Posted on 12/30/2002 12:04:21 PM PST by NYer
Firstly, Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is a term rarely heard today. Why use
that term? Before Modernism greatly influenced the Church, that was the term
understood for hundreds of years by every Catholic. This title explains fully
what the Mass really is - the very same Holy Sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the
Cross made present to us today in time. Absolutely nothing on earth could
possibly be even remotely more important. Once you understand this, then the
importance of a proper Holy Sacrifice of the Mass will become clearer. Vatican
II Sacrosanctum
Concilium explains in detail:
#2: For it is the liturgy through which, especially in the divine sacrifice of the
Eucharist, "the work of our redemption is accomplished," and it is through
the liturgy, especially, that the faithful are enabled to express in their lives and
manifest to others the mystery of Christ and the real nature of the true Church.
#7. To accomplish so great a work Christ is always present
in his Church, especially in her liturgical celebrations. He is present in the
sacrifice of the Mass not only in the person of his minister, "the same now
offering, through the ministry of priests, who formerly offered himself on the
cross, " but especially in the eucharistic species. by his power he is
present in the sacraments so that when anybody baptizes it is really Christ
himself who baptizes. He is present in his word since it is he himself who
speaks when the holy scriptures are read in the Church. Lastly, he is
present when the Church prays and sings, for he has promised "where two or
three are gathered together in my name there am I in the midst of them"
(Mt. 18:20).
Christ, indeed, always associates the Church with himself
in this great work in which God is perfectly glorified and men are sanctified.
the Church is his beloved Bride who calls to her Lord, and through him offers
worship to the eternal Father.
The liturgy, then, is rightly seen as an exercise of the
priestly office of Jesus Christ. It involves the presentation of man's
sanctification under the guise of signs perceptible by the senses and its
accomplishment in ways appropriate to each of these signs. In it full public
worship is performed by the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ, that is, by the Head
and his members.
From this it follows that every liturgical celebration,
because it is an action of Christ the Priest and of his Body, which is the
Church, is a sacred action surpassing all others. No other action of the Church
can equal its efficacy by the same title and to the same degree.
#8. In the earthly liturgy we take part in a foretaste
of that heavenly liturgy which is celebrated in the Holy City of Jerusalem
toward which we journey as pilgrims, where Christ is sitting at the right hand
of God, Minister of the holies and of the true tabernacle. With all the
warriors of the heavenly army we sing a hymn of glory to the Lord; venerating
the memory of the saints, we hope for some part and fellowship with them; we
eagerly await the Saviour, Our Lord Jesus Christ, until he our life shall
appear and we too will appear with him in glory.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church further explains:
#1330 "The memorial of the Lord's Passion and
Resurrection. The Holy Sacrifice, because it makes present the one sacrifice of
Christ the Savior and includes the Church's offering. The terms holy
sacrifice of the Mass, 'sacrifice of praise,' spiritual sacrifice, pure and holy
sacrifice are also used, since it completes and surpasses all the sacrifices of
the Old Covenant."
#1366 "The Eucharist is thus a sacrifice because it re-presents
(makes present) the sacrifice of the cross, because it is its memorial and because it applies its fruit:
[Christ], our Lord and God, was once and for all to offer himself to God the Father by his death on the altar of the cross, to accomplish there an everlasting redemption.
But because his priesthood was not to end with his death, at the Last Supper
'on the night when he was betrayed,' [he wanted] to leave to his beloved spouse the Church a visible sacrifice (as the nature of man demands) by which the bloody sacrifice which he was to accomplish once for all on the cross would be re-presented,
its memory perpetuated until the end of the world, and its salutary power be applied to the forgiveness of the sins we daily
commit."
#1367 "The sacrifice of Christ and the sacrifice of the Eucharist are
one single sacrifice: 'The victim is one and the same: the same now offers through the ministry of priests, who then offered himself on
the cross; only the manner of offering is different.' 'In this divine sacrifice which is celebrated in the Mass, the same Christ who
offered himself once in a bloody manner on the altar of the cross is contained and is offered in an unbloody
manner.'"
#1368 "The Eucharist is also the sacrifice of the Church. The Church
which is the Body of Christ participates in the offering of her Head. With him, she herself is offered whole and entire. She unites herself
to his intercession with the Father for all men. In the Eucharist the sacrifice of Christ becomes also the sacrifice of the members of his
Body. The lives of the faithful, their praise, sufferings, prayer, and work, are united with those of Christ and with his total offering, and
so acquire a new value. Christ's sacrifice present on the altar makes it possible for all generations of Christians to be united with his offering."
Canon Law reconfirms the truth:
"The most venerable sacrament is the blessed Eucharist, in which Christ the
Lord himself is contained, offered and received, and by which the Church continually lives
and grows. The eucharistic Sacrifice, the memorial of the death and resurrection of the
Lord, in which the Sacrifice of the cross is forever perpetuated, is the summit and the
source of all worship and Christian life. By means of it the unity of God's people is
signified and brought about, and the building up of the body of Christ is perfected. The
other sacraments and all the apostolic works of Christ are bound up with, and directed to,
the blessed Eucharist."
Clearly then, the Mass is not a "meal." - it is a Sacrifice. This
is dogma.
I look forward to receiving your considered response in the near future."
Per your request, from Zechariah 12 ...
[8] In that day shall the LORD defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the LORD before them.
[9] And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
[10] And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.
[11] In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon.
[12] And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart;
[13] The family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart;
[14] All the families that remain, every family apart, and their wives apart.
As you know, much of prophesy is interpretive. Taken as a whole, we know how the story ends. For the saints ... good. For the sinners ... not good. I fear God and trust God's Word.
Last night we had a prophesy after prayer. It was a warning that 2003 will be a tumultuous year and that Satan will declare war on the Saints of God! You can choose to scoff and not believe what I just told you. However, I cannot shrug it off. We truly are living in the end times and, anyone half familiar with God's Word would be willing to agree that these are perilous times we are living in. This was a direct warning to surrender our own wills totally to God, come out from the world and be holy unto the Lord. This is not new news to the true believer. However, there were many at our service last night who had never heard (or previously responded to) this information before.
Sorry to be so short but I've got to run off again now. My sincere hope is to meet you all around the throne of God sometime soon! :)
I think the only prophecies we have now are in the Scripture.
Hebrews 1:1 ¶God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high
I do however believe that Satan is at war with us. But because the Bible says so. :-)
Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
I guess it is easier to accost others than it is to explain your own position :)<>
Many, including Colin Donovan, disagree. I maintain that Chaput, along with many other members of the episcopacy, are wrong. Standing on one's head or waving one's hands above their head aren't prescribed either and they would be illicit as well.
What is not prohibited is not thereby possible. Even the GIRM is in the context of the Catholic liturgical tradition. There is no tradition of the laity making hand gestures at Mass, save those which long-standing custom has sanctioned as not contradicting their role (signing of the forehead, lips and breast, beating of the chest at Confiteor etc.). New ones could arise which would be acceptable on that basis also. The standard would be the same, gestures which suggest a ministerial priestly role for the laity would contradict the sacramentality of the Mass, and be unacceptable. My thought is that the orans during Mass likely is seen by Rome as a contradition, which may explain while after talking about doing it the bishops conference did not submit the gesture to Rome as part of the American adaptations.
So, in general, unless it is mentioned in the GIRM, or of long-standing Catholic liturgical custom, the introdution within the Mass of new gestures is an innovation and not licit. But to be honest, though I believe it contradicts the sign system of the Mass, we will need a ruling from the Holy See to definitely judge whether the orans for the laity is a developing custom that can be admitted or should be suppressed.
I guess it is easier to accost others than it is to explain your own position :)<>
Anfractuous huh? Well, I was stumped so I had to consult the dictionary. CG, I want to be on your side when they get out the Scrabble board! (hehe)
I thought I explained my position. What is it you are looking for? And, just spit it out ... don't use such high-priced words with me (Sister Jean Eileen never taught me them :)
Also, I'm curious as to why you begin and end with <>. Your trademark?
P.S. - you must've had a Jesuit education. I told you mine was Dominican :)
<>. I was looking to see in what way your community reflects the truth of this Prophecy.<> The Prophesy of Malachias
Chapter 1,
God reproaches the Jews with their ingratitude: and the priests for not offering pure sacrifices. He will accept of the sacrifice that shall be offered in every place among the Gentiles.
1 The burden of the word of the Lord to Israel by the hand of Malachias.
2 I have loved you, saith the Lord: and you have said: Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau brother to Jacob, saith the Lord, and I have loved Jacob,
3 But have hated Esau? and I have made his mountains a wilderness, and given his inheritance to the dragons of the desert.
4 But if Edom shall say: We are destroyed, but we will return and build up what hath been destroyed: thus saith the Lord of hosts: They shall build up, and I will throw down: and they shall be called the borders of wickedness, and the people with whom the Lord is angry for ever.
5 And your eyes shall see: and you shall say: The Lord be magnified upon the border of Israel.
6 The son honoureth the father, and the servant his master: if then I be a father, where is my honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear: saith the Lord of hosts.
7 To you, O priests, that despise my name, and have said: Wherein have we despised thy name? You offer polluted bread upon my altar, and you say: Wherein have we polluted thee? In that you say: The table of the Lord is contemptible.
8 If you offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? and if you offer the lame and the sick, is it not evil? offer it to thy prince, if he will be pleased with it, or if he will regard thy face, saith the Lord of hosts.
9 And now beseech ye the face of God, that he may have mercy on you, (for by your hand hath this been done,) if by any means he will receive your faces, saith the Lord of hosts.
10 Who is there among you, that will shut the doors, and will kindle the fire on my altar gratis? I have no pleasure in you, saith the Lord of hosts: and I will not receive a gift of your hand.
11 For from the rising of the sun even to the going down, my name is great among the Gentiles, and in every place there is sacrifice, and there is offered to my name a clean oblation: for my name is great among the Gentiles, saith the Lord of hosts
<> Note that the 16th century revolutionaries changed the words to obscure the truth of the Sacrifice of the Mass. Your KJV reads differently<>
<> I got 'em for free. They help me to be sesquipedalic :)<>
OK, you win. Even Websters Online couldn't help me :(
... "The word you've entered isn't in the dictionary. Click on a spelling suggestion below or try again using the Dictionary search box to the right."
Suggestions for sesquipedalic:
1. squalidnesses
2. squalidest
3. squalidness
4. sequestrated
5. sequestered
6. square-danced
7. square-dancing
8. Zakarpats'ka
9. surrealistically
10. psychopathologic
Does #4 mean you've been castrated in private? I don't think you want to be that.
I'm not trying to dodge you. I just have other things I'm also doing (I'm not multi-tasking well). I'll try and get to you asap.
Help me out here. I'm not following where you're trying to take me. Are you trying to project that the "sacrifice" and "clean oblation" mentioned in this verse are references to Jesus being slain on the RC altar at Mass? I notice that the verse refers in present tense, not the future tense(like the KJV).
Other observations: Also, the altar Moses was instructed to build was to be of earth or uncut stone. Otherwise it would pollute the sacrifice. What kind of altars are used in the RCC? Or, am I way off the subject?
I mentioned that our praise and prayers are acceptable and a sweet offering unto the Lord. Other than that, I see no need and feel no unction to try to improve upon or re-create the work that Jesus did on Calvary. Nor would I want to.
Is that what you were looking for? I'm not really a deep-thinking theologian type. I like things simple, especially when it comes to faith :)
<> NO. Because that is not what happens.<>
I notice that the verse refers in present tense, not the future tense(like the KJV).
<> This is not the past tense. At the time this was written, Gentiles did not consider "his name great" nor did they "offer (ed) to my name a clean oblation.." This refers to Christians offering worship to our Lord in the manner He himself commanded; what has come to be know as the Mass.
My question is what does your community do that fulfills this promise?<>
Other observations: Also, the altar Moses was instructed to build was to be of earth or uncut stone. Otherwise it would pollute the sacrifice. What kind of altars are used in the RCC? Or, am I way off the subject? I mentioned that our praise and prayers are acceptable and a sweet offering unto the Lord. Other than that, I see no need and feel no unction to try to improve upon or re-create the work that Jesus did on Calvary. Nor would I want to.
<> The way Christians offer worship to God is not a man made invention. It is a command of the GodMan. He told us/showed us how to worship Him. Christians merely follow Him because He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life
Is that what you were looking for? I'm not really a deep-thinking theologian type. I like things simple, especially when it comes to faith
<> KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid)Theology is how Jesus had to deal with folks like us, mere humans. He knew how poorly we understood truth and how confused we become when we go off on our own, so, He himself became our kin to ransom us from slavery, to save us, and to teach us how we should worship Him correctly.
When one hears, "Worship Him in your own way," one ought to immediately object, "NO." We must worship Him in His Way, not ours. He showed us ho to worship Him. All we have to do is obey and follow His will, not ours<>
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.