jesus Himself, body, blood, soul and divinity poured out for us! This should radically change our approach to Holy Communion. Instead of going up to receive a simple piece of bread, we as Catholics should process to the sanctuary to be united with our Lover, Christ the Bridegroom!
St. Augustine wrote, “Like a bridegroom Christ went forth from his chamber.... He came to the marriage-bed of the cross, and there in mounting it, he consummated his marriage. And when he perceived the sighs of the creature, he lovingly gave himself up to the torment in place of his bride, and joined himself to [her] forever” (On the Good of Marriage). Saint Mechtilde, a German mystic of the 13th century, echoed the same idea when he wrote that Christ’s “noble nuptial bed was the very hard wood of the Cross on which he leaped with more joy and ardor then a delighted bridegroom” (cited by Blaise Arminjon in The Cantata of Love).
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Contemplating this spousal symbolism opens up treasures for us. Just as the first Adam was put into a deep sleep and Eve came from his side, so the new Adam accepts the slumber of death and the new Eve is born of his side (see CCC 766). This is often portrayed artistically by an image of “the woman” (Mary) holding a chalice – or sometimes a large jug reminiscent of Cana – at the foot of the cross receiving the flow of blood and water from Christ’s side. The blood and water, of course, symbolize the “nuptial bath” of Baptism and the “wedding feast” of the Eucharist. (Christopher West)
Baldacchino in St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City[Photos: New Advent; Wikimedia Commons; NLM; Wikimedia commons]
