What Is Tabernacle in the Bible?
Object
The small locked box in the church where the Eucharist, the Body of Christ, is kept.
It can mean
- Why it began: to keep the Eucharist and bring it to the sick and to those who could not come to Mass.
- The little lamp: a lamp is always burning next to the tabernacle. It shows that Jesus is there and honors him.
- Where it goes: in a worthy place in the church, visible and beautifully kept, so that people can pray before it.
Today
Before the tabernacle we genuflect: we bend the right knee to the floor, as a sign of adoration. Visiting Jesus in the tabernacle is a sign of love and gratitude.
Where it appears in the Bible
John 6:51; Matthew 26:26
What the Bible says
John 6:51
I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever; and the bread that I will give, is my flesh, for the life of the world.
Matthew 26:26
And whilst they were at supper, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and broke: and gave to his disciples, and said: Take ye, and eat. This is my body.
Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner revision), public domain.
Source: Catechism 1379, 1183 and 1418; GIRM 274, 314 and 316