Ad Orientem - To the East!

The Magi taught us two things: How to give and how to worship. They offered gifts and they worshiped before Christ. Since I’ve spoken recently about how to give, I want to speak today about how to worship.

God used signs throughout salvation history to reveal Himself to us. Of course, He used words too, but his words only went so far. Signs were more effective, such as the Great Flood, which was a sign of cleansing, and the rainbow after the flood, which was a sign of God’s covenant with Noah. Moses spoke to the people, but he had to use signs to prove that he was leading the people to the Promised Land.  Those signs included the parting of the Red Sea, the Manna in the desert, and the metal serpent mounted to a pole.

The prophets, too, used “prophetic gestures” to drive home a
point. At the Epiphany, God used a star to guide the three wise men. In Hebrews, we read, “In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways to our ancestors through the prophets; in these last days, he spoke to us through a Son” (Hebrews 1:1-2).

Today, it is primarily through the Liturgy that we encounter God, and we do it through signs, in a particular way, signs performed by the priest acting in person of Christ. During Mass, every gesture, every symbol and every custom reveals a deeper truth, from the sign of the cross, to bowing down, to music, vestments, incense, and to the lifting up of the priest’s hands. On the Epiphany, I demonstrated to you one gesture or posture that reveals what is taking place at Mass, by offering the Mass Ad orientem. Ad orientem means “towards the East.”

Celebrating Mass towards or facing East has been a part of the Catholic tradition since the very beginning. Why? Because Christ revealed to His disciples on the day of His Ascension that when He returns at the end of the age, He will come from the East. After He ascended, the angels asked the disciples, “Men why are you standing there, He will come back in the same way you saw Him go.” Since early Christians were mindful of this, they faced East whenever gathered for Mass, in order to face Jerusalem where He ascended to heaven at Mt. Olivet, overlooking the City.

As the Church spread out across the globe, it would orient toward the East when praying. Why? For Scripture says, “There will arise the sun of justice with its healing rays.” (Malichi 4:2) Just as the sun rises, so too did Christ, the Son of God, rise from the dead. Churches were built so Mass could be said facing East - facing the rising sun.  When they couldn’t face east, the crucifix represented “liturgical east.”

So, what does it mean to celebrate Mass Ad orientem?  It means when the priest is at the altar, he is standing on same side of altar as all of you – so we are all facing the tabernacle and crucifix. It simply means that priest and people are facing same direction when the priest is addressing the Father. That way, when the priest talks to God, he faces East. This is especially meaningful during the Eucharistic Prayer, which is not addressed to people, but rather to the Father. It makes sense at that point of Mass that we all turn to face God together and speak to Him with one voice. (At times when the priest speaks to the people, he turns and faces you.)

Our posture becomes a very powerful reminder that Mass is about offering the unbloody sacrifice of Christ on the cross to the Father in the power of the Holy Spirit. Some may ask, “Didn’t Vatican II do away with this?” Actually – no. Celebrating Mass “towards the East” was never abolished at Vatican II. Yet, after the reforms of the Mass in 1969, with so much confusion and change, it fell out of practice. It still remains a legitimate option even in the Novus Ordo Mass.

For most of my life, I’m embarrassed to admit, I didn't know that the Mass was actually worship of God the Father.  I didn't know that every prayer at Mass offered by the priest is addressed to the Father.  Maybe I wasn't listening or just didn't know any better, but it may have had something to do with the fact that the priest was facing me. It led me to believe that the priest was just saying nice words for me to hear. Growing up in the 1980/90s, the priest facing me and praying in my direction was all I knew. It wasn’t until I entered seminary that I came to understand the nature of Mass. I recall going to a shrine near Chicago and seeing a priest celebrate Mass at a beautiful side altar facing the tabernacle. I learned that for nearly 2,000 years this was the only way Mass was offered!

Sadly, some may see Ad orientem as the priest having his “back to the people,” While this is technically true, it largely misses the point.
It’s more accurate to say that priest and people are united together as one in worshipping God. Saying he has his “back to the people” would be akin to questioning why the pilot or the school bus driver has his back to passengers. I don’t think anyone would say General Patton went through Germany with his “back to the soldiers.” Rather, he led 3rd Army across Germany and they followed him to achieve
the goal.

The priest’s role is similar to that of a leader. He is leading us somewhere. Keep your eyes on the prize! The focus is on God and heaven, not the priest. Mass and the priesthood – two of seven sacraments – were instituted by Christ to lead his pilgrim people through this earthly life to our ultimate goal - our heavenly homeland. In the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy (Par. 8), it reads, “In the earthly liturgy, we take place in a foretaste of that heavenly liturgy which is celebrated in the holy city of Jerusalem, toward which we journey as pilgrims.” Celebrating Mass oriented is meant to remind us ultimately that Mass is not first and foremost about
us, but rather about God and His glory.  We know this instinctively! When we come into church, we don’t enter the pew and then turn toward choir loft to pray. Rather, we turn toward the altar, image
of Our Lord, the crucifix, tabernacle, or one of statues. It becomes even more apparent at Mass offered ad orientem that we’re not looking at each other, or the priest, but rather we offer our prayers to the Father, and we are all looking together in the direction of Christ’s return in glory.

After consultation with brother priests, the vicar of the Mohawk Valley Vicariate and the Bishop himself, I would like to offer some Masses ad orientem on occasion, between here and St. Joseph’s, giving you options of different Masses to attend.   The Bishop supports it as long as there are options. I don’t want anyone to be surprised when they come to Mass, so it will be advertised. I think that with time, you will find that your prayer at Mass improves and you focus less on
the priest and more on God the Father. My hope is that it leads to a deeper love of the Mass for you as it has for me.