As Fr. Hunwicke's beautiful post explains, facing east during prayer was a significant action for the earliest Christians and remained so until very recently.
The Liturgical Movement and the Second Vatican Council sought to reform what they saw as (I can only presume) as a distant and remote liturgy by changing the direction the priest faced while presiding at the Eucharist. While the desire to create a stronger worshipping community was a laudable one, re-orienting the direction of the priest from facing east (toward the rising sun, and symbolically toward Christ) to facing the people also created an insidious form of clericalism. In other words, the action only became 'authentic' if the priest faced the people; the pattern changed from a gathered community all facing east (toward Christ) to a gathered community facing one another. The emphasis in worship moved ever so slightly from God to the community, and specifically to the liturgical leader of the community, the clergy. So worship became legitimate only if one could make eye contact with the clergy, which frankly, puts the priest in a dangerous position and invests in the priest a significance that should be reserved for God alone.
(I am not saying that a Mass celebrated versus populum--facing the people--is invalid or lacking. I have attended countless celebrations of the Holy Mysteries oriented this way and have been deeply moved and formed by them. But I do recognize from experience as both a lay person and now as a priest that an emphasis upon a personal relationship with the priest during worship can have unintended consequences that lead to clericalism and to de-emphasizing the transcendence of God.)
If you have ever had the chance to visit our wonderful parish church of St. Paul in Chester, you will know that both our High Altar and the Altar in the Chapel of the Ascension face liturgical East. When I or any other priest celebrate Mass at St. Paul's we do not have our backs to the people. Rather, we are joining with the people to face east toward the coming of Christ to His people. There is a wonderful equality in this arrangement. I may not be able to make constant eye contact with the people during the Canon of the Mass (the Eucharistic Prayer), but perhaps this is a good thing. Perhaps it reminds us--priest and people alike--that it is to Christ we address our prayers, and only through the grace and self-offering of Christ that we are acceptable to God?
So if you have the opportunity to worship at St. Paul's and find this eastward orientation unusual or new, please know that it is an ancient orientation toward the beauty and joy of the coming Christ, whom we receive in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar. And if you take the opportunity to worship at St. Paul's, please also know that it will be our privilege to welcome you into our community and look together toward the coming of Jesus Christ, who is the eternal light of the world.
2 comments:
Fr. Kroh - the parish I serve in, St. Paul's in Brooklyn, also has an eastward facing alter. I've only celebrated facing the people about three times in my priestly life.
I find myself feeling absolutely unworthy to face the people as if I am somehow better than they are. I need to face Christ as much as they do - as we all do!
Father, I completely agree. When I celerate Mass VP I feel as if I am doing something for the people rather than with them. It has always made me feel as if it's about me rather than God. Of course, I know our opinion is that of a timy minority in our church, but VP celebration makes me somenow feel self-important.
A colleague visited my parish two weeks ago and expressed astonishment that I can 'stand having my back to everybody.' But standing on one side of the Altar (in a space by default for the clergy alone) while the rest of God's people watch me from the other side makes me feel, as you say, absolutely unworthy.
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