Precious metals; sacred vessels reflect Judeo-Christian history By Fr. Peter Iwuala

Sacred vessels have played a significant role in the history of Judeo-Christian religion. The most laudable and easily discernible evidence of the importance of these vessels in worship is the continued utilization of precious materials for their construction. The chalice is one example of a sacred vessel, and it is singularly considered holy because of the Body and Blood of Christ that it contains during Mass. Throughout Judeo-Christian religion’s history, the importance and reverence accorded to liturgical vessels have been integral and generally unbroken.

The Catholic Church has continued to use precious materials for sacred vessel construction. Unbelievably, Jewish tradition inspired this idea. The belief that God is supreme and deserves high esteem underlies the use of such precious materials for liturgical services. Over the millennia, people have utilized gold and silver in particular due to their inherent properties of majesty, malleability, and resistance to corrosion.

The book of Exodus 25:1-40 states that the Ark of the Covenant in Jewish history and all the associated accouterments, though composed of wooden frames, were overlain with pure gold, and among the items for service at worship were “plates and dishes of pure gold, as well as its pitchers and bowls for the pouring out of offerings.” Later in Jewish history, during the reign of King Solomon and the building of the Jewish Temple, the inner Holy of Holies, which held the Ark of the Covenant, and all its furnishings were entirely overlain with gold (1 Kings 6:20–32).

The Roman Missal’s General Instruction mandates the construction of sacred vessels from precious metals. Usually, people gild the inside of vessels made from rusty or less precious metals than gold (GIRM 2003, 6,328). People also use “sacred vessels made from other solid materials that, according to the common estimation in each region, are precious, such as ebony or other hardwoods, provided that such materials are suitable for sacred use” (GIRM 6, 29). This broad definition of “precious” encompasses not only intrinsic monetary value but also artistic value. All things considered, Redemtionis Sacramentum Chapter V, 117-120, condemns the use of simple “containers, as well as other vessels made from glass, earthenware, clay, or other materials that break easily.” Throughout the Judeo-Christian tradition, the materials used to construct liturgical vessels have been crucial in the worship of God.

Those charged with maintaining and utilizing vessels in divine worship, as stated in the Jewish Torah, must adhere to enhanced personal purity standards. For instance, the Lord admonishes ministers not to touch unclean things. You carry the Lord’s vessels—come out and be pure (Is 52:10).

Desecration of sacred vessels could evoke disaster for the person daring to violate expectations of holiness. Those who failed to recognize the holiness of sacred vessels often met with divine retribution, demonstrating the absolute sanctity of God’s things. For instance, the Levites in the Old Testament were required to attend to the duties of the sanctuary but were asked “not to come near the vessels of the sanctuary or the altar, lest they die (Num 18: 3).

During the time of Aaron, simple negligence in the observance of divine regulations concerning the sacred vessels was sufficient to evoke the wrath of God.

Belshazzar and his lords, wives, and concubines drank wine from the vessels of God’s house, and King Belshazzar met his death that night (Dan 5:23–30).

The Hebrews’ war with the Midianites demonstrated the use of God’s vessels as channels for His power, which was positive. Moses sent the Hebrews to war against the Midianites, equipping them with sacred objects and trumpets for the battle cry. They made war on Midian, as the Lord commanded Moses, and put every male to death” (Num 31:6-7).

We have continued to treat liturgical vessels with dignity throughout the early and middle Christian era. We should grant those vessels places of honor in our churches and monasteries.

Desecration of liturgical vessels no longer warrants punitive punishment as in the Old Testament; meanwhile, the Catholic Church affirms that the “conscious maltreatment of sacred vessels to unhallowed use constitutes real sacrilege (Heberman, Metalwork in the Service of the Church).

The Holy Catholic Church insists on giving an Episcopal blessing to altar vessels before using them. This ensures consistency with the holiness tradition attached to liturgical vessels throughout Judeo-Christian history.