Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Keeping Christ at the center is not simply a design principle for a church building; it is a spiritual discipline for a parish community. The physical arrangement of our worship space teaches and reinforces what we believe. When we walk into the church and our eyes are drawn immediately to the tabernacle, placed in the center of the sanctuary behind the altar, we are reminded of the foundational truth that animates all Christian life: Christ is truly present among us. He is not symbolic, distant, or abstract. He dwells with His people. He is the One we come to adore, the One who sustains us in every joy and trial, and the One who sends us forth to live as His disciples.
Pope Leo XIII once wrote, “There can be no greater danger than forgetting God; and no greater blessing than keeping Him ever before our eyes.” That simple, incisive line speaks directly to the heart of Christian discipleship. Forgetting God does not typically happen suddenly. It happens quietly, through small compromises, through distractions, through rhythms of life that slowly edge Christ out of the center. The same can occur in a parish. When Christ’s presence in the Eucharist is treated as an afterthought, the spiritual fruits of parish life diminish. When His presence becomes our reference point, everything gains clarity and purpose.
This is why the placement of the tabernacle is not incidental. Its position at the center of the sanctuary is a proclamation in wood, stone, and gold of what we hold most dear. It situates the Eucharist at the heart of our communal life. From the moment a parishioner walks through the door, reverence becomes intuitive. Silence becomes natural. Prayer becomes almost instinctive. The church itself teaches: “Here is the Lord. Come and adore.”
Christ-centered worship space forms Christ-centered people. The gestures we make in church carry into the attitudes we carry at home, at work, and in the world. Every genuflection, every moment of silence before the tabernacle, every time a child asks, “Why do we kneel here?”, becomes catechesis. We learn to order our lives the same way the sanctuary is ordered: with Christ at the center, everything else oriented around Him.
To keep Christ at the center of life is far more demanding than keeping Him at the center of a sanctuary. It requires daily choices: choosing prayer before noise, choosing mercy when anger feels easier, choosing gratitude in seasons of discouragement, choosing to place our anxieties into His hands instead of carrying them alone. When we intentionally make space for Christ, He reshapes our priorities. He clarifies what matters. He offers peace where the world offers only distraction.
The placement of our tabernacle is also an invitation to deeper Eucharistic faith. If Christ is truly present there, then our lives must reflect that belief. We are called to approach Him with reverence, to adore Him with love, and to receive Him with a heart ready to be changed. The more we believe that Christ is truly with us, the more we imitate Him. This is what Pope Leo meant about the blessing of keeping God before our eyes. When our gaze remains fixed on Christ, we cannot help but become more like Him.
As we continue to grow as a parish, let us allow our worship space to form our hearts. When you enter the church, take a moment to pause and rest your eyes on the tabernacle. Offer a simple prayer: “Jesus, be at the center of my life today.” Let the sanctuary’s design guide your interior life. Let the presence of Christ in the Eucharist draw you into deeper holiness.
A parish that keeps Christ at the center of its worship becomes a parish that keeps Christ at the center of its mission. May our church, our homes, and our hearts reflect that singular truth: Christ dwells among us, and He leads us always to the Father.
Fr. Tom Lanza
Pastor, St. Matthias Parish & School