Why Is There No Crucifix At The Altar Of Icksp?

[Nihil Obstat]

Nihil,

 

That is a picture of a very beautiful altar. This is my personal sentiment, that the utmost deference should be to Our Lord, and in my old-timer's eyes, this shows a very high devotion to Christ on the crucifix.

 

My eyesight is not too good, what are the images in between the candles?

 

Thanks.

I believe those are reliquaries. At least that is where I would expect reliquaries to go. They seem to have quite a few.

 

So if that particular icon is fine, why is an icon of the Infant of Prague not ok in your mind? Is it simply that the crucifixion must, in your opinion, be the predominant image on the altar, whether it is an actual crucifix or an icon?

[PhuturePriest]

Further, the elevation height, in many respects, comes down to the height of the priest. 

 

Does this mean mine would be two inches off the ground?
 

[reminiscere]

I can immediately think of a dozen churches built long before Vatican II in my home diocese that have statues of the Blessed Mother or other saints in the top niche of the high altar above the altar crucifix. It doesn't deter from Christ, and the altar crucifix is not the point of the Mass, it's the Sacrifice itself being offered. 

[reminiscere]

I live in Rome and I can tell you that many of the churches and basilicas here have statues of Christ, the Blessed Mother or other Saints also above their altars. 

 

I guess according to you that even though these were designed centuries before Vatican II, that the various side altars in the Vatican are all wrong too; what with their huge paintings of St. Sebastian, St. Petronilla, St. Michael, St. Joseph, the Blessed Mother, etc. etc. Yes all altars have an altar crucifix but the images behind them are so much larger and so it means that the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and Church are doomed.  

[truthfinder]

Paul, 

I'm sorry that I was short with you in my first post.  

I will state though if your concern is about the elevation to the crucifix vs. a statue - either action would be idolatry - but this is not what is happening. It seems as well as if you have a limited understanding of tradition, as many of the others have pointed out about churches constructed pre-Vatican II.  

[pdavis]

Cross, Altar and the Right Way of Praying; January 1, 2012 By Fr. Stefan Heid
Fr. Stefan Heid is professor of the History of Christian Culture, Liturgy, and Hagiography at the Pontifical Institute of Christian Archeology in Rome.

http://www.hprweb.com/.../cross-altar-and-the-right-way.../

The cross on the altar is for the priest, facing him with its corpus, while the faithful look at their cross above the altar. Even in the ordo novus, the rubric at this point reads: “He (the priest) raises his eyes.” But where exactly is the priest supposed to be looking, at the church ceiling? So when the priest in reciting a prayer is required to look upward, rather than simply staring into space, the obvious focal point is a high-standing cross on the main altar. On the contrary, the altar is the place of prayer: the cross belongs there, and, indeed, even more so, on the main altar. It is the place of raising one’s hands, mind and eyes to “look upon the one whom they have pierced.” Here, heaven opened up at the moment when darkness covered the earth: the Sun of Righteousness on the cross was raised up at the center of the earth, making our darkness light.