Frequently Asked Questions

Below are answers to the questions most visitors ask. If you don't see an answer to your question, feel free to email us.

• What does the Mass mean?
• Why do people genuflect?
• Explain “the Real Presence of Christ in the Communion elements.”
• Why do you use incense?
• Why is there so much ritual?
• Why do people bow, make the sign of the cross, etc.?
• Explain the symbolic items in the church.

What does the Mass mean?
Following the custom of the early Church, the service of Holy Communion is the primary worship service in the Episcopal Church on the Lord’s Day (see Acts 20:7). The term “Mass” was used in the early centuries of the Church, although the origin of the term is obscure.

The Mass has two parts: the reading and proclamation of the Bible and the celebration of Holy Communion.

In the first part of the Mass, lessons from the Bible are read in a pattern that follows a three-year cycle to guarantee a balanced emphasis in the public reading of the Bible. A sermon follows, almost always as an application of the lessons for people’s daily lives to help them grow in Christ and live in accordance with Christian beliefs and practice.

In the second part of the Mass, bread and wine are consecrated at the altar to become the Blessed Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Jesus, and then distributed to the faithful for their spiritual nourishment.

Why do people genuflect?
Explain “the Real Presence of Christ in the Communion elements.”
These two questions go together.

Genuflection (briefly dropping to the right knee) is done as an act of homage and reverence to Christ. Although many people probably think that one genuflects toward the altar, this is not strictly accurate; one genuflects toward the small box on the top of the middle of the altar. This box is called a “tabernacle”, following a tradition of more than 3,500 years. When the Hebrew tribes were in the wilderness under the leadership of Moses, the tent that was set up as a site for the worship of God was called the tabernacle. It was the place in which God made himself present to his people.

The tabernacle on the altar is where the Reserved Sacrament is kept. The Reserved Sacrament is the elements of Holy Communion, the consecrated Bread and Wine, which remain after all have received Holy Communion. During the week, the Reserved Sacrament is taken to the sick, hospitalized, and house-bound so that they may receive Holy Communion as an extension of the Sunday worship. The red lamp over the altar, called the sanctuary light, burns 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to signify the presence of the Reserved Sacrament, and as a focus for the devotions of the faithful.

It is the belief of the Episcopal Church and the Churches of the Anglican Communion throughout the world, as well as the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches, that Jesus is truly and objectively present in the consecrated elements, and not merely figuratively or symbolically. Thus, the receiving of Holy Communion is not primarily an action of the faithful, but first an action and gift of God in Christ, who gives himself truly and fully.

A genuflection is the customary act of humility, reverence, and homage offered in worship to Jesus who humbles himself in this way for our sake. It is customary to genuflect when entering and leaving a pew and when passing in front of the tabernacle. Like all external devotions, this devotion is optional, but worship with the body is a fitting extension and expression of the worship offered by the mind and heart.

Why do you use incense?
From the earliest days of worship in Judaism and Christianity, incense was a sign of a “pleasing offering.” The Christmas carol “We Three Kings” included the words, “incense owns a deity nigh”—meaning that the use of incense indicates the presence of God.

The use of incense in worship is found throughout the Bible. (For example, see Exodus 30:1, Luke 1:9-11, and Revelation 8:3-4.) The cloud suggests mystery and “otherness”, and the scent makes it possible for worshippers to devote themselves to God with their senses rather than just their mind. Its use also appeals to most children and is one of the ways we make it possible for them to participate in the worship more than if the service were limited mostly to words.

During the Mass, the altar is censed, the offering on the altar is censed, and all the people are censed as signs that all are offered to God as a “pleasing offering”. The censing of the people is a special way of saying that everyone present in the church is counted as family and has a vital part to play in worship. We tell children that incense is a kind of “gift wrapping” of the things we offer to God—especially ourselves.

Why is there so much ritual?
The Church of the Blessed Sacrament is a “high church” in the Episcopal tradition. Although this means many things, one thing it means is that the services of the Church are traditional and ritualistic as an expression of having a “high” view of the Church, its life, and its mission. While many people are impressed with the richness of the vestments, the beauty of the music, and other aspects of the worship, first-time visitors can be a little confused or even put off. Briefly, the rationale behind “high church” worship is as follows.

When Jesus was asked which of the commandments in the Jewish Law was the greatest, he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:35-37). The first duty of the human race, then, is to love God. The first work of the Church is to express that love in corporate worship. Everything else a congregation may do—service to the poor, political involvement, fellowship, youth work, Christian education, etc.—must be rooted in worship.

The meaning of the rituals and ceremonies can be learned, and we encourage people to ask and to learn what they mean. However, worship is much more than an activity of the mind; we believe that the heart and body and all the senses should be involved in worship also. Such things as bells, vestments, statues, incense, processions, and other aspects of high church worship are intended to involve the worshipper much more than listening to a sermon. In addition, such things make it possible for children and those who speak English as a second language, for example, to participate fully in worship at their own level.

We at Blessed Sacrament believe that ritualistic worship meets a great need in western culture today. In a society which is very transient and “lives for today”, we deliberately choose most often to use traditional language, and music which has been used in worship for many generations, to show our connectedness with our forebears. We do not live in the past, but neither can we ignore it if we want to take our place in the present and be prepared for the future.

In a society whose thrills are often very shallow, short-lived, or even dangerous, it is important that worship be intimate, deep, and sensuous, and be grounded in the unchanging truths of Christian doctrine. In a culture which thrives on entertainment, it is vital on the one hand that worship be as beautiful as possible with features which have inspired generations, as well as reach far beyond entertainment to challenge people to follow Jesus as the only Way to joy.

Of course, there are many other ways to achieve these ends. High churches do not believe that their way is the only way; the outward rituals are optional. Visitors will find a great variety of preferences in the individual members of Blessed Sacrament. We believe that this is good.

A great priest of the high church tradition in the nineteenth century, James De Koven, referring to ritualistic worship, said. “How we [worship], the way we do it, the ceremonies with which we do it, are utterly, utterly indifferent. The ‘thing itself’ is what is essential.”

The “thing itself” is the worship of God—fulfilling the first and greatest commandment. We hope that worship at Blessed Sacrament will help our visitors to know “the thing itself”.

Why do people bow, make the sign of the cross, etc.?
Worship in the high church tradition not only involves the externals of ritual in the service, but also offers individual worshippers the option of using time-honored personal external devotions. These are completely optional, but many grow to find them meaningful once they learn what they mean.

People bow for the same reason they genuflect: to show reverence to Christ, represented in the symbols of the altar, the cross when it is procession, etc.

Many people genuflect during these words of the Nicene Creed, the statement of Christian faith: “he became incarnate of the Virgin Mary … and was made man.” This shows reverence for the love of the Son of God who humbled himself to take on human nature that he might save us.

The origin of the sign of the cross is lost to history, but one tradition is that it was one way the Christian martyrs, during the time of the persecutions in the Roman Empire, showed that their “shield” was the cross of Christ when they were put unarmed into the arena for execution.

Every personal devotion has a reason behind it, usually either to proclaim the Christian faith to others or to express reverence for Christ.

Explain the symbolic items in the church.

The Stations of the Cross—This is a devotion based on the time Jesus carried the cross through the streets of Jerusalem to the place of crucifixion.

The Crucifix—In a pleasure-oriented society, we believe that it is important to present the crucifix as a symbol of the way of the cross which alone leads to true joy. In a culture which downplays or denies sin, the crucifix teaches that Jesus died and rose again that sins may be forgiven. It teaches further that our salvation was costly, and that discipleship demands our full dedication to Jesus.

The Vestments—The use of vestments takes the focus off of the ministers’ individuality, and emphasizes the office they are filling. Therefore the choir members, acolytes, clergy, etc., are shown to be part of a longer tradition and larger community than just the “here and now”.

The Gospel Book—The book from which the Gospel is read is marked out with special signs of importance since the Gospel lesson is the one that speaks most directly of the life and ministry of Jesus.

The Candles—Originally, candles were needed simply because they shed light in an age before electricity, but they also represent the proclamation that Jesus brings truth to a world which is in confusion, misery, and rebellion without him—that is, light in darkness.

The Statues—Like a photograph of a beloved family member, the statues remind us of special members of the Christian family—the Saints—whose fellowship we share in Christ. Individuals may offer prayers at the shrines and light candles as a sign of the prayer they have offered.

The Reliquary—The small, round, gold container at the foot of the crucifix over the high altar contains a stone from the place where Jesus was crucified.