If you are a Catholic ask yourself this question, what do you look at during mass? No, I’m not talking about the pretty girl two pews in front (or beside you if you’re lucky. hahahaha); but rather what’s your point of focus? For me it would be either the priest (for obvious reasons) or the large crucifix hanging behind the priest at SFX. Just dawned onto me today during mass that there is something very integral that most of us (or at least I) fail to notice… the altar!

After all it is the place where:

We the Church, made up of saints and sinners, gather around to receive His forgiveness and grace.

We place our lives, together with all its joys and sorrows, as an offering.

The Lamb of God, Jesus, makes the ultimate sacrifice - dying for our sins.

The greatest miracle is witnessed - Jesus presents His body and blood, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to us.

(I absolve myself from all theological inaccuracies - these are purely my own reflections)

Never occurred to me that the altar was such a central and integral part of the mass with so much symbolism and meaning; I guess I’ve been too preoccupied with the “obvious”, and this only struck me today when I stayed back for awhile and observed the altar being stripped bare by the altar boys. The simplicity and plainess of its design hides the fact that so much of God’s work is accomplished upon it. Then again this is what our lives are to be, insignificant to those in the world but supremely precious in the eyes of God (:

Random fact to add to my random thoughts: Did you know that there are relics of Saints under each altar? (Actually I’m not quite sure of this but someone told me before!) Wonder whose resides in the SFX altar. Haha.