It is customary to reverence the altar (which means while facing the altar, stand "at attention", and then make a slight bow of the head) when a Catholic visiting the inside of a Catholic church passes an altar where Holy Mass has been celebrated, but where the Blessed Sacrament is not presently reserved. (When passing an altar or a tabernacle where the Blessed Sacrament is reserved, Catholics customarily genuflect instead.)
Bowing is a sign of reverence - respect for God. Therefore, we bow every time we pass in front of the altar, which is consecrated to God and is a sign of Jesus. We also bow before receiving Jesus in communion.
There is no specific act of reverence called for during the offertory, which ends with the people standing asking God to accept the offering on the altar. Then the priest prays the Offertory prayer. So if you are asked for the act of reverence, I suppose it would be "standing".
No, but the altar top should be stone of some sort, and a permanent altar should be unmovable.
When passing in front of the tabernacle, the proper reverence is to genuflect ( kneel on the right knee momentarilty). This does not occur in procession, but would apply othewise. If the tabernacle is at the sanctuary center, behind the altar, people should genuflect before entering pew; otherwise, they bow.
An altar poem is a type of poem that is written for or about a special person, place, or moment in a person's life that holds significant emotional or symbolic value, akin to an offering or tribute. It often reflects personal experiences, memories, or feelings related to the subject of the poem and is written with a sense of reverence or devotion.
An altar is used as a sacred space for rituals, prayers, and offerings in various religious and spiritual practices. It serves as a focal point for connecting with the divine and can help practitioners cultivate a sense of reverence and mindfulness during their spiritual activities.
Out of reverence.
The priest and deacon prostrate themselves before the altar at the beginning of the Good Friday services as a sign of deep reverence and of deep anguish for the suffering Christ.
According to the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, n.268, "At least one cloth should be placed on the altar out of reverence for the celebration of the memorial of the Lord and the banquet that gives us his body and blood. The shape, size, and decoration of the altar cloth should be in keeping with the design of the altar." While the color is not mentioned, the traditional color has been white as a sign of the faithful's purity and devotion "For the fine linen are the justifications of saints" (Apoc., xix, 8), as a memory of the shroud, and as a sign God's faithful who surround Christ. White is also the easiest color to clean.
With reverence and decorum.
In the poem "Death the Leveller," the phrase "Death's purple altar" symbolizes death as a powerful force that commands respect and reverence, much like an altar in a religious setting. The color purple traditionally symbolizes royalty and power, indicating the immense influence and authority that death holds over all individuals regardless of their status or wealth.
The "altar stone" is the true altar. The rest of the "altar" is not strictly speaking an altar, but the support for the altar. The altar stone usually has the relics of saints contained within it, and it should be covered with three clothes, although nowadays, many places dispense with the lower two. Symbolically, the linen cloth (the topmost cloth that covers the altar) signifies the linen in which the dead body of Our Lord was wrapped.