- 1. Old TestamentPrefigurements of the Mass(A Catholics
Perspective)
2. As the subtitle suggests, this is my perspective on
communion, seen through my personal Catholic lens. Itis my
understanding of the Catholic Mass, during which the Lords Supper
(Holy Communion, is offered).The presentation of this topic
presumes the reader already has a Christian belief system, and that
our sinswere atoned for by Christs sacrifice, and that by Gods
grace, we may accept it and be united together withHim forever in
heaven. As to how we accept Christs atoning sacrifice this is
fundamentally what setsCatholics and Eastern Orthodox Christians
apart from Protestant Christian beliefs. Despite our
significantdifferences in theology, I regard protestant believers,
as my brothers and sisters in Christ, and I respect theright of
every person to practice their faith in the way they desire. My
goal is simply to demonstrate thelogic of the Catholic
understanding of Holy Communion, utilizing faith and reason; both
of which arecomplimentary of, and not contradictory toward, each
other. Just as in a criminal investigation, one can beconfident in
the truth of a case, when numerous different types of evidence
(fingerprint, DNA, photographic,handwriting, testimonial, etc)
point to the same conclusion; so too, if the Catholic concept of
communion istrue, one should be able to observe valid evidence of
it from several perspectives (philosophical, biblical,
andhistorical) which all reveal different aspects of it; while not
displaying contradiction between them.But, is it possible for us to
learn anything about God? Christians, say yes, because many details
of the faithcan be verified about the early Church and the Bible
from archeology, anthropology, genetics, paleontology,metallurgy,
geography, ancient plants and animals; even the writings of ancient
pagan authors. TheIncarnation of God in the divine person of Jesus
(fully God, and fully human) who came to commune with,and bring
salvation to man, is also a proof that God reveals Himself to His
creation in a very intimate way.In attempting to learn and
understand God, what can we do to more fully understand His nature,
and plan ofsalvation? Consider 1 Thess 5:21, which says prove all
things, hold fast to that which is good. Also, St. Paulsaid even
the gentiles have the laws of God written on their hearts (Rom
2:15). So, God has planted in theminds of all men, some intrinsic
fundamental concepts of the laws of nature, which are signposts of
sorts,and which thereby give all of us the ability to determine
right from wrong, just from unjust; and, by thesemeans, to
understand something about God Himself, as well as His plan for
us.Page 1 3. For example, throughout the world, centuries ago,
before many societies had ever come into contactwith one another,
they have been found to have had many commonalities. For example,
they allprohibited many of the same types of crimes; studied
science to understand their world and universe;believed in God, a
god, or gods; and they tried to learn what they could about their
deity/deities, inorder to please, and not offend Him, Her, it, or
them. We can call this innate sense to seek justicethrough
reasoning, as the natural law. God gave humans natural law, so they
would be able torecognize the truth of His nature, and His plan of
salvation for man, as it would later be revealedthrough Christ.
Since God has given us the faculty of reason; we should employ it,
combined with faith,through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to
understand God and His plan, as He wills it revealed.To objectively
use the faculty of reason, the intellect, as the searchlight of the
soul, must be allowed thefreedom to examine the evidence of
questioned beliefs, despite any preconceived bias; unless or
until,the weight of evidence tilts decisively in one direction or
the other. At that time, the will is justified toconvict the mind
towards, or opposing, the belief, that is under examination. It is
my hope the readerwill allow their intellect the freedom to
rationally examine the Catholic perspective of the Mass and
theEucharist, even though it may run contrary to their current
belief.Besides the faculty of reason, we should also employ
Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16) to understand thenature of God, since
God inspired the human writers of the Bible to record salvation
history from thecreation, to Jesus crucifixion, resurrection,
ascension; and, the spreading of the gospel. Scripture alsospeaks
of the Traditions of the apostles (2 Thess 2:15, 2 Tim 2:2) and
their successors. These Traditions,which are reflected in the
writings of the early Church Fathers, who in many cases were taught
by theapostles themselves, or at least their immediate successors
(not to be mistaken with the traditions ofthe Pharisees (Mt 15:3)),
will be briefly discussed later.Page 2 4. This presentation focuses
on Gods efforts to reach down to us, and our attempt to reach
upwards toHim. It could be said that this convergence occurs in
communion. In order to understand how aCatholic might comprehend
communion; and how it works, as well as what it does for him, lets
firstbriefly discuss what we can reason about the concept of
justice, as it is universally understood by allsocieties, and how
it is best applied. During this presentation, natural law will be
blended, with whatScripture tells us about God. Please refer to
page 4. There, you will notice two models of justice.Two models of
justice, which derive from natural law, are presented. In Model I,
the crime (sin) isideally balanced by the penalty; but the
measurement of these are subjective, and therefore they
aredifficult to balance, since the penalty does not display an
obviously recognizable feature that shares aproportionate and
symmetrical resemblance to the offense which was committed.Model
II, represents the best result in justice. The crime (sin) is not
only of equal weight to thepenalty, but it is also mirrored by the
penalty (remedy) in a symmetrical way. This model makes themost
sense, as it is easier to determine justice that is not only
balanced, but symmetrical, because itis presented in a way that is
easily recognizable, as the penalty is directly proportionate to
the harminflicted. Justice in this case will likely be superior,
since the consequence of the sin will serve notmerely as a
deterrent, but also as a teaching and therefore a remediation, as
the perpetrator willunderstand and be compelled to compensate
evenly with the harm of his offense. To use anotheranalogy, which
we can observe from Gods creation; consider a crime or sin as a
knot. The threadmust go back through it in the opposite , mirrored,
and symmetrical way for it to be undone.In order to explain this in
a different way, lets use a practical application of this
principle, using twoscenarios, involving two teenage siblings;
Sally and Tom. Assume that Sally and Toms parentshave two different
punishments available to use on their children, as a consequence
for theirchildrens misbehaviors; namely, grounding; or, withholding
allowance.Page 3 5. Model I: The penalty attempts to equal the
crime, but Model II: The penalty is proportionate, and
symmetricalis not easily balanced. The penalty also attempts toto
crime or sin. This makes its measurementserve as a deterrent, but
doesnt teach with precision. precise and just. It teaches and
remediates.Crime/Sin PenaltyCrime/Sin Penalty/RemedyViolent crime
(Physical danger to society) = Fine/Restitution (no protection for
society) Violent crime (Physical danger to society) =Incarceration
(Removes danger to society) Theft (items of value deprived of
victim) = Incarceration (no recovery for victim) Theft (items of
value deprived of victim) =Fine/Restitution (recovery for
victim)Forbidden Fruit (sinful nature)=Tree of Life/Eucharist
(restores grace)CrimePenalty SymmetrySymmetry Sin RemedyI m - p
recis e B a l a n c eEqual BalanceJ U S T I C E Page 4 6. Scenario
#1: Sally comes home from a night out with friends. In setting her
purse on the edge of acounter, it drops, and a package of marijuana
topples out onto the floor, which her father observes.Scenario #2:
Toms mother washes his clothes. While putting them away for him,
his motherobserves a pornographic magazine hidden in one of Toms
dresser drawers.Can an optimal result be demonstrated by employing
justice which is proportionate and symmetricalto the respective
offenses of Sally and Tom? Obviously the time Sally spent with her
friends, was amajor factor in enabling Sally to behave poorly.
Therefore, grounding Sally will reduce, or eliminatethe time Sally
has to be negatively influenced by the friends she has chosen. In
Toms situation, timewas not a major factor. Rather, the magazine
was purchased through Toms financial resources. Bywithholding his
allowance, it will be more difficult for Tom to purchase
pornography. Obviously, ifwe reversed Sally and Toms punishments,
they would not teach; nor would they be likely to effect achange of
behavior in the children. By using this model of justice, the
temptation to commit sin isgreatly reduced. If we substitute
teaching and the exercise of virtuous behaviors (prayer,
spiritualreading, good deeds) in place of the misbehaviors, then
this proportionate and symmetricalapplication of justice, will
further maximize opportunities to teach and remediate. If we do
notsubstitute virtues for the misbehaviors, a void will exist in
the soul, which the will is likely to fill withthe original vice,
as the temptations of sin will be too great to withstand.Lets see
if God applies the principal of symmetrical and proportionate
justice (as exhibited byModel II) in redeeming our fallen nature,
following the sin of Adam & Eve in the garden of Eden.Please
refer to page 7, and read and answer questions 1 -13. See if you
agree with my answers. Page 5 7. Old Testament Prefigurements ofthe
Mass & Eucharist 1. The Tree of LifePage 6 8. 1. How did sin
enter the world? Adam & Eve disobeyed God, by eating the
forbidden fruit.2. From what tree did this fruit, that was
disobediently eaten, grow? The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and
Evil (Gen 2:9).3. Immediately after they ate the forbidden fruit,
what happened to Adam & Eves eyes? They were opened (Gen
3:7).4. What was the penalty for Adam & Eves disobedience? They
lost their immortality, were forced out of Garden of Eden, &
inherited effects of original sin.5. If we compare sin to a knot.
How is sin undone? By going back through it in precisely the mirror
image way that it was created. Scales of justice(punishment or
remedy should mirror crime).6. If sin, like a knot, is undone in a
balanced /symmetrical way, how might Adam & Eves descendants,
who disobediently ate, receive forgiveness? Obedient eating.7. Was
there another tree which was named in the Garden of Eden? Yes, the
Tree of Life. (Gen 3:7).8. Was it necessary for Adam and Eve to eat
of the Tree of Life in order to live forever in the Garden of
Eden?No, they only needed to avoid eating of the Tree of the
Knowledge of Good and Evil.9. After leaving the garden, God had the
Tree of Life guarded so that Adam & Eve could not eat of it and
thus attain eternal life. So, because Adam & Eve losttheir
immortal nature, they must have never eaten of this tree while in
the garden of Eden. Since everything God does has a plan, why was
the Tree of Lifementioned in the garden of Eden in the first place?
The Tree of Life must have had a future purpose (a
foreshadowing).10. If Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist,
& the eyes of His disciples were opened at their recognition of
Him in the breaking of the bread (i.e. theEucharist (Luke
24:30-31)), what object would be balanced and symmetrical to the
forbidden fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good & Evil,
from whichJesus might be metaphorically identified? The fruit of
the Tree of Life.11. If obedient eating results in forgiveness of
sins, can this be found in Scripture? Yes. Mt 26:26-28.Eating of
the Tree of Knowledge of Good/Evil:(1) Dis-obedient Eating, (2)
Commits Sin (Gen 3:6), (3) Adam/Eves Eyes Opened (sees Sin(Gen
3:7)), (4) Results in Death (Gen 3:19).Whereas, Eating Tree of Life
is:(1) Obedient Eating, (2) Forgives Sin (Mt 26:26-28), (3)
Disciples Eyes Opened(see sTruth(Lk 24:30-31)), (4) Restores Life
(Jn 6:54).12. As shown above, is eating of the Tree of Life,
proportionate & symmetrically opposite to that of eating of the
Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil? Yes.Page 7 9. Does it not
seem that God responds to the original sin of Adam and Eve in a
proportionate andsymmetrical way? In the story of Adam and Eve in
the garden of Eden, two trees are mentioned,the Tree of the
Knowledge of Good and Evil; and, the Tree of Life. God instructed
Adam and Eve tonever eat of the (forbidden) fruit of the Tree of
the Knowledge of Good and Evil. However, little issaid about the
Tree of Life, in the Old Testament. Why is the Tree of Life
mentioned at all then?Because it is a foreshadowing of its
fulfillment; and that fulfillment is Christ. What then is the
fruitof this Tree of Life? Well, if this fruit is the Eucharist,
and we accept the natural law premise, wemight suppose that its
effect would be exactly opposite to that of the forbidden fruit. In
eating theforbidden fruit, sin is committed (Gen 3:6); Adam and Eve
recognized their sin (Gen 3:7); and theirdisobedience resulted in
their loss of immortality (Gen 3:19). Conversely, in eating the
fruit of theTree of Life (Christ), sin is forgiven (Mt 26:26-28);
the persons receiving the Eucharist, recognizeJesus is truly and
substantially present in it (Lk 24:30-31); and the knot of sin is
undone, removingthe effect of sin, and restoring eternal life (Jn
6:54). We can also see this principle diagrammaticallydisplayed on
page 9. Page 8 10. Immortal Life (Garden of Eden) (knot) = sin. A
knot must be undone in the opposite manner that it was made.* Tree
of Knowledge of Good & Evil (Gen 2:9 ) Tree of Life ( (Gen 2:9)
Tree of Life: foreshadowing ofJesus*Sin Committed(Forbidden
fruit)Its fruit is a foreshadowing of the Eucharist Satan 1
Disobedient Eating-Forbidden Fruit 2 Commits Sin Gen 3:6 3 Eyes
opened Gen 3:7 4 Produces Death Gen 3:19Eternal Life inAdamEve
Garden of EdenImmortal Life Loss of Immortality Dis ob ed ien t E a
tin gMortal Life (on Earth) vs. Obedient Eating*Symmetrical,
opposite action *Sin is undone required to undo knot of sin
(Eucharist)Sacramental means by which Godforgives & allows us
to overcome sin 1. Obedient Eating-Eucharist 2. Forgives sin Mt
26:26-28 3. Eyes opened Lk 24:30-31 4. Restores Life Jn 6:54
BiologicalDeathEternal Life Baptism Jn 3:3 Confession Jn 20:20-22
Jesus died on a tree () Gal 3:13/1 Pet 2:24in Heaven Mortal
LifePage 9 11. Okay, you might think, I can theoretically
understand how the Eucharist undoes the knot of Adam andEves sin,
and how it may be important to receive the Eucharist (fruit of the
Tree of Life) in order tocomply with the Lords instructions for me
to do so. You might even see why the Catholic faith, basedupon
certain Scripture verses (Mt 26:26-28; John 6: 53-54), could
conclude that the Eucharist, as theTree of Life (i.e. the body of
Christ), can actually forgive sin, and restore the hope of eternal
life. But,what about a practical example; if the idea of the
Eucharist is to undo the knot of sin in a proportionateand
symmetrical way, like the knot of the forbidden fruit is undone by
the fruit of the Tree of Life, howcan receiving the Eucharist be
proportionate and symmetrical to something like for instance,
theft?Its a process. Lets say a person steals $200.00 from someone
else. An important pre-condition ofreceiving the Eucharist for the
thief, is that he confess the theft of the $200.00, to a priest in
thesacrament of Confession (John 20:18-20). The priest will almost
certainly tell the person to return the$200.00 to the person from
whom it was stolen. Depending upon the circumstances, he might also
betold to admit and apologize to the victim, for his actions. The
person might also be told to pray that hemight not be tempted to
commit theft in the future. Above all, the person must be sorry for
their sinfulaction(s). The person is then absolved of his sins by
Jesus Christ, through the words of absolution,spoken by the priest
in the confessional. Since the person may only receive the
Eucharist if he makes asincere confession to Christ (acting through
the priest); only then will a completeness of the penaltyowed by
the penitent for his sin be satisfied, and order restored to the
life of the victim as well as thepenitent. Thus, in his desire to
receive the Eucharist (communion) and make reparation for his
wrongs,the person is given a penance (thus he is called a penitent)
which allows him to replace the vice withthe virtue that opposes it
(e.g. lust/chastity, gluttony/temperance, greed/charity,
sloth/diligence,wrath/patience, envy/kindness, pride/humility). In
actuality, these virtues substitute for penalties, and,as such,
they are in reality remedies, as they are proportionately and
symmetrically opposed to theoffense. In his desire to receive
Christ in the Eucharist, the penitent is not only completely
restored toChrist, but his reception of the grace of Christ, in the
Eucharist, under the right frame of mind, alsoserves to help
fortify him against future evil thoughts, words and deeds. Page 10
12. Old Testament Prefigurements of the Mass & Eucharist2. The
Passover Lamb3. The Manna from Heaven Page 11 13. Have you ever
happened to notice a relationship between the books of Exodus and
Leviticus, with that ofthe book of Hebrews, involving the Old
Testament Temple model? I made aware of this after reading thebooks
Worthy is the Lamb, The Biblical Roots of the Mass, written by
Thomas J. Nash, and Jesus andthe Jewish Roots of the Eucharist,
written by Brant Pitre. These books interested me in documentingthe
similarities of the Old Testament Temple, a foreshadowing of the
New Testament Eucharist, andChrists fulfillment of the temple
sacrifices. I thus began constructing the Temple model as a
PowerPointproject. I applied Christs movement from earth (the
Ascension) to the heavenly Holy of Holies, and Hissacrifices from
within the heavenly Temple, which mirrored the sacrifices of the
Levitical high priest inthe earthly Holy of Holies. This really
seemed to me to be a necessary step to analyze, because ofChrists
words that He came to fulfill the Law, not to abolish it (Mt 5:17);
and, St. Pauls words that theLaw is our tutor, which leads us to
Christ (Gal 3:24). Therefore, if Christ is to be taken at his
words, itshould be expected that He fulfills all aspects of the Old
Covenant Law, including these Temple sacrifices.As I progressed on
the project, I noticed that several other distinctly Catholic
practices and conceptsseemed to materialize from the model, such as
the Eucharist (as a fulfillment of the Old TestamentTemple, Bread
of the Presence (aka: Showbread)), intercessory prayer of saints
and angels, the Churchsdoctrine that the Mass is heaven on earth,
the practice of liturgy, and even a foreshadowing of theTrinity.
During portions of this presentation, you will view these
diagrams.All Christians truly believe that Christ was , and is, the
perfect sacrifice who takes away our sins.Scripture says that
Jesus, the perfect lamb, was sacrificed only once (Heb 10:10).
Therefore, Jesussacrifice on the cross can never be repeated. So,
by continuing to celebrate the Sacrifice of the Mass,arent
Catholics just practicing a type of re-crucifixion of Christ? No.
But, to understand exactly what theCatholic Mass (and the Eastern
Orthodox Divine Liturgy) is, and why they do not involve a
re-crucifixionof Christ, the parts of the Old Testament Temple
sacrificial system must first be explored and betterunderstood.
Page 12 14. The key to understanding the Mass, is recognizing that
there are two stages to the Old TestamentTemple sacrifices. In the
first stage of the sacrifice, the shedding of blood by the
sacrificial victimoccurred at the brazen altar, in the Temple
courtyard. This blood was then collected into bowls orcups of the
priests. The second stage occurred only once a year when the High
Priest entered theHoly of Holies inside of the Temple (note: the
High Priest could only enter the Holy of Holies if hehad with him
the bowls/cups of the sacrificial blood (Heb 9:7)). Within the Holy
of Holies, theHigh Priest would then sprinkle, or pour out of the
victims blood onto the mercy seat of the Arkof the Covenant (Lev
16:11-16). Along with the prayers of the High Priest, drifting
toward heavenlike the Temple incense, sins were considered to be
atoned for, though this was really only aforeshadowing of the true
redemption to be offered by Christ, following His crucifixion
andresurrection. This act was imperfect because it would not rid
all types of sins of the people of thenation of Israel, and because
it could only occur once a year on the Day of Atonement
(YomKippur).Please observe the Old Covenant Temple model on page
14, and how Christs New Testamentsacrifice, follows the Old
Testament Temple model sacrifice so perfectly. The crucifixion of
ourLord occurred in the first stage of his sacrifice, and this
first-stage is never repeated (Heb 10:10). Page 13 15. God is
Spirit Jn 4:24 The name of the Father Jesus came not toHoly
TrinityThe Law: Our Mt 28:19abolish the Law, butOne God intutor
which leads to fulfill it.three persons us to ChristMatthew 5:17
Galatians 3:24And And The The Son Holy Spirit The Holy Spirit:
Jesus: My At right handThe mind of GodLord & God of the Father
1 Corinthians 2:11John 20:28 Acts 2:33Second stage of Christs
sacrifice: Offered Perpetually!First stage of Christs sacrifice:
Never repeated! AscendedOld Covenant Temple Sacrifice Fulfilled by
Christ to heaven Jesus crucified (blood shed)Lamb: Sin offering to
GodMk 16:19-20Old Testament Foreshadowing (blue) & New
Testament Fulfillments (green) Mt28:32-54/Mk 15:21-41/ for people.
Ex 29:38-42 Lk 24:50-51 Lk 23:26-49/Jn 19: 17-37Jesus: Sin offering
to God High Priest only entered Holy of Golden table of the bread
of the presence (panim means face) Delivered for our trespassesfor
people. 2 Cor 5:21Holies once a year to make amendsExodus 25:30,
Leviticus 24:5-9, Hebrews 9:2, and Matthew 12:3-6 Romans 4:25 to
God for people (Day of Atonement).Three times a year males could
see the face of the Lord. Exodus 23:17Christ is sacrificed only
once Priest had to enter with the cups/bowls Table of the Bread of
Presence was also displayed before Jewish pilgrimsSacrificial Lamb
Hebrews 10:10 of shed blood of the lamb. Leviticus 16:9-15 three
times a year in Jewish Tradition. Babylonian Talmud Menahoth 29A Ex
12:3-10, 21-24Bread of the PresenceExodus 29: 15-17 (Prefigures the
Eucharist)Holy of Holies Lamb of God takesHolies Holiesaway sins of
world. John 1:29Priest entered Holy ofHolies with blood Lamb
roasted.of bulls/goats Heb 9:7Sacrifice notfinished till lambBrazen
Altar of Sacrifice. Blood sprinkled on mercy seat ofAltar of
Incense eaten. Ex 12:4-9Blood shed into bowls/ the Ark of Covenant:
Lev 16:11-16, Prayers ascend to God like incenseYou must eat mycups
of priest Ex 24:1-8 Jesus blood given to us Mt 26:26-28 Ex 30:1
Jesus takes our prayers body in order toThis cup is my blood,
shed& intermediates for us with the have eternal life.for you.
Luke 22:20Father. Heb 7:25John 6:53-54 Lampstand (Menorah)Bronze
Laver (ritualJesus (Lamb of God)Exodus 25:31-40cleansing) Ex
27:1-8Rose from dead:Jesus: Light of the worldBaptism cleanses us
ofMk16:6/Lk 24:5/Jn 20:6 John 8:12original sin 1 Pet 3:21To declare
us righteous Preached to the deadRomans 4:25 1 Pet 3:19-20 Eph
4:8-10 Page 14 16. Now, as the fulfillment and perfection of the
Old Temple sacrificial system, please refer to the NewCovenant
Sacrifice shown on page 16. Though Christs crucifixion is never
repeated, never-the-less, ChristsNew Covenant Sacrifice has not
ceased, but rather, it continues into perpetuity (fulfilling Mal
1:11). Christsacrifice could only be applied to us if He was
resurrected (Rom 4:25), and ascended (Jn 20:17) into theheavenly
Holy of Holies in his glorified, resurrected body. Christ,
following the Old Testament Temple model,had sacrificial blood with
him in entering the heavenly Holy of Holies, just as the earthly
High Priest had tohave with him the blood of the sacrificial animal
(Heb 9:7). But, it was not the blood of bulls or goats whichChrist
had with him upon entering the heavenly Holy of Holies, it was His
own blood (Heb 9:12 (fulfilling Lev16:15)). Christ, acting as both
High Priest, and sacrificial victim, from the heavenly Holy of
Holies, in thissecond stage, which happens in the Mass, not just
yearly (as on the Day of Atonement), but in factthroughout the
world, and perpetually, pours out His sacrificial body and blood as
an offering to the Father,in order to take away our sins (Mt
26:26-28 (fulfilling Lev 16:11-16)). And, like the High Priest, we
also haveour role in this sacrifice. If the Old Testament Temple
model is to be fulfilled, then just like our spiritualforefathers,
the Jews, we too must eat our sacrificial lamb (Christ) in the
Eucharist, in order for thesacrifice to be complete (Jn 6:53-54
& 1 Cor 5:7-8 (fulfilling Ex 12:4-9)).Eating Jesus real body
and drinking His real blood? Surely this cannot be understood
literally, or else itwould be cannibalism, wouldnt it? It might be
cannibalism if Christ had ascended to heaven in His earthlydead,
bloody, battered, crucified body. But, as mentioned earlier, He
ascended into the heavenly Holy ofHolies in His new heavenly body,
which is His perfect, glorified, and resurrected body. Therefore,
this is thebody and blood which Christ, as our high priest, offers
us at communion. And since Jesus glorified body hassupernatural
qualities (John 20:24-29), Christians, through it, will receive the
grace of Christ in supernaturalways also. His body and blood in the
Eucharist, foreshadowed in the miraculous multiplication of the
loavesand fish (John 6:1-15), is inexhaustible and super-abundant
in quantity. Unlike the forefathers of theHebrews, who ate the
manna from heaven and died (John 6:49), eating this bread would
give eternal life(John 6:50). And, when we receive the Eucharist,
our eyes are opened (i.e.: we recognize his sacramentalpresence
(Luke 24:30-31)). Page 15 17. The New Covenant Sacrifice
Mass/Divine Liturgy: Heaven Meets Earth Greater more perfect
Tabernacle in Heaven Hebrews 9:11-12 11 But Christ being come an
high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect
tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this
Entered with his ownbuilding; 12 Neither by the blood of goats and
calves, but by his own blood he entered once into the holy place,
having obtained eternal redemption for us blood in Holy of Holies
Hebrews 4:14/9:12 (Heavenly) Holy of HoliesHolies 24 elders Rev
5:8Holies stood a Lamb slain2 hearsRev 5:6 As High Priest &
sacrificial victim, Jesus Bread/Mannameallows us to receive His
from heaven Saints SaintsSaints resurrected glorified body John
6:48-51 in the Eucharist. Every priest inexhaustible ) ordained to
sacrifice. Heb 8:3 John 6:1-15 Eat my fleshJesus: Priest forever
order for eternal of Melchizedek. Jesus life Jn 6:54sacrifice like
Melchizedek is Bread/wine.Gen 14:18;AscendedIn theto heaven Shadow
Ps 110:4; Heb 5:6 Golden Bowls of Incense A Great Cloud of Death
doesnt separate us Heavenly & EarthlyTabernacle are the Prayers
of theWitnesses Heb 12:1 from God. Romans 8:38-39Mk 16:19-20 (Heb
8:5) saints. Revelation 5:8 We are one body. 1 Cor 12:13Tabernacles
mirrorLk 24:50-51 Angel offers prayers ofTo minister shadowAngel
presents Tobit &holy ones to God.The fervent prayer of a
righteousperson availeth much Jas 5:16each other & areto us Jn
20:17of Christ must be Sarahs prayer to God. Rev 5:8Pure
sacrificerepresented Tob 12:12 one worship. Earthly alsooffered
every- We present ourselves as a holy and living sacrifice. Romans
12:1 imitates heavenly.where intoperpetuity.hears you HeHeb 8:4-5;
9:11-12Mal 1:11 13who Transforms: Sacrifice of This is my body
Bread/wine Mt 26:26 Mt 26:26 Perfect lamb must be eaten Ex12:1-28
Priest Eucharist - must also (Acts for Christ) be eaten 1 Cor
5:7-8Luke 10:16 Forgives sin Mt 26:28Hebrews 8:5 1 Cor 10:16/1 Cor
11:23-26Raised for our Example and Shadow Tabernacle on Earth
(Mass/Divine Liturgy) Hebrews 8:5JustificationRomans 4:25 Hebrews
8:1-6 1 Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We
have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the
throne of the Majesty in the heavens; 2 A minister of the
sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and
not man. 3 For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and
sacrifices: wherefore it is of necessity that this man have
something also to offer. 4 For if he were on earth, he should not
be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts
according to the law: 5 Who serve unto the example and shadow of
heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about
to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all
things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount. 6 But
now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry by how much also he
is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon
better promises. Heb 8:13 New Covenant makes Old Covenant law
obsolete. Jesus preached to dead 1 Pet 3:19-20/Eph 4:8-10Page 16
18. But, you might say, the elements which begin as bread and wine,
dont appear any different after theEpiclesis (when the Priest calls
forth the Holy Spirit), when they are supposed to change into the
body andblood of Christ. Yes, that is the mystery of Gods ways. In
order to better understand why God chooses thisspecial mode to
convey His Son to the faithful, let us remember what Scripture says
the definition of faith is.Faith is the assurance of things hoped
for, and the expectation of things unseen (Heb 11:1). The
Eucharist,like all sacraments, has its own unique form and its own
unique matter. The form of a sacrament arethe words of blessing
spoken by the priest (e.g.: I baptize you in the name of the
Father, the Son, and theHoly Spirit (baptism), etc); while the
matter is a material creation of some sort, such as unleavenedwheat
bread and wine (Eucharist), water (baptism), or oil (healing),
depending on the particular sacrament.In the case of the Eucharist,
the form consists of the words spoken by the priest, which identify
it as thebody of Christ. For example, just before communion, the
priest will hold up the Eucharist, as he speaks forChrist, this is
my body (i.e. Jesus body). So, we receive through the form (words)
of this sacrament,the assurance of things hoped for (that Christ is
truly, substantially present in the Eucharist); but, because allwe
continue to see is what appears to be nothing more than an
unleavened wafer of wheat bread, we musthave an expectation of
things that we cannot see (e.g.: that it is in fact the body and
blood of Christ).A sacrament brings to us the invisible grace of
God through visible signs. The term sacrament comes fromthe Latin
word sacramentum meaning oath, because, a person receiving a
sacrament, is invoking Godsholy name in an oath, imploring God to
help him. However, an oath simultaneously permits a curse to
befallthe oath-taker if he lies while under the oath. So, when the
priest offers the Eucharist (as a sacrament,thereby inducing an
oath), to each parishioner, the priest will audibly say the body of
Christ, and we whoreceive the Eucharist will affirm we understand
it is Christs body, blood, soul and divinity we are receiving,by
responding with our amen (i.e. truly, or so be it). Because we are
swearing an oath to God with ouraffirmation (our amen) that Christ
is truly and substantially present in the Eucharist, though we
cannottruly comprehend this; by the gift of Gods faith, we must
accept it as true. To believe otherwise byintention, is to falsely
swear to God, thereby profaning the body and blood of Christ: So
then, whoever eatsthe bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an
unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body andblood
of the Lord (1 Cor 11:27).Page 17 19. Some might ask if the idea of
sacramental reception of Christ inhibits a spiritual reception of
Him. Thisis a false dichotomy. Sacramental reception of communion
with Christ is spiritual! Sacraments providea complimentarity with
faith, which in fact causes faith to grow. Neither the spiritual
realm nor thematerial realm should be excluded from our faith
experience, since they both derive from God. WhenChrist healed the
blind man, he used the created material substances of dirt and
saliva to restore themans sight (John 9:6). God loves His creation,
so He gives us bodies to benefit from putting His creationto its
highest possible application; worship of the Creator Himself. In
fact, God actually commands ouruse of His creation during worship
(e.g. Communion-bread/wine, Baptism-water, Healing-oil).This brings
up another question; why do Catholics use only bread and wine
during communion? Isnt itokay to use other substances, such as
bread and water, or bread and grape juice for communion?Other
Christian groups may decide for themselves what substances should
be used in their worship, butit is not okay for Catholic priests to
offer anything but bread and wine during Mass. This is because
theCatholic Church, through apostolic succession, must follow
Christs example. And, Christ himselffollowed the example of
Melchizedek (Gen 14:18) who as an Old Testament priest and king,
was aprefigurement of the perfect priest and king, Jesus. Since a
priest must make a sacrifice (in other wordsan offering) (Heb 8:3),
and Jesus is a priest according to the order of Melchizedek (Heb
5:6 (fulfilling Ps110:4)), Jesus too, makes an offering, and this
offering is the same as that of Melchizedek. SinceMelchizedeks
sacrificial offering was bread and wine (Gen 14:18), Jesus, in
perfectly fulfilling his role asa priest according to the order of
Melchizedek, also offered bread and wine (Mt 26:26-29). Jesus
thenordained His apostles to offer bread and wine at the Lords
supper (Luke 22:19-20). The apostlesordinations from Jesus, made
them priests according to the order of Melchizedek. Later, the
apostlesthemselves, would in turn, ordain their successors in the
order of Melchizedek (Acts 1:20-26; 2 Tim2:2). In these
ordinations; the apostles and all their successors, like Jesus,
become priests according tothe order of Melchizedek. Since all
bishops and priests in the Catholic Church have unbroken
apostolicsuccession from the original apostles, thereby making them
priests according to the order ofMelchizedek, their sacrificial
offerings can never be anything other than bread and wine. Page 18
20. Do Catholics worship the bread and wine at Mass? No, but they
do worship the Eucharist, which is no longermere bread and wine, as
it has been transformed by Christ Himself into His own body, blood,
soul anddivinity. If Christ is not really, substantially present in
the Eucharist, then Catholics are certainly idolaters;maybe not
intentionally, but certainly by de-facto. On the other hand, if the
Eucharist is Christs body, blood,soul and divinity, then it stands
to reason that whoever is not receiving the Eucharist, is missing
out onsomething Christ wants for them to receive. Why else would He
be present in the Eucharist?Lets examine arguments frequently used
against a literal understanding that the Eucharist is Christs
truebody and blood. Objection #1: The communion elements cannot be
Christs real body and blood, becauseChrist said to do this in
remembrance of me, so we only remember Him. Response: Yes, we do
rememberChrist in receiving the Eucharist. But, we remember Him
while we also recognize we receive His true body inthe Eucharist.
Christs use of the term remembrance (Greek: anamnesis) isnt to be
understood in a waythat mutually excludes His true presence in the
Eucharist, in our act of remembrance, as in an
either/orproposition. Rather, anamnesis is interpreted as memorial
and memorializing merely means to make it arecurring celebration,
exactly as the Lords Supper is. Use of anamnesis as recurring
celebration associatedwith sacrifice, is also shown in the Old
Testament Septuagint usage of this same term in Lev 24:7 and
Num10:10. In the case of the Mass, this memorial meal occurs on a
daily basis (fulfilling Mal 1:11). So, it is bestunderstood as a
both/and (i.e. we both call to mind Jesus past sacrifice, and we
partake of His true body).Objection #2: Jesus was speaking
symbolically. Response: In John 6:35-69, Christ tells both the Jews
and Hisdisciples they must eat His body and drink His blood to have
eternal life. Jesus audience, does not initiallyunderstand Him.
Only after He repeats this several times, do they finally
understand that He means thisliterally. Many people, including some
of His disciples, scandalized by their literal understanding, leave
Him.In Scripture, whenever people rightly take Jesus words
literally, He always confirms and repeats Himself (Mt9:2-6; Jn
8:56-59; Jn 6:41-51); and, whenever people wrongly take Him
literally, Jesus always corrects theirmisunderstandings, and
explains Himself (Jn 3:3-5; Jn 11:11-14; Mt 19:24-26; Jn 8:21-23;
Jn 8:31-36; Jn 6:32-35). Jesus didnt correct the people in this
instance because they hadnt misunderstood Him. 1 Page 19 21. If we
were to assume Jesus was speaking symbolically, It should be noted
that eating someones flesh ordrinking their blood when it is used
by Scripture in a symbolic sense, is a figure of speech for
assault,persecution and destruction (Ps 27:2; Is 9:18-20; Is 49:26;
Mic 3:3; 2 Sam 23:17; Rev 17:6, 16). So, if Jesusmeant what He said
about eating His flesh in a symbolic way; then the Jews would have
understood Him tobe saying Whoever persecutes, assaults, and
destroys me will have eternal life. Obviously, a symbolicmeaning
does not make sense, and therefore cannot be what Jesus meant.
2Objection #3: Jesus was speaking of eating his flesh in a
metaphoric way, in the same way that He says I amthe vine or I am
the door. Response: A metaphor doesnt work in this case. Jesus is
like a vine, because itis from Him that we receive our spiritual
sap. He is like a door because through Him we are lead to
salvation.There is no metaphoric sense as to Jesus body and blood
being like bread and wine, or, vice-versa. 31,2,3) Beginning
Apologetics, How to Explain and Defend the Real Presence of Christ
in the Eucharist, Fr. Frank Chacon and Jim Burnham, San Juan
Catholic Seminars, 1999-2004Objection #4: Jesus said The Spirit
gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken
to youthey are full of the Spirit and life (John 6:63). Isnt Jesus
Himself denying here that the Eucharist is His ownflesh? No, Jesus
wasnt talking about His own flesh. He is using the term flesh to
describe earthly men,as a reference to the men who had just found a
literal meaning of His words to be a hard teaching.Historical
Evidence: All the early church fathers who wrote on the Eucharist
(i.e. The Lords Supper),describe it as containing the real presence
of Christ, and absolutely none suggest it is symbolic or
figurative.If Jesus intended it in a symbolic sense, it is very
strange that all of the numerous early church fathers whowrote on
the subject (St. Ignatius of Antioch, St. Justin Martyr, St.
Irenaeus of Lyons, St. Clement ofAlexandria, Tertullian of
Carthage, St. Hippolytus of Rome, Origen of Alexandria, St. Cyprian
of Carthage, St.Cyril of Jerusalem, St. Ambrose of Milan, and St.
Augustine, among others), with such an immediate lineagefrom the
Apostles, would have so easily and consistently mistaken Christs
important teaching on this topic.Not only do the biblical,
philosophical, and historical, evidential aspects of Christs true
presence in theEucharist not contradict each other; they are in
fact completely complimentary with each other.Page 20 22. Objection
#5: We are saved by grace through faith (Eph 2:8-9)! If Catholics
repeatedly receivecommunion in order to continue cleansing
themselves of sin, they obviously dont accept Gods grace
issufficient to cover their future sins, nor do they apparently
believe that Christs sacrifice was perfect!Response: Catholics
believe Christs sacrifice is perfect in the way he intended it to
be perfect. BecauseGod loves us and wishes for us to return His
love, He has given us the gift of free-will, so that we canmake the
correct choices, thereby demonstrating our love for Him. But,
because we do not alwayschoose rightly, Christians must continue to
appropriate Christs perfect sacrifice into their lives; and
thisdoes not diminish the perfection of Christs sacrifice. No less
than St. Paul said, we must work out oursalvation in fear and
trembling (Phil 2:12). Adam and Eve certainly lived in a state of
grace, and yet theyfell! Also, Scripture indicates Abraham received
Gods saving grace through acting in faith, not just onone occasion,
but in fact on three occasions ((Gen 12:1-4; Gen 15:6 (Heb
11:17-19); Gen 22:6 (Jas 2:21-23)). If we are once saved, always
saved, why was Abraham justified more than once? Also, Mt 7:21,
Mt19:16-17, Mt 24:13, Rom 2:2-8, Rom 11:22, 1 Cor 10:11-12, Phil
2:12-13, Col 3:24, and Jas 2:14-26indicate our salvation is not
guaranteed. For these reasons, Catholics do not accept the doctrine
ofonce saved, always saved.Am I really suggesting that our
salvation is based upon our own works, rather than on Gods grace?
No.Ill explain that no, in a second. But, works are important to
our salvation. For Scripture says we arenot saved by faith alone
(Jas 2:14-26); and, as Christ Himself said, not everyone who says
to me, Lord,Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who
does the will of my Father (Mt 7:21). So, wedo bear some
responsibility in our own salvation. Now, let me hasten to add that
even though works areimportant to our personal salvation, we are
not saved by our own works. Am I engaging in double-talk?No. Any
and all acts of virtue (works) we perform, or acts of sin which we
avoid, are the result of prayer,and/or our imitation of Christ;
both of which come from God (through our reception of Christs body
andshed blood), so we cannot boast that they are our own doing. So,
we are saved by Gods grace, throughthe faith we build up in Christ.
And, whose faith is this? Not ours, but it is a gift of God (i.e.
it is Godsfaith, not ours, because we receive it from
God).**Because it is Gods faith, and not our own faith that saves
us, Catholics practice infant baptismPage 21 23. To some, the Mass
may appear overly ornate and unnecessary in its formality and
ritual. It justseems dead to them. They might rather go to a church
where they can get excited about God!Just like in any other faith,
some people go to Mass with an idea that if they just show up at,
thatsall they need to do to satisfy God. There are, of course, many
Catholics who go to Mass with adevout and reverent mind-set, who
get much out of the Mass; though it should not surpriseanyone, if
these peoples joy should express itself in ways that are quiet and
meditative. The objectof the Mass isnt to be entertained by
inspirational music, or even emotional testimonies, asworthy as
these things are. Rather, its to be with God in a very intimate and
reflective way, whichexactly imitates and reflects the heavenly
worship of Christ in heaven. We should also behold Godin awe, since
He is very Holy. For this reason, we need to show Him proper
respect and reverence,as we reflect on His infinite nature and
awesome majesty during the Mass.The Mass, is in fact a very
exciting worship of God; particularly if one knows what is
happening allaround him while it is happening! We are truly
surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses (Heb12:1 - those who have
preceded us in death, and who, because of the power and authority
theyreceive from their presence in His body, the Church (which the
living faithful also belong to), anawareness of how we are living
our lives. They therefore also worship God along with us, and
theangels. Death does not separate these saints and angels from God
(Rom 8:38-39); nor from us,since we are all one body in Christ (1
Cor 12:13), and because we worship in the presence ofthese angels
and saints, we pray together with them; and, through intercessory
prayer, we askthem (just as we ask the living faithful), for their
prayers. We can do this because Scripture saysthe fervent prayer of
a righteous person, availeth much (James 5:16), and since there are
saintswho are present in heaven, their righteousness is proven by
their presence there. Page 22 24. How do we appreciate the presence
of these unseen, unheard saints and angels, as well as Jesus, inour
worship of God? By making them visible to the mortal human eye, and
audible to the mortalhuman ear! The Church has always done this
through the practice of liturgy, which it inherited fromJudaism.
The practice of liturgy, since it is a component of Judaism, is
therefore part of the tutorial ofthe Old Testament, which as St.
Paul described, leads us to Christ (Gal 3:24).How does liturgy do
this? By presenting us with examples of the heavenly worship that
is going on allaround us, by employing the use of our senses,
gifted to us as creatures of God. In most cases, theliturgical
actions , such as words, songs, actions, smells, etc, that are
present in heaven, and which weexperience during the Mass, are
described in Scripture (see page 24). The Church uses the
priests,deacons, acolytes, the laity; and objects such as
lamp-stands, light, water, incense, statues, artwork,priests
vestments; and, songs and sounds to re-enact the worship of God
which occurs in heaven, sothat it becomes detectible to us in a way
that our earthly organs can understand. After all, Scripturetells
us that we worship with heaven during Mass. Hebrews 8:5 speaks of
the earthly worship, which isan example and shadow tabernacle of
heavenly things; while there is also a greater, more
perfecttabernacle, in heaven (Heb 9:11). Obviously, these
tabernacles (which are the fulfillments of the OldTestament Temple)
mirror each other. And, since the heavenly tabernacle has Jesus as
our High Priest(because of his ascension, by which He entered into
the heavenly Holy of Holies), Jesus must have arepresentation of
Himself, within this example and shadow tabernacle; and, in fact He
does: theearthly priest, during Mass. The purpose of the High
Priest, while he is in the Holy of Holies, is toprovide a blood
sacrifice that is holy and acceptable to the Father, which is
exactly what Jesus does forus from His heavenly Holy of Holies.
Only priests can offer sacrifice, so, we can partake of
thisEucharistic sacrifice, and unite our sins to Christs sacrifice
(Rom 8:16, Col 1:24),thus making oursacceptable, because we are a
priesthood of believers (1 Pet 2:4). Ever since Pentecost, the Mass
ofheaven and earth has been connected. This is why the Mass is
heaven on earth!Page 23 25. Page 24
