This is an answer of mine from the Catholic Answers Forum.
What is the initial reason why we would want to consume the blood and body of our beloved Christ?
Hmm... what is the initial reason? I would say because the Lord Himself commanded it. (cf. John 6:29-58; Matt 26:26-28; Mark 14:22-24; Luke 22:19-20; 1 Cor 11:23-25)
Why did He command it? Or, more deeply, why was it under the signs of bread and wine that Jesus commanded us to receive His Body and Blood? Why would He have us consume His Body and Blood? Well, God knows... but He had been preparing Israel for it for centuries.
Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of the Most High God (long before Israel existed and had priests), offered God a thanksgiving offering of bread and wine, and he blessed Abram. (cf. Gen 14:18-20) And the letter to the Hebrews tells us that Melchizedek was a foreshadowing of Christ. (cf. Heb 7) Melchizedek's name means "king of righteousness", and Salem (shalom) means "peace".
God later tested Abraham, asking him to offer his only beloved son as a holocaust on a mountain. As they went up the mountain -- Isaac carrying the wood for his own sacrificial death on his back -- he asked his father where the lamb for the sacrifice was, and Abraham replied that God would provide Himself the lamb. God did provide an animal for sacrifice in place of Isaac... but it was a ram, with its head caught in a thicket of thorns. (cf. Gen 22)
When God delivered Israel from captivity in Egypt, He instituted a ritual sacrificial meal for them, by which each family was to acquire a spotless, unblemished lamb, to kill it without breaking its bones and to spread its blood upon the doorposts of their homes; the angel of God's wrath, seeing the blood, would pass over them. The family was also to eat the flesh of the lamb. But this was not God's lamb... (cf. Exo 12-13)
In time, another ritual was instituted for Israel, the Yom Kippur ("day of atonement") ritual. Two lambs or goats were chosen, one to be slaughtered in sacrifice, and the other to have the sins of all of Israel placed upon its head and to be sent out into the wilderness to die. This was the "scapegoat", the one who receives the blame and punishment for the sins of others. (cf. Lev 16)
On the shores of the Jordan, John the Baptist called out to all who would hear him, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29) He was speaking of Jesus, the only beloved Son of God. (cf. Matt 3:17) Pilate found Jesus to be without fault or blemish. (cf. John 18:38) At His crucifixion, our Lord was crowned with thorns and carried the wood for his own sacrificial death on his back. (cf. John 19:2, 17) His bones were not broken. (cf. John 19:31-36)
St. Paul says that "Christ, our paschal lamb, has been sacrificed." (1 Cor 5:7) ["Paschal" means "Passover"]
St. Paul asks, "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?" (1 Cor 10:16)
St. Peter says that we "were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your fathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot." (1 Pet 1:18-19)
St. John saw in Heaven "a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain." (Rev 5:6)
The angels in Heaven say "Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb." (Rev 19:9)
(And why do we drink His blood? Israel was forbidden to consume blood, since the life is in the blood. (cf. Gen 9:4; Lev 17:10-14) That was to prepare them for the only blood they should consume, the Blood of Him Who has eternal life.)
Showing posts with label catholic answers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label catholic answers. Show all posts
Friday, February 26, 2010
Friday, April 17, 2009
Resources on Being and Becoming Catholic
If you are interested in books or "tracts" on becoming Catholic, I would suggest you first read Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth. You can read it online at Catholic Answers or you can order a copy. It is a very good introduction to the Catholic Church.
If you are curious what Catholics believe, I would suggest the Compendium to the Catechism. You can read it online or buy a copy. (It's probably better to buy than try reading online, but that's just my opinion.)
Finally, this brief web page describes How to Become a Catholic.
If you are curious what Catholics believe, I would suggest the Compendium to the Catechism. You can read it online or buy a copy. (It's probably better to buy than try reading online, but that's just my opinion.)
Finally, this brief web page describes How to Become a Catholic.
Friday, August 08, 2008
Liturgy: 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)
(Soon I will get back to posting weekly Scripture reflections for each Sunday Mass. I think it's very therapeutic, and hey, it might have some spiritual benefit to you, my readers!)
Here's another post from a thread on CAF. The topic is "How can the collapse of the liturgy be reversed?" and the current flow of conversation is on the role of "liturgists" in the preparation and execution of the Mass. The first part of this is a quote from another user suggesting what it is the liturgist does: he takes care of the "practicals":
For example, we're approaching the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time, year A. According to the Graduale Romanum, that means:
The introit (entrance antiphon and psalm) is Ps. 73:20,19,22,23,1. The antiphon is Respice, Domine, in testamentum tuum, et animas pauperum tuorum ne derelinquas in finem : exsurge Domine, et iudica causam tuam : et ne obliviscaris voces quaerentium te. The Psalm verse is Ut quid Deus repulisti in finem : iratus est furor tuus super oves pascuae tuae? In English, that's: "Have regard, Lord, to thy covenant, and forget not to the end the souls of thy poor : Arise, O God, judge thy own cause : and do not forget the voices that seek for You." and "O God, why hast thou cast us off unto the end: why is thy wrath enkindled against the sheep of thy pasture?"
Because we're in Ordinary Time, we use Missa Orbis Factor (XI), for Sundays throughout the year. The Graduale also recommends Stelliferi conditor orbis (Mass XIII) and Iesu Redemptor (Mass XIV) as alternate settings for Ordinary Time.
For the Gradual (a chanted replacement for the Responsorial Psalm, but using the same Psalm) we use Psalm 84:8,2. The antiphon is Ostende nobis, Domine, misericordiam tuam : et salutare tuum da nobis. The Psalm verse is Benedixisti, Domine, terram tuam : avertisti captivitatem Iacob. Those are "Show us, O Lord, thy mercy : and grant us thy salvation" and "Lord, thou hast blessed thy land : thou hast turned away the captivity of Jacob." That first one, Ps. 84:8, is actually used in one the Penitential Rite, Form B!
For the Alleluia verse, we hear Psalm 89:1: Domine, refugium factus es nobis a generatione et progenie. In English, that's "Lord, thou hast been our refuge from generation to generation."
The Offertory antiphon is Psalm 30:15,16. In Latin, In te speravi, Domine : dixi : Tu es Deus meus, in manibus tuis tempora mea. In English: "I have put my trust in thee, O Lord : I said : Thou art my God, my times are in Your hands."
The Communion chant takes its antiphon from John 6:52; this is sung with Psalm 110:1,2,3,4,5,6-7a,7b-8ab,9ab,9c-10a,10bc. (Each number N or range N-M is alternated with the antiphon, I believe.) The antiphon is Panis, quem ego dedero, caro mea est pro saeculi vita. ("The bread, which I will give, is my flesh for the life of the world.") The psalm verses... well, you can look up Psalm 110 (that's Psalm 111 for most English Bibles) for yourself. But let me share a key verse (in English)... "He hath given food to them that fear him. He will be mindful for ever of his covenant."
Have you sensed a theme in these chants?
"Have regard, Lord, to thy covenant, and forget not to the end the souls of thy poor : Arise, O God, judge thy own cause : and do not forget the voices that seek for You. / O God, why hast thou cast us off unto the end: why is thy wrath enkindled against the sheep of thy pasture?"
"Show us, O Lord, thy mercy : and grant us thy salvation. / Lord, thou hast blessed thy land : thou hast turned away the captivity of Jacob."
"Lord, thou hast been our refuge from generation to generation."
"I have put my trust in thee, O Lord : I said : Thou art my God, my times are in Your hands."
"The bread, which I will give, is my flesh for the life of the world. / He hath given food to them that fear him. He will be mindful for ever of his covenant."
And, to top it all off... what are the readings for this Sunday? 1 Kings 19, where Elijah finds the presence (and voice) of God not in the wind, the earthquake, nor the fire, but in a still small voice. Romans 9, where Paul talks about how to his kinsfolk, the Israelites, are "the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; theirs the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, is the Christ". And in Matthew 14, just after the feeding of the multitude with loaves and fishes, which was a prefiguring of the Eucharist, Jesus comes to his apostles who are in a boat being tossed by waves in the night, and Jesus calms the waves and the wind.
Peter needed to learn to put his trust in Jesus, the Lord. We need to trust in his mercy for our salvation. He is our refuge; it is he who frees us; he will hear us. We need to be faithful to the New Covenant, as God is faithful to it for ever and ever; otherwise, we will find ourselves cast off. But if we are faithful, God Himself will provide food for us... and, at Communion, we hear Jesus's words about the "bread" we are eating, which is really his flesh... and this, in close connection to the miracle of the fishes and loaves that had just occurred.
I've shown you Year A's selections. In Year B, the gradual psalm is the same as the introit psalm, Psalm 73:20-19 as the antiphon and Psalm 73:22-23 for the verse. In year C, it's Psalm 32:12 for the antiphon and Psalm 32:6 for the verse; these are "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord : the people whom he hath chosen for his inheritance." and "By the word of the Lord the heavens were established; and all the power of them by the spirit of his mouth." The Communion chant is the same for Year B as it is for Year A; in Year C, the antiphon is Matthew 24:46-47, "Blessed is that servant, whom when his lord shall come he shall find vigilant. Amen I say to you, he shall place him over all his goods" with verses taken from Psalm 33 (34 in English Bibles), which has verses such as "This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him: and saved him out of all his troubles" and "The Lord will redeem the souls of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall offend".
As you can see, the theme pretty much remains the same in all three years.
So, no liturgist required! No one needs to "put together" the Mass, choosing the right hymns... the Church has already provided for us! If only we would accept what She so graciously offers! This coming Sunday is "Respice Domine" Sunday; every 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time is "Respice Domine" Sunday, when we should be praying "Lord, remember your covenant!" That's what the Church should be praying in its chants on this day.
And, before you ask, I didn't know any of this until a couple months ago. It was a big secret. Nobody ever told it to me.
Here's another post from a thread on CAF. The topic is "How can the collapse of the liturgy be reversed?" and the current flow of conversation is on the role of "liturgists" in the preparation and execution of the Mass. The first part of this is a quote from another user suggesting what it is the liturgist does: he takes care of the "practicals":
I don't know what the "practicals" are called in "Old Catholic language," but to me, it means which songs / hymns / Psalm / chant / meditation / prelude / Kyrie / etc., etc. will be done and what page they are on in the hymnals and who will actually play them and sing them.Not to be a contrary voice, but the ideal is simply to sing what's Proper and Ordinary for that day! (This would require, of course, a choir that can sing Latin, and a congregation that has been taught to chant the Ordinary of the Mass in Latin... the way it should be.)
For example, we're approaching the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time, year A. According to the Graduale Romanum, that means:
The introit (entrance antiphon and psalm) is Ps. 73:20,19,22,23,1. The antiphon is Respice, Domine, in testamentum tuum, et animas pauperum tuorum ne derelinquas in finem : exsurge Domine, et iudica causam tuam : et ne obliviscaris voces quaerentium te. The Psalm verse is Ut quid Deus repulisti in finem : iratus est furor tuus super oves pascuae tuae? In English, that's: "Have regard, Lord, to thy covenant, and forget not to the end the souls of thy poor : Arise, O God, judge thy own cause : and do not forget the voices that seek for You." and "O God, why hast thou cast us off unto the end: why is thy wrath enkindled against the sheep of thy pasture?"
Because we're in Ordinary Time, we use Missa Orbis Factor (XI), for Sundays throughout the year. The Graduale also recommends Stelliferi conditor orbis (Mass XIII) and Iesu Redemptor (Mass XIV) as alternate settings for Ordinary Time.
For the Gradual (a chanted replacement for the Responsorial Psalm, but using the same Psalm) we use Psalm 84:8,2. The antiphon is Ostende nobis, Domine, misericordiam tuam : et salutare tuum da nobis. The Psalm verse is Benedixisti, Domine, terram tuam : avertisti captivitatem Iacob. Those are "Show us, O Lord, thy mercy : and grant us thy salvation" and "Lord, thou hast blessed thy land : thou hast turned away the captivity of Jacob." That first one, Ps. 84:8, is actually used in one the Penitential Rite, Form B!
For the Alleluia verse, we hear Psalm 89:1: Domine, refugium factus es nobis a generatione et progenie. In English, that's "Lord, thou hast been our refuge from generation to generation."
The Offertory antiphon is Psalm 30:15,16. In Latin, In te speravi, Domine : dixi : Tu es Deus meus, in manibus tuis tempora mea. In English: "I have put my trust in thee, O Lord : I said : Thou art my God, my times are in Your hands."
The Communion chant takes its antiphon from John 6:52; this is sung with Psalm 110:1,2,3,4,5,6-7a,7b-8ab,9ab,9c-10a,10bc. (Each number N or range N-M is alternated with the antiphon, I believe.) The antiphon is Panis, quem ego dedero, caro mea est pro saeculi vita. ("The bread, which I will give, is my flesh for the life of the world.") The psalm verses... well, you can look up Psalm 110 (that's Psalm 111 for most English Bibles) for yourself. But let me share a key verse (in English)... "He hath given food to them that fear him. He will be mindful for ever of his covenant."
Have you sensed a theme in these chants?
"Have regard, Lord, to thy covenant, and forget not to the end the souls of thy poor : Arise, O God, judge thy own cause : and do not forget the voices that seek for You. / O God, why hast thou cast us off unto the end: why is thy wrath enkindled against the sheep of thy pasture?"
"Show us, O Lord, thy mercy : and grant us thy salvation. / Lord, thou hast blessed thy land : thou hast turned away the captivity of Jacob."
"Lord, thou hast been our refuge from generation to generation."
"I have put my trust in thee, O Lord : I said : Thou art my God, my times are in Your hands."
"The bread, which I will give, is my flesh for the life of the world. / He hath given food to them that fear him. He will be mindful for ever of his covenant."
And, to top it all off... what are the readings for this Sunday? 1 Kings 19, where Elijah finds the presence (and voice) of God not in the wind, the earthquake, nor the fire, but in a still small voice. Romans 9, where Paul talks about how to his kinsfolk, the Israelites, are "the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; theirs the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, is the Christ". And in Matthew 14, just after the feeding of the multitude with loaves and fishes, which was a prefiguring of the Eucharist, Jesus comes to his apostles who are in a boat being tossed by waves in the night, and Jesus calms the waves and the wind.
Peter needed to learn to put his trust in Jesus, the Lord. We need to trust in his mercy for our salvation. He is our refuge; it is he who frees us; he will hear us. We need to be faithful to the New Covenant, as God is faithful to it for ever and ever; otherwise, we will find ourselves cast off. But if we are faithful, God Himself will provide food for us... and, at Communion, we hear Jesus's words about the "bread" we are eating, which is really his flesh... and this, in close connection to the miracle of the fishes and loaves that had just occurred.
I've shown you Year A's selections. In Year B, the gradual psalm is the same as the introit psalm, Psalm 73:20-19 as the antiphon and Psalm 73:22-23 for the verse. In year C, it's Psalm 32:12 for the antiphon and Psalm 32:6 for the verse; these are "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord : the people whom he hath chosen for his inheritance." and "By the word of the Lord the heavens were established; and all the power of them by the spirit of his mouth." The Communion chant is the same for Year B as it is for Year A; in Year C, the antiphon is Matthew 24:46-47, "Blessed is that servant, whom when his lord shall come he shall find vigilant. Amen I say to you, he shall place him over all his goods" with verses taken from Psalm 33 (34 in English Bibles), which has verses such as "This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him: and saved him out of all his troubles" and "The Lord will redeem the souls of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall offend".
As you can see, the theme pretty much remains the same in all three years.
So, no liturgist required! No one needs to "put together" the Mass, choosing the right hymns... the Church has already provided for us! If only we would accept what She so graciously offers! This coming Sunday is "Respice Domine" Sunday; every 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time is "Respice Domine" Sunday, when we should be praying "Lord, remember your covenant!" That's what the Church should be praying in its chants on this day.
And, before you ask, I didn't know any of this until a couple months ago. It was a big secret. Nobody ever told it to me.
Thursday, August 07, 2008
Liturgy: Political correctness is a disease
This comes from a thread on the Catholic Answers Forum about Mass Settings (the music chosen for the Ordinary of the Mass). We eventually got to the topic of chant used in the Mass. Here is part of a post of mine; the first part is what someone else said, the rest is my response. The final paragraph is my chef-d'ouevre.
Can you imagine a math teacher who doesn't do algebra because it's just so old? Or calculus because some white male invented it? (Oh, yeah, wasn't there that "new math" back in the 60's that didn't stick around too long...)
Or an English teacher who only taught neologisms and contemporary words (i.e. slang), and avoiding words which are very old or which come from (gasp!) other languages like Latin. A church "pastor" would need to be called something else, a college "campus" would need a new name, etc. (Those words are straight out of Latin.)
Or a history teacher who started with 1960. Or a geography teacher who only talked about recently-emerging countries, or neglected to talk about plate tectonics. Or a biology teacher who considers the Catholic monk Gregor Mandel's work on genetics to be out of date and instead dives right into DNA (but nevermind those two white males who discovered it, they're old fogies) and cloning.
It's preposterous.
This politically-correct disease will only make us slaves to politics (rather than people who can shape politics). But if we become historically-correct, we will not be "slaves" to history (which we are cannot escape) but will stop trying to rewrite it; we'll accept it, learn from it, and move on to shape the future.
But I happen to know that our Catholic school just hired a new music teacher who is rumored to be "contemporary" in her approach to Catholic music.It's dangerous to sink your anchor into the topmost level of the ocean floor... if you know what I mean. It's a bit ignorant (and maybe even disingenuous) to study the "moderns" without studying the "classics". Especially since the Church has been pretty straightforward about sacred music being such an invaluable treasure. Why bury that treasure? Why ignore it? Why deprive others of it?
Can you imagine a math teacher who doesn't do algebra because it's just so old? Or calculus because some white male invented it? (Oh, yeah, wasn't there that "new math" back in the 60's that didn't stick around too long...)
Or an English teacher who only taught neologisms and contemporary words (i.e. slang), and avoiding words which are very old or which come from (gasp!) other languages like Latin. A church "pastor" would need to be called something else, a college "campus" would need a new name, etc. (Those words are straight out of Latin.)
Or a history teacher who started with 1960. Or a geography teacher who only talked about recently-emerging countries, or neglected to talk about plate tectonics. Or a biology teacher who considers the Catholic monk Gregor Mandel's work on genetics to be out of date and instead dives right into DNA (but nevermind those two white males who discovered it, they're old fogies) and cloning.
It's preposterous.
This politically-correct disease will only make us slaves to politics (rather than people who can shape politics). But if we become historically-correct, we will not be "slaves" to history (which we are cannot escape) but will stop trying to rewrite it; we'll accept it, learn from it, and move on to shape the future.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Liturgy: Study Sacrosanctum Concilium at Catholic Answers Forum
At the Catholic Answers Forum (CAF), I've started a thread studying Sacrosanctum Concilium, the Vatican II Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy. As I've mentioned before on my blog, the Pope has invited the whole Church to re-visit this first document of the Second Vatican Council to grow in our understanding of this Most Blessed Sacrament, the Holy Eucharist. This document also speaks about the direction of the liturgical reformation that the Church was preparing to undertake.
If you would like to read along with us -- I'm posting the document, piece-by-piece, with commentary and questions -- feel free! The thread is here.
If you want to contribute questions or answers, you'll need to register with CAF (painless, really) and then register as a "Book Club" member (which might take a day or two to be approved). But anyone can read along without registering.
If you would like to read along with us -- I'm posting the document, piece-by-piece, with commentary and questions -- feel free! The thread is here.
If you want to contribute questions or answers, you'll need to register with CAF (painless, really) and then register as a "Book Club" member (which might take a day or two to be approved). But anyone can read along without registering.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Evangelization: Support the Catholic Answers Forum
I'm a member of Catholic Answers Forums, which is one of the many apologetics and evangelization resources that Catholic Answers offers free of charge. The forum has been visited over one million times in August, and over 7 million pages of useful information about the Catholic faith were delivered to these visitors. Catholic Answers Forums is the largest Catholic Community on the Internet!But this phenomenal growth requires substantial network bandwidth, more computer equipment, more software, and more support personnel -- all of which cost money. Please help them raise $20,000 this month to keep this valuable Catholic resource alive. If you can make a (tax-deductible) donation, please do.
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