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Reverence is not what most people think
it is. I dare venture that most people think it is being quiet
in church, and most assuredly that is part of it. But it is so
much more. One dictionary defines it as “honor or respect, felt
or shown,” or “a profound, adoring awed respect.”1
Our church leaders have echoed that
definition. The late President Marion G. Romney defined it this
way:
Reverence is the soul of true religion.
Its seedbed is sincerity. Its quality is determined by the esteem
in which one holds the object of his reverence as evidenced by
his behavior toward that object. When that object is God, the
genuinely reverent person has a worshipful adoration coupled with
a respectful behavior toward him and all that pertains to him.
The want of such appreciation or behavior smacks of irreverence.2
President Spencer W. Kimball reflected
the same feeling when he said,
We must remember that reverence is
not a somber, temporary behavior that we adopt on Sunday. True
reverence involves happiness, as well as love, respect, gratitude,
and godly fear. It is a virtue that should be part of our way
of life. In fact, Latter-day Saints should be the most reverent
people in all the earth.3
This was dramatically illustrated in
President Kimball’s own life. When encountering a cluttered bathroom
in a ward building that was about to be dedicated, he stopped long
enough to pick up the littered paper towels and to wipe out the
sinks. At first glance one might strain to see the connection between
cleaning a dirty bathroom and showing reverence. But upon reflection,
it fits entirely.
Reverence is not defined solely by
our individual acts. Reverence is an attitude from which spring
certain behaviors that custom holds are a manifestation of that
attitude. In this case, President Kimball was trying to achieve
the order that should accompany any church building on the day it
is dedicated. President Romney captures this thought beautifully:
Order is a part of reverence. So
is cleanliness — cleanliness of person, of apparel, of speech,
of action, and of thought and impulse. So also are courtesy, respect
for one another, and kindred virtues. True reverence for Deity
induces one, by self-imposed control, to do the will of God at
all times and in all places.4
The Role of Custom
Over time various societies have developed
customs that are outward expressions of a reverent attitude. When
I was a boy, men used to wear dress hats to church. Like wearing
a suit and tie, wearing a hat was meant to show the “specialness”
of Sunday. However, hats were worn only to and from church. Inside
the chapel custom dictated that heads be uncovered, so the hats
were left in the foyer.
In other societies, the custom is just
the opposite. In the Jewish tradition, custom dictates that as
a show of reverence the head remains covered in the synagogue.
Whenever I attend a Bar Mitzvah I suppose my Jewish brethren would
be tolerant if I, as a guest, did not cover my head. But there
is no need for them to be concerned because I always put on a yarmulke
at the door out of respect for the customs of my hosts. A Bar Mitzvah
is an occasion toward which an attitude of reverence should be shown.
The Alabaster Mosque in Cairo.
The Alabaster Mosque in Cairo
is an awe-inspiring building. The gleaming white walls on the outside
and the immensity of the space on the inside evoke a feeling of
reverence. Islamic tradition requires a visitor to remove one’s
shoes, dress modestly, and (for women) cover the head, and that
is exactly what my wife and I did during a recent visit there.
But in addition to this outward show of reverence we entered the
mosque with the attitude of respect that should be shown toward
those who worshipped there and called it holy.
The interior of the Alabaster Mosque.
On
top of the Temple Mount
in Jerusalem is a Moslem
shrine called by many the Dome of the Rock, or the Noble Sanctuary.
This is certainly a special place. Tradition holds that it is Mount Mariah where Abraham nearly sacrificed
his son Isaac. Moslems believe it is the spot where Muhammad arrived
after his miraculous nocturnal journey with the archangel Gabriel.
For Christians, it is the site from which Jesus drove the money
changers when the second Temple stood there.
Three
religions call it holy.
The Dome of the Rock temple mount.
Not
far away is an unusual structure peculiar to Moslem worship. It
is a round stone or masonry structure from which protrude multiple
water spigots, each facing a circle of stone benches where Moslem
men sit to wash their feet, hands, and faces prior to entering the
sanctuary. This ritual washing is deemed necessary to prepare one
physically and spiritually to approach Deity in a properly respectful
and reverent attitude.
The site where Muslim men sit to perform their ritual
washings at the Dome of the Rock shrine.
Reverence and Great Buildings
In the Christian tradition, reverence
is most often shown by a subdued, quiet demeanor. Many aspects
of the great cathedrals of Europe were designed
to evoke this reverential attitude. They are massive and the interior
space soars hundreds of feet. I am always awed into a thoughtful
and respectful attitude when I enter one.
I marvel even today how the builders
could have built structures so tall with only block and tackle.
One can only imagine the reverence a solitary pilgrim would have
felt on entering the Cathedral of Chartres in the 13th
century. It certainly took my breath away seven hundred years later.
The same with St. Peter’s Basilica in whose interior space under
the dome could easily accommodate the spires of the Salt Lake Temple.
During my visit there, I walked around reverently conversing with
others in a hushed voice.
Chartres Cathedral
Unfortunately,
such reverence is not always automatic in the great cathedrals of
Europe. That is because they become both places of worship and tourist
attractions. I recall attending Sunday mass in Notre Dame in Paris
when the sermon was drowned out by the din of tourists moving about
and talking loudly in the rear of the nave.
The Sistine Chapel in Rome
is often packed with tourists enough so that their conversations
about the wonder of Michelangelo’s paintings overhead raise the
noise level to that of an arena. To combat this, the authorities
employ professional “shushers” who move among the crowd when the
noise level gets too high, shushing everyone. The noise level abates
for awhile, only to return when the shushers are gone.
Notre Dame Cathedral lacks the reverent atmosphere
of Chartres.
In
both cases, there is nothing different about the physical properties
of the space involved. The vaulted arches, the paintings, the sunlight
shinning through the stained-glass windows are not affected by the
noisy crowds below. What makes the space they grace either holy
or profane is the attitude of the observers. If their attitude
is one of reverence, then the space and objects are sacred; if the
attitude is that of spectator only, as at a sporting event, then
the space becomes common.
Reverence in Sacrament Meeting
The same goes for our sacrament meetings.
Our chapels do not feature stained glass or vaulted ceilings. When
entering them, we are not required to remove our shoes or wash our
feet, hands, and face at the door. Our custom requires only that
we show reverence by muted voices and demur behavior. And yet there
are Sundays when I feel like I am back in Norte Dame, with a noisy
buzz in the back of the room from over-friendly conversations even
after the meeting has started.
Architecturally our chapels are humble
rooms, and yet during sacrament meeting there is nothing going on
of any less value than in the great cathedrals. After all, the
sacrament, one of the most holy ordinances in the Church, is being
administered. But our sacrament meetings enjoy no more respect
or sacredness then the attitude we bring into them. During sacrament
meeting, the chapel can be either a holy place or just another room
because, after all, reverence is an attitude.
1.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reverence
2.
First Presidency Message, October, 1976
3.
Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball, p. 156
4.
First Presidency Message, October 1976
This article was based on a talk
given in the Burke Ward, Annandale
Virginia Stake, sacrament meeting.
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Meridian Magazine.
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