Question:
Answer:
Answer: In the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM), the Church specifies when the clergy and lay faithful should genuflect and/or bow during Mass and outside of Mass:
A genuflection, made by bending the right knee to the ground, signifies adoration, and therefore it is reserved for the Most Blessed Sacrament, as well as for the Holy Cross from the solemn adoration during the liturgical celebration on Good Friday until the beginning of the Easter Vigil.
During Mass, three genuflections are made by the priest celebrant: namely, after the showing of the Host, after the showing of the chalice, and before Communion. Certain specific features to be observed in a concelebrated Mass are noted in their proper place (cf. nos. GIRM 210-251).
If, however, the tabernacle with the Most Blessed Sacrament is present in the sanctuary, the priest, the deacon, and the other ministers genuflect when they approach the altar and when they depart from it, but not during the celebration of Mass itself.
Otherwise [i.e., outside of Mass,] all who pass before the Most Blessed Sacrament genuflect, unless they are moving in procession.
Ministers carrying the processional cross or candles bow their heads instead of genuflecting (GIRM 274, emphasis added).
Consequently, an altar server should not genuflect toward the tabernacle during Mass, except if he accesses it to get additional Hosts for the distribution of Holy Communion, or in returning consecrated Hosts to the tabernacle. But those are liturgical tasks that the priest or deacon normally perform.
Instead, an altar server should bow if he passes before the altar during Mass, and he can reverence the tabernacle simultaneously if it is situated directly behind the altar. As the Ceremonial of Bishops (CB) provides, “A deep bow is made to the altar by all who enter the sanctuary (chancel), leave it, or pass before the altar” (CB 72, emphasis added).
Similarly, a lector should not genuflect when passing before the tabernacle during Mass. This would include a lector who is seated outside the sanctuary and thus has to enter the sanctuary to do the Mass reading(s). He should bow to the altar when passing before it and this bow can, again, simultaneously suffice in his reverencing our Eucharistic Lord if the tabernacle is placed directly behind the altar. If the tabernacle is situated to one side of the sanctuary, the lector can angle his bow to accommodate reverencing both the altar and tabernacle, especially if the tabernacle is on the side of the ambo/lectern, i.e., in the direction he’ll be proceeding to read after reverencing the altar with a bow. Or, if the tabernacle is on the same side as the lector entering the sanctuary, he could briefly bow in a way that begins with his being turned toward the altar and concludes with his facing the tabernacle.
Some might strenuously object, arguing that the GIRM provides otherwise. “If there is a tabernacle with the Blessed Sacrament in the sanctuary a genuflection is made before and after Mass and whenever anyone passes in front of the Blessed Sacrament” (emphasis added).
However, in making such an objection and related citation, they are relying on an outdated norm, specifically GIRM 233 from the Second Typical Edition of the GIRM, which the Holy See issued in 1975. The current GIRM is the Third Typical Edition, which the Holy See issued in 2002, with the adaptations for U.S. dioceses approved in 2003.
While one may prefer to genuflect vs. bow to the tabernacle during Mass, the Church accommodates the rightful desire to reverence our Eucharistic Lord through the aforementioned bow provided for in CB 72.
In addition, GIRM 274 directs that the priest, deacon, and other ministers not genuflect during Mass—except at the parts designated for the priest celebrant—because their ministerial focus is on the altar of sacrifice, where Christ’s one sacrifice of Calvary is sacramentally re-presented (CCC 1366-1367)—the one sacrifice without which there would be no Eucharist and therefore no tabernacle.
So the altar is central during Mass, and the altar itself is a symbol of Christ and his one redemptive offering on our behalf (see CCC 1182). In summary, properly understood, there need be no tension between the altar and the tabernacle, because both are needed to help us grasp the multi-faceted glory of the Faith.
The faithful should also realize that in obeying the Church’s liturgical norms, they honor our Lord Jesus Christ himself, who told St. Peter and his fellow apostles that “whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matt. 16:18-19; 18:15-18; see Luke 10:16).
In former years, when Communion rails were common, during the distribution of Communion the priest would pass back and forth in front of the altar and tabernacle without making a sign of reverence. His back would be turned to them, but the tabernacle would often be empty and left open to signify this, and the priest would have our Eucharistic Lord Jesus in his hands during Communion time, which required his utmost attention and care.
Finally, the Church’s norms presume that a person is physically able to genuflect. If not, a bow of the body or the head should be given.