It is a plain fact of history that Christ died only one time upon the cross. As Sacred Scripture says:
I agree Christ died only once as noted in the Word. However, O'Brien, a RCC priest, indicates otherwise.
...the priest brings Christ down from heaven, and renders Him present on our altar as the eternal Victim for the sins of man—not once but a thousand times!
Actually, when you consider the number of Masses conducted around the world on a daily basis it's way more than a thousand times.
The fact that Christ is the "Victim" at the Mass may cause some confusion in English, since current usage has "victim" meaning either (1) somebody who had something rotten done to him, by definition unwillingly: a robbery "victim," or (2) someone who dies (a cancer "victim"), or, a person taken advantage of (a bank fraud "victim").
The Church uses the word in its more original , much older sense, a person or thing consecrated for offering to God, for sacrifice. In Jesus' case, not unwillingly; in Jesus' case, a one-time offering, not to die over and over again.
The RCC could have used, instead of Victim, the word used in 1 John 2:2. hilasmos
But nowhere in the NT is Christ ever presented as being subject to the commands of a priest and bowing His head in obedience to a priest and coming back to be placed on the altar....not once, but a thousand times!
It's almost as if Roman Catholicism has re-instituted the Old Testament sacrificial system complete with priests, sacrifices, etc.
To blot out the true significance of "victim" and "sacrifice" from the Mass, would entail ripping out a whole lot of Scripture, which of course we cannot do.
Actually, we see the opposite here. Rome has added much to the Mass that is either not found in Scripture or is in contradiction of Scripture.
Tch. Christ IS the High Priest. Only Christ offers Christ, because a mere man cannot offer Jesus as if He were a bull or a goat, sheesh! What strange ideas you paste over our doctrines.
The Lamb of God is not something from our flock that we own. This is quite different. Christ says, “No one takes my life from me. I lay down my life.”
Jesus us our Hilasmos, good. Our expiation.
Any valid earthly priest is acting *in persona Christi*. A priest can do nothing *in persona Tim O’Toole*.