Lectionary Statistics - How much of the Bible is included in the Lectionary for Mass? (Popquiz!)

catholic-resources.org ^ | Updated on January 2, 2009 | Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D.

[GonzoII]

THE ROMAN CATHOLIC LECTIONARY WEBSITE
by Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D.

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Lectionary Statistics

How much of the Bible is included in the Lectionary for Mass?
Not as much as you might think, yet far more than was included in the Roman Missal before the Second Vatican Council!

The bishops assembled at Vatican II declared, "The treasures of the Bible are to be opened up more lavishly so that a richer fare may be provided for the faithful at the table of God's word. In this way the more significant part of the Sacred Scriptures will be read to the people over a fixed number of years" (Sacrosanctum Concilium, #51). As the following tables show, the current Lectionary for Mass does indeed offer a "richer fare" of biblical readings during the Eucharistic liturgy than was available before Vatican II. However, since many parts of the Bible (esp. the Old Testament) are still not included in the Lectionary, one must go beyond the readings used at Mass to cover the entire Bible.

The following tables compare the current edition of the Lectionary for Mass (1981 Latin, 1998/2002 USA editions)
with the pre-Vatican II Missale Romanum (substantially unchanged between 1570 and 1969, with a few modifications in 1951)
and the complete New American Bible (see the bottom of this page for a key to the column headings).

Readings from the Old Testament:

Before Vatican II, each Catholic Mass included only two biblical readings, which were normally referred to as "The Epistle" (since the first reading was almost always taken from one of the New Testament letters) and "The Gospel." Readings from the Old Testament were never used on Sundays, but only at the Easter Vigil, the Vigil of Pentecost, the feast of Epiphany and its octave, during Holy Week, and on some weekdays (esp. Ember days, weekdays of Lent, the feasts of some saints, and some votive Masses).

Since Vatican II, Masses on Sundays and major feast days include three biblical readings, the first of which is usually taken from the Old Testament (except during the Easter Season, when the first reading is from the Acts of the Apostles). The OT reading is normally very brief and thematically related to the Gospel reading of the day, so there is no detectable order or semi-continuous pattern from one Sunday to the next. Weekday Masses usually have only two readings, the first of which is taken from either the OT or the NT, according to a two-year weekday cycle.

OT	Name of Book	NAB		Pre-Vatican II Missal: Vigils & Feasts		Current Lectionary: Sundays & Major Feasts		Current Lectionary: Sundays & Weekdays
		# Chap.	# Vv. Total	Vv. Used	% Used	Vv. Used	% Used	Vv. Used	% Used
1	Genesis	50	1533	100**	6.5 %	138	9.0 %	428	27.9 %
2	Exodus	40	1213	28	2.3 %	112	9.2 %	208	17.1 %
3	Leviticus	27	859	0	0 %	9	1.0 %	42	4.9 %
4	Numbers	36	1289	0	0 %	11	0.9 %	81	6.3 %
5	Deuteronomy	34	959	9	0.9 %	52	5.4 %	106	11.1 %
6	Joshua	24	658	0	0 %	9	1.4 %	42	6.4 %
7	Judges	21	618	0	0 %	0	0 %	51	8.3 %
8	Ruth	4	85	0	0 %	0	0 %	21	24.7 %
9	1 Samuel	31	810	0	0 %	31	3.8 %	148	18.3 %
10	2 Samuel	24	695	0	0 %	19	2.7 %	110	15.8 %
11	1 Kings	22	817	0	0 %	37	4.5 %	166	20.3 %
12	2 Kings	25	719	0	0 %	14	1.9 %	100	13.9 %
13	1 Chronicles	29	943	0	0 %	0	0 %	0	0 %
14	2 Chronicles	36	821	0	0 %	8	1.0 %	17	2.1 %
15	Ezra	10	280	0	0 %	0	0 %	21	7.5 %
16	Nehemiah	13	405	0	0 %	8	2.0 %	19	4.7 %
17	Tobit	14	245	0	0 %	0	0 %	71	29.0 %
18	Judith	16	340	0	0 %	0	0 %	0	0 %
19	Esther	16	272	0	0 %	0	0 %	7	2.6 %
20	1 Maccabees	16	922	0	0 %	0	0 %	54	5.9 %
21	2 Maccabees	15	556	0	0 %	8	1.4 %	35	6.3 %
22*	Job	42	1068	0	0 %	11	1.0 %	87	8.1 %
24*	Proverbs	31	915	0	0 %	24	2.6 %	47	5.1 %
25	Ecclesiastes	12	222	0	0 %	4	1.8 %	34	15.3 %
26	Song of Solomon	8	117	0	0 %	0	0 %	7	6.0 %
27	Wisdom of Solomon	19	436	0	0 %	42	9.6 %	102	23.4 %
28	Sirach/Ecclesiasticus	51	1372	0	0 %	48	3.5 %	208	15.2 %
29	Isaiah	66	1291	24**	1.9 %	166	12.9 %	322	24.9 %
30	Jeremiah	52	1364	0	0 %	38	2.8 %	162	11.9 %
31	Lamentations	5	154	0	0 %	0	0 %	8	5.2 %
32	Baruch	6	213	30**	14.1 %	27	12.7 %	44	20.7 %
33	Ezekiel	48	1273	14**	1.1 %	48	3.8 %	180	14.1 %
34	Daniel	14	530	24**	4.5 %	5	0.9 %	178	33.6 %
35	Hosea	14	197	16	8.1 %	11	5.6 %	38	19.3 %
36	Joel	4	73	0	0 %	5	6.8 %	27	37.0 %
37	Amos	9	146	0	0 %	13	8.9 %	51	34.9 %
38	Obadiah	1	21	0	0 %	0	0 %	0	0 %
39	Jonah	4	48	10**	20.8 %	6	12.5 %	39	81.3 %
40	Micah	7	105	0	0 %	4	3.8 %	24	22.9 %
41	Nahum	3	47	0	0 %	0	0 %	8	17.0 %
42	Habakkuk	3	56	0	0 %	5	8.9 %	12	21.4 %
43	Zephaniah	3	53	0	0 %	8	15.1 %	13	24.5 %
44	Haggai	2	38	0	0 %	0	0 %	18	47.4 %
45	Zechariah	14	211	0	0 %	5	2.4 %	24	11.4 %
46	Malachi	3	55	0	0 %	6	10.9 %	18	32.7 %

* Note 1: The above table does not include the Psalms, since they are used so often in various ways during the Mass.
** Note 2: The 1951 revision of the Roman Missal reduced the number of OT readings at the Easter Vigil from twelve to four,
and omitted all six OT readings from the Pentecost Vigil, thereby further reducing the total amount of the OT read before Vatican II;
remaining were only 33 verses of Genesis, 28 of Exodus, 9 of Deuteronomy, 12 of Isaiah and 16 of Hosea. For details, see the Roman Missal page.

OT Summary:

OT Section	NAB		Pre-Vatican II Missal: Vigils & Feasts		Current Lectionary: Sundays & Major Feasts		Current Lectionary: Sundays & Weekdays
	# Chap.	# Vv. Total	Vv. Used	% Used	Vv. Used	% Used	Vv. Used	% Used
Torah/Law	187	5853	137	2.3 %	322	5.5 %	865	14.8 %
Historical Books	316	9186	0	0 %	134	1.5 %	862	9.4 %
Wisdom Books (w/o Psalms)	163	4130	0	0 %	129	3.1 %	485	11.7 %
Four Major Prophets	191	4825	92	1.9 %	284	5.9 %	894	18.5 %
Twelve Minor Prophets	67	1050	26	2.5 %	63	6.0 %	272	25.9 %
OT Total (w/o Psalms)	924	25044	255	1.0 %	932	3.7 %	3378	13.5 %

Note 3: The 1951 revision of the pre-Vatican II Roman Missal (see note 2 above) reduced the total to only
98 verses or 0.39% of the Old Testament (aside from the Psalms) read at Vigils and major feast days.

Readings from the New Testament:

Before Vatican II, the same readings were used each year for the various Masses in the Roman Missal. The first reading was usually from one of Paul's Letters or the Catholic Epistles. The Gospel readings were most often taken from Matthew or John, less frequently from Luke, and only rarely from Mark.

Since Vatican II, much more of the New Testament is included in the Lectionary for Mass. The Acts of the Apostles is used as the first reading on the Sundays and weekdays during the Easter season. The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke are read semi-continuously on the Sundays of Ordinary Time on a three-year cycle, while passages from the Gospel of John are used mostly during the seasons of Lent and Easter and on several major feast days. Excerpts from all other NT books and letters are used as the second reading at Masses on Sundays and major feasts according to a three-year cycle, and/or weekday Masses on a two-year cycle. (Click on any of the previous underlined links for more details.)

NT	Name of Book	NAB		Pre-Vatican II Missal: Sundays & Major Feasts		Current Lectionary: Sundays & Major Feasts		Current Lectionary: Sundays & Weekdays
		# Chap.	# Vv. Total	Vv. Used	% Used	Vv. Used	% Used	Vv. Used	% Used
1	Matthew	28	1071	373	34.8 %	594	55.5 %	916	85.5 %
2	Mark	16	678	30	3.4 %	414	61.1 %	653	96.3 %
3	Luke	24	1151	188	16.3 %	650	56.5 %	1011	87.8 %
4	John	21	879	256	30.0 %	526	59.8 %	813	92.5 %
5	Acts	28	1007	35	3.5 %	165	16.4 %	492	48.9 %
6	Romans	16	433	69	15.9 %	117	27.0 %	228	52.7 %
7	1 Corinthians	16	437	75	17.2 %	162	37.1 %	244	55.8 %
8	2 Corinthians	13	256	40	15.6 %	48	18.8 %	123	48.0 %
9	Galatians	6	149	45	30.2 %	47	31.5 %	90	60.4 %
10	Ephesians	6	155	57	36.8 %	96	61.9 %	141	91.0 %
11	Philippians	4	104	25	24.0 %	47	45.2 %	73	70.2 %
12	Colossians	4	95	16	16.8 %	35	36.8 %	62	65.3 %
13	1 Thessalonians	5	89	16	18.0 %	39	43.8 %	69	77.5 %
14	2 Thessalonians	3	47	0	0.0 %	17	36.2 %	28	59.6 %
15	1 Timothy	6	113	0	0.0 %	20	17.7 %	51	45.1 %
16	2 Timothy	4	83	0	0.0 %	25	30.1 %	39	47.0 %
17	Titus	3	46	9	19.6 %	8	17.4 %	28	60.9 %
18	Philemon	1	25	0	0.0 %	8	32.0 %	19	76.0 %
19	Hebrews	13	303	17	5.6 %	84	27.7 %	188	62.0 %
20	James	5	108	11	10.2 %	31	28.7 %	99	91.7 %
21	1 Peter	5	105	33	31.4 %	36	34.3 %	57	54.3 %
22	2 Peter	3	61	0	0.0 %	7	11.5 %	15	24.6 %
23	1 John	5	105	13	12.4 %	33	31.4 %	95	100.0 %
24	2 John	1	13	0	0.0 %	0	0.0 %	6	46.2 %
25	3 John	1	15	0	0.0 %	0	0.0 %	4	26.7 %
26	Jude	1	25	0	0.0 %	0	0.0 %	6	24.0 %
27	Revelation	22	404	0	0.0 %	38	9.4 %	129	31.9 %

NT Summary:

NT Section	NAB		Pre-Vatican II Missal: Sundays & Major Feasts		Current Lectionary: Sundays & Major Feasts		Current Lectionary: Sundays & Weekdays
	# Chap.	# Vv. Total	Vv. Used	% Used	Vv. Used	% Used	Vv. Used	% Used
Gospels (4)	89	3779	848	22.4 %	2184	57.8 %	3393	89.8 %
Acts	28	1007	35	3.5 %	165	16.4 %	492	48.9 %
Pauline Letters (7)	61	1493	270	18.1 %	468	31.3 %	846	56.7 %
Deutero-Paulines (6)	26	539	82	15.2 %	201	37.3 %	349	64.7 %
Hebrews	13	303	17	5.6 %	84	27.6 %	188	62.0 %
Catholic Epistles (7)	21	432	57	13.2 %	107	24.7 %	292	67.6 %
Book of Revelation	22	404	0	0 %	38	9.4 %	129	31.9 %
NT w/o Gospels	171	4178	461	11.0 %	1063	25.4 %	2296	54.9 %
NT Grand Total	260	7957	1309	16.5 %	3247	40.8 %	5689	71.5 %

Key to the Column Headings:

• NAB = New American Bible, used as the basis for chapter and verse numbers in the USA editions of the current Lectionary for Mass
  • # Chap. = total number of chapters in each biblical book (or section of the Bible), in the New American Bible translation
  • # Vv. Total = total number of verses in each biblical book (or section of the Bible), in the New American Bible translation
• Pre-Vatican II Missal = the Missale Romanum of Pope Pius V, nearly identical from 1570 to 1969, with a few changes introduced in 1951.
  • Vigils & Major Feasts = In the pre-Vatican II Missal, OT readings were only used at the Easter Vigil, Pentecost Vigil, Epiphany & its octave, and during Holy Week, but never on any Sundays.
• Current Lectionary = the Ordo Lectionum Missae (2nd Latin edition, 1981), equivalent to the Lectionary for Mass (2nd USA edition, 1998/2002)
  • Sundays & Major Feasts = readings contained in the first half of the Missale Romanum, or Vol. 1 of the current Lectionary for Mass, including all Sundays and Solemnities of the Lord, and a few other major Feasts (those which can replace an ordinary Sunday Mass).
  • Sundays & Weekdays = readings prescribed for all Sundays and weekdays during the various liturgical seasons (but not including the Propers or Commons of the Saints, Votive Masses, Ritual Masses, or Masses for Various Needs and Occasions).
• Vv. Used = number of verses from each biblical book or section used in the Roman Missal or the Lectionary for Mass, respectively.
• % Used = percentage of verses from each biblical book or section used in the Roman Missal or the Lectionary for Mass, respectively.

Main Lectionary Page	1998/2002 USA Edition	1992 Canadian Edition
Links to Other Websites	1970 USA Edition	Roman Missal (Pre-Vatican II)

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[Salvation]

Here's an example of parallel readings with these reflections on the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary.

The Luminous Mysteries or Mysteries of Light
(Thursdays) see Rosarium Virginis Mariae
1. Jesus' Baptism in the Jordan (II Corinthians 5:21, Matthew 3:17 and parallels) [Spiritual fruit - Gratitude for the gift of Faith]
2. Jesus' self-manifestation at the wedding of Cana (John 2:1- 12) [Spiritual fruit - Fidelity]
3. Jesus' proclamation of the Kingdom of God, with His call to conversion (Mark 1:15, Mark 2:3-13; Luke 7:47- 48, John 20:22-23) [Spiritual fruit - Desire for Holiness]
4. Jesus' Transfiguration (Luke 9:35 and parallels) [Spiritual fruit - Spiritual Courage]
5. Jesus' institution of the Eucharist, as the sacramental expression of the Paschal Mystery. (Luke 24:13-35 and parallels, 1 Corinthians 11:24-25) [Spiritual fruit - Love of our Eucharistic Lord]

[Salvation]

Another source of Liturgical Calendar, etc.

The Liturgical Calendar

Liturgical Calendar 2009 (Dec 2008 through Nov 2009)
November 30, 2008 is the first Sunday of Advent

Liturgical Calendar 2010 (Dec 2009 through Nov 2010)
November 29, 2009 is the first Sunday of Advent

Liturgical Calendar 2011 (Dec 2010 through Nov 2011)
November 28, 2010 is the first Sunday of Advent

The Liturgical Year begins with the First Sunday of Advent
List of Seasons with links

[markomalley]

http://www.universalis.com

They also have the major hours accessible by smartphone. Only takes about 15 minutes each for the morning and evening; maybe 20 minutes for the Office of Readings (which can be done at any time).

[Salamander]

You have *no* idea who you’re dealing with, regarding matters of liturgy, exegesis and theology.

Retreat honorably.

*Now*.

:)

[GonzoII]

"I may not be seeing it, but is the three-year cycle for the Old Testament included in the OT numbers."

It seems the first table is following a Two Year Cycle....

[Alex Murphy]

Okay Murphy, here are the Stats...

Ping greatly appreciated!

[Petronski]

Any way you cut it, just going to Mass will NOT give a functional knowledge of Scripture.

Baloney.

[Mr Rogers]

” Using the scripture to challenge the authority of the Catholic Church is ALWAYS a case of “a ‘little knowledge’ can be dangerous.”

“Passing judgement” on the Catholic Church using the Bible is as supercilious and naive as “correcting” great literature using a grammar text.”

If one grants the Magisterium the authority to add teachings based on ‘Sacred Tradition’, which does NOT mean traditions passed down verbally from the Apostles, then your statement is correct.

I guess it is up to one’s tolerance for innovation to decide if Purgatory, or Priests offering sacrifice is too great an innovation to be true. If one accepts continuous revelation (continuous clarification????), then Catholic doctrine may be true. If one believes the Apostles knew all the truth that was needed for salvation and holy living, then Catholic doctrine is not.

[Alex Murphy]

I'm reading complaints that the below numbers don't include verses read in "parallel readings" or the "Liturgy of the Hours", but honestly they would have to comprise considerable amount of reading to significantly impact the below numbers. Also, I'm still fuzzy on how many Masses/services a parishioner has to attend, each day, in order to reach these percentages. It would be interesting to see what percentage is covered when the parishioner faithfully attends just a single Sunday Mass over the 2/3 year reading cycle.

Percentage read, the 39 Books of the Old Testament [Excluding the Psalms]:
10% or more OT: 28 books (4 Apocrypha)
20% or more OT: 16 books (3 Apocrypha)
30% or more OT: 6 books (0 Apocrypha)
40% or more OT: 2 books (0 Apocrypha)
80% or more OT: 1 book (0 Apocrypha)

Percentage read, the 27 Books of the New Testament:
20% or more NT: 27 books
30% or more NT: 24 books
40% or more NT: 23 books
50% or more NT: 18 books
60% or more NT: 14 books
70% or more NT: 10 books
80% or more NT: 7 books
90% or more NT: 5 books
100% of the NT: 1 book

Reproducing the summary charts from the article:

OT Summary:

OT Section	NAB		Pre-Vatican II Missal: Vigils & Feasts		Current Lectionary: Sundays & Major Feasts		Current Lectionary: Sundays & Weekdays
	# Chap.	# Vv. Total	Vv. Used	% Used	Vv. Used	% Used	Vv. Used	% Used
Torah/Law	187	5853	137	2.3 %	322	5.5 %	865	14.8 %
Historical Books	316	9186	0	0 %	134	1.5 %	862	9.4 %
Wisdom Books (w/o Psalms)	163	4130	0	0 %	129	3.1 %	485	11.7 %
Four Major Prophets	191	4825	92	1.9 %	284	5.9 %	894	18.5 %
Twelve Minor Prophets	67	1050	26	2.5 %	63	6.0 %	272	25.9 %
OT Total (w/o Psalms)	924	25044	255	1.0 %	932	3.7 %	3378	13.5 %

NT Summary:

NT Section	NAB		Pre-Vatican II Missal: Sundays & Major Feasts		Current Lectionary: Sundays & Major Feasts		Current Lectionary: Sundays & Weekdays
	# Chap.	# Vv. Total	Vv. Used	% Used	Vv. Used	% Used	Vv. Used	% Used
Gospels (4)	89	3779	848	22.4 %	2184	57.8 %	3393	89.8 %
Acts	28	1007	35	3.5 %	165	16.4 %	492	48.9 %
Pauline Letters (7)	61	1493	270	18.1 %	468	31.3 %	846	56.7 %
Deutero-Paulines (6)	26	539	82	15.2 %	201	37.3 %	349	64.7 %
Hebrews	13	303	17	5.6 %	84	27.6 %	188	62.0 %
Catholic Epistles (7)	21	432	57	13.2 %	107	24.7 %	292	67.6 %
Book of Revelation	22	404	0	0 %	38	9.4 %	129	31.9 %
NT w/o Gospels	171	4178	461	11.0 %	1063	25.4 %	2296	54.9 %
NT Grand Total	260	7957	1309	16.5 %	3247	40.8 %	5689	71.5 %

[papertyger]

Baloney.

Wow, you've always been succinct, but that's a little TOO brief ;o)

[papertyger]

If one believes the Apostles knew all the truth that was needed for salvation and holy living...

one would STILL need a mechanism to perform the same function as the Magisterium, without which the concept of heresy becomes meaningless.

[Mad Dawg]

Get a “Shorter Christian Prayer” (No, really, it doesn’t matter how tall you are) and keep it handy. If you just give yourself the assignment of reading the Morning and Evening Psalms and Canticles you’ll be doing a fine thing. The rest will come easily at its own time.

[Mad Dawg]

At the risk of saying what everybody already knows, the Sunday Mass Lectionary is a 3 year cycle, while the weekday Mass Lectionary is a two year cycle.

[GonzoII]

"I guess it is up to one’s tolerance for innovation to decide if Purgatory"

Q. If Purgatory is and innovation of the Catholic Church how is it that the Jews, prior to Christ and the establishment of the Catholic Church, taught that one should pray for the dead.

I cite the historical book of 2-Maccabees Ch. 12 for evidence:

"39 And upon the day following, as the practice had been, Judas and his company came to take up the bodies of those who were slain, and to bury them with their kinsmen in their fathers' graves. 40 Now under the coats of every one who was slain they found things consecrated to the idols of the Jamnites, which is forbidden the Jews by the law. Then every man saw that this was the cause for which they were slain. 41 All men therefore, praising the Lord, the righteous Judge, who had opened the things that were hid, 42 resorted unto prayer and besought Him that the sin committed might wholly be put out of remembrance. Besides, that noble Judas exhorted the people to keep themselves from sin, inasmuch as they saw before their eyes the things that came to pass for the sins of those who were slain. 43 And when he had taken a gathering throughout the company to the sum of two thousand drachmas of silver, he sent it to Jerusalem to offer a sin offering, doing therein very well and honorably, in that he was mindful of the resurrection. 44 (For if he had not hoped that those who were slain should have risen again, it would have been superfluous and vain to pray for the dead.) 45 And also in that he perceived that there was great favor laid up for those who died godly, it was a holy and good thought. Thereupon he made a reconciliation for the dead, that they might be delivered from sin. " Third Millennium Bible

[GonzoII]

If you just give yourself the assignment of reading the Morning and Evening Psalms and Canticles you’ll be doing a fine thing.

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That’s what I attempt to do, but my goal is to move on up to as much of the Breviary as possible as it is powerful prayer and I would liked to get schooled by the office of readings.

Thanks for the tip.

[Mr Rogers]

Did the Jews accept 2 Maccabees as scripture? Nope.

Can one pay cash for forgiveness of sins? Nope, for we read, “Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.”

And now?

“24For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. 25Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, 26for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, 28so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.”

Of course, you can assume the payment made was for a blood offering that would make everything OK, but the whole scene of Jesus cleansing the Temple kinda puts a damper on that, too. Although I have no doubt that at one time, that passage was used to show paying for an indulgence was OK...

The real problem with Purgatory is not that it relies on a verse (or maybe 3) in the Apocryphal books to set up such a sweeping doctrine, but that it contradicts the finished work of Jesus Christ. Justification, in the New Testament, after the resurrection of Jesus, is spoken of in the past tense.

“And every [Jewish] priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected [past tense] for all time [not just the moment] those who are being sanctified.

And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying,
“This is the covenant that I will make with them
after those days, declares the Lord:
I will put my laws on their hearts,
and write them on their minds,”

then he adds,

“I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”

Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.”

So NO! There is no cash payment, no good-deed doing, NOTHING left to do to secure our forgiveness of sin. Nothing but to believe in Jesus, for “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already”.

“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.” — Hebrews 10

No penance you do will win you merit with God, nor can any Mass performed or gift given to the Church win you merit with God. JESUS provides the merit to those who believe. And God says, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”

Perhaps because I’m the father of two adopted kids, I would paraphrase Heb 10:14 as “For by a single offering he has adopted for all time those who are being made part of his family”. The kids I adopted couldn’t speak a word of English when I adopted them. They took a long time to start to act like their parents...but the adoption was once, for all time.

It is finished!

[Mr Rogers]

“...one would STILL need a mechanism to perform the same function as the Magisterium, without which the concept of heresy becomes meaningless.”

That is the role of elders in the church. Matt 18 covers unrepentant sin, and heresy would be a part of that:

15 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 18Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”

It is also an individual responsibility:

“For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward. Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.” - 2 John

Notice: “Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.”

It would be hard to abide in teaching not yet received...

[Mr Rogers]

I came across this quote, supposedly from Pope Jean Paul II on 6 Dec 2000:

“All who live a just life will be saved even if they do not believe in Jesus Christ and the Roman Catholic Church. The gospel teaches us, those who live in accordance with the beatitudes, the poor in spirit, the pure of heart, those who bear lovingly the sufferings of life, will enter God’s kingdom. All who seek God with a sincere heart, including those who do not know Christ and his Church, contribute under the influence of grace to the building of this Kingdom.”

Did he really say that? If so, does anyone know the context?

[starlifter]

I don't know.

But I think it reflects his vision of a merciful God.

[GonzoII]

"Did the Jews accept 2 Maccabees as scripture? Nope."

We are discussing 2 Maccabees as an authentic historical document, which it is. Now how is it that the Jews thought it a good thing to pray for the dead?