Church
Church is a polarizing word to speak these days. Why? It implies being God-fearing. The word Church means that we honor and serve God. Following His laws and not the human laws concocted without justice to God makes us enemies to the world. We are those who honor God in church worship by attending mass and receiving the sacraments. Our Deaf Catholic Church empowers those who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, hearing, and with disability. We gather for worship every Sunday and as often as we can as a community. In our Catholic-Christian tradition you may find a local church service using our custom ASL mass finder. Other Catholic Churches with Deaf ministry have their church times listed. We are doing our best in our new online presence and we are just getting started. Visit our in-person church service to find out how you can be involved.
In Orange County California we are a constantly growing Deaf and Hard of Hearing Christian community. Our services are in American Sign Language (ASL) and our ministry is to proclaim Jesus Christ to everyone particularly in Sign Language. We do this by first praying that the Holy Spirit may equip us with love and truth to spread his love.
Church
“Catholic vision assigns symbolic meaning to the various parts of the church building, as it does to pretty much everything else in the world. The roof symbolizes charity, which covers a multitude of sins; the floor symbolizes the foundation of faith and the humility of the poor; the columns represent the Apostles, Bishops, and Doctors; the vaulting represents the preachers who bear up the dead weight of man’s infirmity heavenwards; and the beams represent the champions of ecclesiastical right who defend it with the sword. The nave symbolizes Noah’s Ark and the Barque of St. Peter, outside of which no one is saved. The direction of the East represents the Heavenly Jerusalem, and the direction whence the Messiah will return in glory; West represents death and evil.”- Catholic Encyclopedia
The above diagram is how early Catholic-Christians saw church worship. But, it is also how we view it as well. It is an universal belief, hence the word Catholic means universal. Our Church worship and church services have stayed the same.
Added Church theology
The layout of the church despite what configuration you see today has a lot of theological layers and meaning. The Narthex in the ancient Jewish understanding were for the gentiles. The gentiles were not circumcised nor were part of the chosen people. But they could be parts of God’s people if they got circumcised. This ritual was their way of acceptance, per God’s decree. Today the idea is the same except that baptism is the entry point. This is why generally, baptism fonts are in the back of the church.
The word “nave” should resound. It is where we get the word navy. It is boat or ark. Once we enter the church we embark through the oceans and winds of the world. God protects us. This journey is toward heaven. Generally, there is a demarcation via steps that signify the line where the lay faithful and priest separate. This is for an important purpose. Why? Well, lets look at a funeral liturgy. The deceased is placed at the steps before the altar. The steps to the sanctuary represent the separation but vicinity of earth and heaven. It is only Jesus Christ who ascends to heaven to intercede for us. Furthermore, the priest of Jesus Christ ascends to the altar in the person of Christ to offer the mass for the soul of the deceased. More catholic bytes to be continued…
