Pope John Paul II was supposed to greet the seminarians at Saint Mary's Seminary in Baltimore on the evening of the final day of his October 1995 visit to the United States. It certainly had been a full day. There had been a Mass, a procession through downtown streets, a visit to the Basilica of the Assumption, lunch at a Catholic Charities-run neighborhood soup kitchen, and a prayer service at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in North Baltimore. Lastly, there was to be a brief stop at Saint Mary's Seminary.
As time was of the essence, the intention was to just welcome the seminarians as they stood on the stairs outside. But the pope decided he wanted to enter the building, so he passed through the crowd. His first intention was to visit the Blessed Sacrament in the Chapel.
Once his wishes were known, security sprang into action. Taking special care to the chapel where the Pope would be praying, they swept the entire structure. To this end, extremely skilled canines were employed to identify any possible presence. The canines are taught how to find people in buildings that have collapsed following earthquakes and other calamities. After a brief tour of the classrooms, offices, and hallways, these very bright and enthusiastic dogs were taken to the chapel. The Blessed Sacrament was kept in the side chapel, so they proceeded up and down the aisle and passed the pews.
The dogs were glued to the tabernacle, sniffing, whining, and pointing, until their handlers demanded them to move. They were positive they had found someone. They were right, as we Catholics know—they discovered a genuine, living Person in the tabernacle!
What makes our silence before the tabernacle so crucial? Every time we go close to the tabernacle, why do we kneel? Why, therefore, should we decorate and arrange the sanctuary with such care? All of these queries have the same response, God.
Every Mass is a miracle since bread and wine become the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ. The Eucharistic components change in substance even though they still clearly look like bread and wine. Standing before the Blessed Sacrament kept in the tabernacle is standing before the Real Presence.
We keep quiet when we approach the True Presence in the tabernacle because we are in God's presence. "The Lord is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before Him" (Habakkuk 2:20). When one is with the Lord of All Creation, what can words say? The tabernacle is the hallowed place where God is always enthroned on earth. "Praise and beauty are before him: holiness and majesty in his sanctuary" (Ps. 95:6).
Before the Lord, who is truly present in the Most Blessed Sacrament, we bow. As befits the origin and pinnacle of our faith, we embellish our sanctuaries to the fullest extent of our aesthetic capacity. "Come let us adore and fall down: and weep before the Lord that made us" (Ps. 94:6).
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