Dedication of the Altar
Our Lady of Victory Church
Cincinnati, OH
March 17, 2012

 

          This is a joyful day – especially for this parish community, but for all of us.  With an expectation akin to the longing of Lent, we have patiently waited for this day.  And now, today, this altar – lovingly planned and meticulously crafted – [today this altar] will be set apart for sacred use by the ritual we celebrate in this Mass, The Rite of Dedication of an Altar.  

          This afternoon, we are participating in one of the most beautiful liturgies of the Church.  However, we will understand its meaning only if we appreciate that the rituals are symbolic of the living Church of which we are all members.  In every church, the altar symbolizes Christ, and the walls of the church symbolize the members of the Church – we, the People of God!

          We have already been sprinkled with the waters that were blessed at the very beginning of this Mass as a sign that we are to live our baptism daily with a clean heart faithful to God.  We are not here as mere spectators of today’s dedication.  We must allow our hearts to be cleansed once again with the baptismal waters so as to follow Jesus more fully. 

          Soon we will anoint the altar with the oil of Sacred Chrism.  This most sacred piece of furniture symbolizes Jesus, the anointed of God.  This anointing is to remind us that, through our baptism and confirmation, we too have been anointed to be the followers of Jesus.  We have been anointed to gather around the altar table with Jesus our high priest in the worship of God – His Father, and our Father.  We simply cannot stand around and watch.  We are the anointed children of God.

          The incense rising up to heaven symbolizes Jesus’ offering of Himself to the Father for our salvation.  We, in turn, are incensed because we are God’s holy people who join with Jesus and, through Him, offer our lives to God.

          As soon as the candles are lit, the words of Jesus begin to burn themselves into our minds and hearts:  “You are the light of the world.”  The dedication of this altar, the setting aside of this church building and this altar, [the setting aside of sacred space] becomes empty unless we go out into the world to live our faith in a way that bears witness to the reality and presence of God in all dimensions of life and in all our experiences.  No words are more powerful than the virtuous life of the believer.

          The celebration of the Eucharist by the Bishop and priests, with all of you gathered around this anointed altar, [our celebration of the Eucharist] dedicates this altar for the worship of God.  And the summit of the Church’s activity is to gather around this altar for the Eucharist in which Jesus in His passion, death, and resurrection becomes present so that through Him, and with Him, and in Him all honor and glory is given to the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit.  True worship takes place when the Church offers herself -- that is, when we offer ourselves -- with Jesus to God the Father, all that we are, all that we do.

          Our fullest participation in the great liturgy of Eucharistic worship of the Father occurs when we receive Holy Communion.  In this most intimate communion with Jesus, we become the one body of Christ in communion with one another.  We are fed by the bread of life.  Through the Eucharist, we become ever more the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.

          As long as we, the Church – the living stones – gather here in this church with Christ, the Good Shepherd of the Church, to celebrate the Eucharist around this sacred altar, this church building will always be a holy place, a truly consecrated space.

          However, as beautiful as this altar and the dedication liturgy are, they only a means to a more important end.  The end of this sacred altar, it primary purpose, will be realized only through a spiritual transformation that is within, to which each of us is invited.

          Bertoldo de Giovanni is a name even the most enthusiastic lover of art is unlikely to recognize.  He was a pupil of Donatello, the greatest sculptor of his time, and he was the teacher of Michelangelo, the greatest sculptor of all time.  Michelangelo was only fourteen years old when he came to Bertoldo, but it was already obvious that he was enormously gifted.  Bertoldo was wise enough to realize that gifted people are often tempted to coast rather than to grow, and therefore he kept trying to pressure his young prodigy to work seriously at his art.  One day he came into the studio to find Michelangelo toying with a piece of sculpture far beneath his abilities.  Bertoldo grabbed a hammer, stomped across the room, and smashed the work into tiny pieces, shouting this unforgettable message: “Michelangelo, talent is cheap; dedication is costly!”

          As we dedicate this altar and celebrate this Fourth Sunday in the Lenten Season, may we rededicate our lives to seeking God’s Will and surrendering ourselves to His Will.  From the moment of our conception, God entrusts to each of us gifts and talents needed to bring about His Kingdom.  In this sense, talent is cheap.  It has been given to us.  Talent comes at no price to us personally.  But the cost comes to us when we are asked to embrace those talents, to develop them, and then dedicate them generously and completely to the fulfillment of God’s Will.  Talent is cheap; dedication is costly.

          Lent is the season in which Jesus beckons us in a special way to return to him with all our hearts.  To that end, we dedicate this altar.  Every time we gather around this altar, may we be reminded of how Jesus surrendered Himself completely to the Will of God the Father for love of us, and may we in turn be moved to re-dedicate our lives to returning that love by always seeking God’s Will in all our thoughts, words, and actions.