A prevalent misconception that has taken hold among many Catholics is the idea that signs and symbols are childish and that reverence for them is irrational. Yet, the Church’s liturgy re-presents the salvific events fulfilled in Christ through signs and symbols. For instance, the incense, sacred vestments, candles, hymns, etc., used in the Holy Qurbana meaningfully aid the faithful in participating in the sacred sacrifice.
The symbolism of the church building is also connected to this. The sanctuary (madbaha) is considered the heavenly Jerusalem, the nave (haikala), where the faithful stand, is viewed as the earth, and the ambo (bema) is regarded as the earthly Jerusalem. Thus, the worshippers experience a foretaste of heaven in the church. Similarly, the altar, the cross, the sign of the cross, and bodily gestures all vividly manifest the Holy Qurbana.
Today, what we see is a disregard for the symbolism of the church and the liturgy. The prejudices and ignorance we harbor about symbols, and the tendency to replace the Church’s reasoning with our own subjective logic, are the root causes. As a result, meaningful rites and practices are dismissed as superstition. For example, due to such prejudices, there is a growing trend to reject the ambo, a meaningful symbol, in today’s context. In this background, it is reasonable to examine what the teachings of the Church say about the ambo.
The Significance of the Bema
In the Greek-Latin Christian tradition, this structure is called the Ambo, while in the Syriac tradition, it is called Bema. The Catechism of the Catholic Church clearly speaks of the importance of the ambo in the Holy Qurbana. “The celebration of the Holy Qurbana has developed according to a fundamental structure preserved throughout the centuries to our own day. It displays two great parts that form a fundamental unity: the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Together they form ‘one single act of worship.’ The table prepared for us in the Holy Qurbana is the table both of the Word of God and of the Body of the Lord” (CCC, no. 1346).
Elsewhere, the Catechism also underscores the importance of the ambo: “The dignity of the Word of God requires the church to have a suitable place for announcing His message so that the attention of the people may be easily directed to that place during the Liturgy of the Word” (CCC, no. 1184).
The Second Vatican Council’s Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy teaches: “The Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist are so closely connected that they form but one single act of worship” (SC, 56). On the tables of the Body of Christ and the Word of God, the Constitution on Divine Revelation (Dei Verbum) declares: “In the sacred Liturgy, through which the work of our redemption is accomplished, the Church unceasingly and especially in the Sacred Liturgy, draws on the one table of the Word of God and the Body of Christ to offer the faithful the bread of life” (DV, 21).
The Instruction on the Liturgy and the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches issued by the Congregation for the Eastern Churches on January 6, 1996, speaks about the ambo as follows: “In accordance with the Greek Christian tradition, the ambo is a fixed structure that rises prominently from the floor of the nave (the place where the faithful stand) in the church. This structure is called the ‘Ambo’. From the ambo, the Gospel was proclaimed and the homily delivered. Similarly, in Syriac churches, the equivalent is the ‘Bema.’ Located in the center of the church, this elevated place includes the bishop’s and priest’s chairs, a processional cross, the Gospel book, candles, and a small altar called ‘Golgotha’” (no. 105).
Pope Benedict XVI on the Importance of the Ambo
Pope Benedict XVI, in his post-synodal apostolic exhortation Verbum Domini, published on September 30, 2010, also refers to the importance of the ambo. “The elevated place from which the Word of God is proclaimed during the liturgy-the ambo-deserves special attention. It should be located in a visible area, so that the attention of the faithful is naturally drawn to it during the Liturgy of the Word. It should be artistically designed to harmonize with the altar. This is to visibly express the theological importance of both the table of the Word and the table of the Eucharist” (Verbum Domini, no. 68).
The Pope also reminds us of the importance of the Gospel procession: “During the introductory rites, the Gospel book should be carried in solemn procession and brought to the ambo by a deacon or priest, emphasizing to the People of God that the reading of the Gospel is the high point of the Liturgy of the Word” (no. 67).
Recovering the Meaning of Symbols
All the signs and symbols in the Holy Qurbana are arrangements intended to aid the People of God. The protection of these symbols is a desire and expectation of the Magisterium of the Universal Church. Globally, there are efforts to destroy liturgical symbolism as part of the broader secularizing movement, which seeks to exclude religious signs and symbols from public life. The remedy lies in understanding the multiple layers of meaning in the Holy Qurbana and the richness of its symbols, in harmony with the Church’s Magisterium and tradition.
Rev. Dr. Tom Olikkarott
