Turning Towards the Lord

Turning Towards the Lord - Orientation in Liturgical Prayer by U.M. Lang. Should the priest face the parishioners or face the same direction as the parishioners and towards God? This book is strong on historical and theological research. Preface by then Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger now Pope Benedict XVI.

Much of church tradition had the priest not only facing the tabernacle with his back to the congregation, but in most churches the direction everyone was pointed towards was the east -- the rising sun. There are writers outside of the church in very early times that refer to this practice of Christians.

The concern is that the priest has become the focus of the mass rather than the sacrifice and the Eucharist. There are many who have called for a return to versus orientum rather than versus populum. The priest facing the east --- the altar and tabernacle --- rather than facing the people.

In the end, Lang proposes letting the priest continue to face the laity during the first half of mass --- the liturgy of the word --- but face the tabernacle for the second half of mass --- the liturgy of the Eucharist.

See my previous post about theological definitions.