Q: I have a question that I have been meaning to ask for some time. At the beginning and end of Mass I’ve noticed for years that the priest kisses the altar. Why does he do that? Is it a simple act of reverence or is there another reason?
A: Most everything that happens at Mass is richly imbued with meaning. This is especially true of the reverence that the priest gives the altar during the entrance procession and at the conclusion of Mass.
Every time a priest kisses or reverences the altar, he does so in order to honor the altar of sacrifice (which represents Christ) where the miracle of the Eucharist occurs, but also for another reason deeply rooted in ancient Christian tradition: to reverence the relics of the saint or martyr placed within the altar itself.
During the first centuries of church history, Masses were often celebrated in the underground catacombs on stone slabs covering the tomb of a martyr. This was done in order to reverence the martyr and their heroic and ultimate sacrifice for the Lord. This also was done out of necessity: Being a Christian was illegal throughout the Roman Empire (thus the existence of martyrs) and the Mass had to be celebrated in secret.
When the emperor Constantine legalized Christianity early in the fourth century, the celebration of the Mass moved from underground to above ground, from the catacombs to public buildings or churches. When this transition occurred, the practice and tradition of venerating the martyrs was not left behind but continued to be an important dimension of the Mass.
The tradition of building churches above the tombs or remains of martyrs was commonplace. The basilicas of St. Peter and St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome are good examples of this. Where this was not possible, a stone slab with a first-class relic — a part of the body of a saint — within it often was placed on top of the altar itself.
This practice continued to grow, and the Second Council of Nicaea decreed that churches were to have altars with relics of saints placed within them. This practice eventually became part of ecclesial law, which prior to the Second Vatican Council legislated that all fixed altars were to have an altar stone with a cavity containing the first-class relics of two saints (one of which had to be a martyr), which was then sealed.
The Second Vatican Council encouraged this perennial practice and simplified it. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal says, “The practice of placing relics of Saints, even those not Martyrs, under the altar to be dedicated is fittingly retained. Care should be taken, however, to ensure the authenticity of such relics.” (302)
This norm is also echoed in the Ceremonial of Bishops: “The tradition in the Roman liturgy of placing relics of martyrs or other saints beneath the altar should be preserved, if possible.” (866) While not all altars must have a relic within them, most churches built in the post-Vatican II era were outfitted with fixed altars embedded with first-class relics. (The archives in your local parish office should have the information about this).
When a priest kisses the altar, he is reverencing the person of Christ, which the altar represents, and is also, even if they are not present, continuing the ancient tradition of honoring the great and heroic sacrifice of the martyrs.
May God’s blessings be with you today and always!
Northwest Catholic - March 2016