Facing the rising sun

 

Yesterday, I wrote about the moment of epiclesis in the Eucharistic Prayer and the value of being able to see what the priest is doing at key points in the liturgy. Many of us will remember attending Mass when the priest “said the Mass with his back to the people.” That was the norm for centuries until the post–Vatican II reforms.

What people often do not realise is the symbolic and theological meaning behind this posture. Older churches were almost always built facing East, reversing the orientation of the ancient  Temple in Jerusalem. In Christian churches, you entered from the West and looked toward the altar at the Eastern end. The sun rises in the East, and Christians turned in that direction as a sign of facing the risen Christ who comes like the morning light.

In the traditional rites, the priest typically led the people in worship ad orientem—towards the East—rather than versus populum. Priest and people faced the same direction, praying together as one body. The priest was not performing to the congregation but leading them toward the altar of sacrifice. The focus was on the altar and the action of God, not on the presider.

A small remnant of this ancient practice survives in some Anglican churches. During the Gloria or the Creed, both minister and people “face East.” This gesture expresses a simple truth: in these moments we are addressing the Lord, not one another. The posture is a physical reminder that our worship is directed toward God.

Which is best? I leave that to the liturgists to debate. Local custom and the guidance of the bishops shape how the liturgy is celebrated in each place. What matters for each of us is to stay attentive to what is happening within and around us, and not allow secondary matters – important though they may be – to distract us from the mystery we are celebrating.