The Tabernacle is Not a Sepulchre Dear Brothers in the Priesthood, Grace and peace in Christ Jesus our Lord, who gives Himself to us in the Most Holy Eucharist. I write to you as a brother and fellow servant at the altar, out of deep reverence for the mystery we celebrate each day and out of concern for how we treat the sacred Body of Christ reserved in our churches. In some parishes, the tabernacle has quietly become a place of accumulation rather than adoration. This calls for our reflection and renewal. The tabernacle is not a sepulchre. It is not a place for storing many sacred species as if Christ were to remain enclosed without purpose. The tabernacle is a place of presence and prayer, a dwelling of the living Lord who remains with His people out of love. As *Redemptionis Sacramentum* reminds us, “The reservation of the Holy Eucharist in the tabernacle is principally for the sick and those who cannot participate in Mass” (RS 130). This means that what is reserved should be ...