The tabernacle has had many different meanings throughout the centuries of history. At first the tabernacle was the place of worship for the Israelites in the Old Testament. It contained the Ark of the Covenant, and it was where the Chosen People came to pray to God. Today, the tabernacle is the object that holds the Eucharist when there are leftovers after mass. However, both usages of the word refer to the housing place for God on Earth.
Tabernacle means “tent,” or "sanctuary." During the forty years that the Israelites were wandering the desert, it served as the place that God choose to talk with his Chosen People. It was a mobile tent that consisted of portable furniture. Wherever the Israelites set up camp, the tabernacle would always be at the center. The tabernacle was necessary to help keep the Israelites faithful, God knew that the Israelites would go back to their pagan ways just as when Moses went up Mount Sinai.
Today we use the tabernacle in a much simpler sense. It is still the dwelling place of God, but it is not the same huge structure that it used to be. Catholics use the term "tabernacle," when referring to the holding object of the Eucharist during such processes as adoration. Also, the tabernacle helps to preserve the sacredness of the Eucharist until it is consumed between masses. It is always a very ornate object, and it generally is the most precious thing in the entire Church, because of its significance and purpose.
-Timmy Mashinski
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