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The Biblical Roots of the [Catholic] Liturgy
Archdiocese of Washington ^
| 11-26-17
| Msgr. Charles Pope
Posted on 11/27/2017 8:37:19 AM PST by Salvation
Msgr. Charles Pope • November 26, 2017
Catholics are often unaware just how biblical the Sacred Liturgy is. The design of our traditional churches; the use of candles, incense, and golden vessels; the postures of standing and kneeling; the altar; the singing of hymns; priests wearing albs and so forth are all depicted in the Scriptures. Some of these details were features of the ancient Jewish Temple, but most are reiterated in the Book of Revelation, which describes the liturgy of Heaven.
The liturgy here on earth is modeled after the liturgy in Heaven; that is why it is so serious to tamper with it. The Book of Revelation describes the heavenly liturgy and focuses on a scroll or book that contains the meaning of life and the answers to all we seek. It also focuses on the Lamb of God, standing but with the marks of slaughter upon it. Does this not sound familiar? It is the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist.
We do well to be aware of the biblical roots of the Sacred Liturgy. Many people consider our rituals to be empty and vain, smells and bells. Some think austere liturgical environments devoid of much ritual are purer and closer to the worship in spirit and in truth that Jesus spoke of in John 4.
To such criticisms we must insist that our rituals, properly understood, are mystical and deeply biblical. Further, they are elements of the heavenly liturgy since almost all of them are mentioned as aspects of the worship or liturgy that takes place in Heaven. In this light, it is a serious mistake to set them aside or have a dismissive attitude toward them.
With that in mind we ought to consider the biblical references to the most common elements of Catholic and Orthodox liturgies. I have added my own occasional note in red.
Candles
- Rev 1:12-13 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man. In traditional catholic parishes, there are six candles on the high altar and a seventh candle is brought out when the bishop is present.
- Rev 4:6 Seven flaming torches burned in front of the throne.
Altar
- Rev 9:13 The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the horns of the golden altar that is before God.
- Rev 8:3 Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne.
Chair
- Rev 4:1 and lo, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne! And he who sat there appeared like jasper and carnelian, and round the throne was a rainbow that looked like an emerald
- Daniel 7:9 As I looked, thrones were placed and one that was ancient of days took his seat;
In the Sacred Liturgy, the chair of the priest is prominent. But, as he takes his seat, we are invited to see not Father Jones, but rather the Lord Himself presiding in our midst.
Priests (elders) in Albs
- Rev 4:4 the elders sat, dressed in white garments
Bishops miter, priests biretta
- Rev 4:4, 10 With golden crowns on their heads
they cast down their crowns before the throne
In the Liturgy, the Bishop may only wear his miter at prescribed times. But when he goes to the altar he must cast aside his miter. The priest who wears the biretta in the Old Mass is instructed to tip his biretta at the mention of the Holy Name and to lay it aside entirely when he goes to the altar.
Focus on a scroll (book), The Liturgy of the Word
- Rev 5: 1 And I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals; and I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals? And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, and I wept much that no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. Then one of the elders said to me, Weep not; lo, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals. In the ancient world, books as we know them now had not been invented. Texts were written on long scrolls and rolled up.
Incense, Intercessory prayer
- Rev 8:3 another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer; and he was given much incense to mingle with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar before the throne; and the smoke of the incense rose with the prayers of the saints from the hand of the angel before God
- Rev 5:7 and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and with golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints;
Hymns
- Rev 5:8 And they sang a new hymn: Worthy are you O Lord to receive the scroll and break open its seals. For you were slain and with your blood you purchase for God men of every race and tongue, and those of every nation.
- Rev 14:1 Then I looked, and lo, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him a hundred and forty-four thousand who had his name and his Fathers name written on their foreheads
and they sing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the hundred and forty-four thousand who had been redeemed from the earth.
- Rev 15:3 And they (the multitude no one could count) sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and wonderful are thy deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are thy ways, O King of the ages! Who shall not fear and glorify thy name, O Lord? For thou alone art holy. All nations shall come and worship thee, for thy judgments have been revealed.
Holy, Holy, Holy
- Rev 4:8 and day and night they never cease to sing, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,
Prostration (Kneeling)
- Rev 4:10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever; they cast their crowns before the throne
- Rev 5:14 and the elders fell down and worshiped In todays setting, there is seldom room for everyone to lie prostrate, flat on the ground. Kneeling developed as a practical solution to the lack of space, but it amounts to the same demeanor of humble adoration.
Lamb of God
- Rev 5:6 And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders, I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain
Acclamations
- Rev 5:11 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!
Amen!
- Rev 5:14 And the four living creatures said, Amen!
Silence
- Rev 8:1 When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. ( And you thought your priest paused too long after communion?)
Mary
- Rev 12:1 And a great portent appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; 2she was with child and she cried out in her pangs of birth, in anguish for delivery.
Happy are those called to His supper
- Rev 19:6 Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty thunder peals, crying, Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready;
And the angel said to me, Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.
Golden vessels, vestments
- Rev 1:12 And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands,
- Rev 1:13 and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest
- Rev 5:8 the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense
- Rev 8:3 Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, at the golden altar before the throne.
- Rev 15:16 The angels were dressed in clean, shining linen and wore golden sashes around their chests.
- Rev 15:17 seven golden bowls
Stained Glass
- Rev 21:10 [The heavenly city] had a great, high wall, with twelve gates,
The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every jewel; the first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. ( The image of stained glass in our Church walls is hinted at here.)
Here is but a partial list, except for one quote drawn only from the Book of Revelation. I invite you to add to it.
Here is an awesome video with wonderful quotes:
TOPICS: Apologetics; Catholic; History; Theology
KEYWORDS: catholic; liturgy
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To: metmom; aMorePerfectUnion
Mind reading much? Well my wife reads my mind all the time, ok I'll stop.
ampu IS home. He is right now seated in heaven with Chrsist Jesus.Ephesians 2:4-7 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
So you really think that passage means that ampu is seated up in heaven with Jesus RIGHT NOW and typing messages to me on a computer?
I didn't think they had WiFi up there.
221
posted on
11/27/2017 8:44:13 PM PST
by
infool7
(Pray, Think, Pray, Act, Pray Pray Pray...)
To: infool7; aMorePerfectUnion
Yes I do because Scripture tells us so.
And I’m right there with him.
222
posted on
11/27/2017 8:45:52 PM PST
by
metmom
( ...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith..)
To: infool7
So you really think that passage means that ampu is seated up in heaven with Jesus RIGHT NOW
Positionally, yes. My physical body is on earth. At my death, what has always been positionally true will be my only reality.
and typing messages to me on a computer?
Unfortunately, the typing is from earth.
To: infool7; aMorePerfectUnion
Do you realize that we operate in both the physical realm and the spiritual realm at all times?
The spiritual realm is surrounding us and permeating us as it is not composed of physical substance. There is activity in it all around us that we cannot see, hear, feel with our natural senses, although sometimes the Holy Spirit enlightens us and makes us aware of it.
And so, yes, when we become born again, saved if you will, we are saved NOW. when that happens, there is action in the spiritual realm of us being transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of the Son God loves.
Colossians 1:13-14 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness(past tense) and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, (past tense) in whom we have (present tense) redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
224
posted on
11/27/2017 8:51:47 PM PST
by
metmom
( ...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith..)
To: metmom
I respect the Authority of the Fathers, Doctors and Saints of the One True Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church founded by Christ Jesus. What are your credentials that I should consider your grave misinterpretations with any weight whatsoever?
225
posted on
11/27/2017 8:54:45 PM PST
by
infool7
(Pray, Think, Pray, Act, Pray Pray Pray...)
To: infool7
I posted Scripture.
It says what it says.
I didn’t *interpret* it to mean something other than what it really says.
How does that qualify as a *grave misinterpretation*?
226
posted on
11/27/2017 9:02:12 PM PST
by
metmom
( ...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith..)
To: infool7
I respect the Authority of the Fathers, Doctors and Saints of the One True Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church founded by Christ Jesus. Fine. You respect them.
Give me a reason why anyone who TRUST them.
What makes them better than anyone else?
227
posted on
11/27/2017 9:03:28 PM PST
by
metmom
( ...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith..)
To: metmom; aMorePerfectUnion
I live way too close to FermiLab to deny the unseen realm but for everything else I think you are making an order of operations error. The way I understand it, if there is a just God then judgement comes to each of us after death and we will be all be called to account for our actions and our in-actions. I beg the God of All Creation for Mercy especially for myself and everyone of His beloved creatures so that we may not suffer eternal separation from what is All Good.
228
posted on
11/27/2017 9:13:45 PM PST
by
infool7
(Pray, Think, Pray, Act, Pray Pray Pray...)
To: infool7
The way I understand it, if there is a just God then judgement comes to each of us after death
My judgement for all my sin and sins was paid in full, by Christ, on the cross.
It is finished.
By grace, He paid my sin and exchanged a His righteousness to me.
It is indeed, an indescribable a Gift!
To: aMorePerfectUnion; infool7
.
>> “By grace, He paid my sin and exchanged a His righteousness to me.” <<
That what the doctrine of inherited lies says, but it is not what the word of Yehova says.
The word says that the grace of Yehova allowes you to confess sins and be saved through your continuing obedience to his commandments in Faith.
.
230
posted on
11/27/2017 9:29:27 PM PST
by
editor-surveyor
(Freepers: Not as smart as I'd hoped they'd be)
To: aMorePerfectUnion; metmom
I have to turn in for the evening but we can continue in the morning.
Dear God
Watch over us and all FReepers this evening especially those struggling with medical / health challenges.
231
posted on
11/27/2017 9:32:50 PM PST
by
infool7
(Pray, Think, Pray, Act, Pray Pray Pray...)
To: metmom
When I was growing up, we lived in a small rural town. My dad knew just about everyone who lived in the town and county. It helped being related to many and those we were not related to were related to our relatives. We were invited to many different churches. Some were Assembly of God, Baptist, Church of God, Church of God of Prophecy, Methodist. Independent, etc. I carried my Bible with me from the time I learned to read so I was able to follow along with what the minister was reading and discussing. They all taught directly from the Bible. Those churches were different but all believed in the Bible. That was the most important thing. I treasure my memories of attending those churches. I love genealogy and recently discovered some of my ancestors in 1600 America were among the first Jews in this country. I had no clue. The surname was Franks. We are more alike than some think.
232
posted on
11/27/2017 9:42:08 PM PST
by
MamaB
(Heb :)
To: aMorePerfectUnion
233
posted on
11/27/2017 9:45:30 PM PST
by
MamaB
(Heb :)
To: metmom; aMorePerfectUnion; ealgeone
And Jesus quoted it right back at him. Yes He did, and He quoted it in context. The devil quoted it out of context. If people quote it out of context, they can get it to say anything. After all, Psalms 14:1b says there is no God. Thats out of context of course. We all know there is. 😂😇
234
posted on
11/27/2017 10:15:46 PM PST
by
Mark17
(Genesis chapter 1 verse 1. In the beginning GOD....And the rest, as they say, is HIS-story)
To: aMorePerfectUnion
They certainly idolize her, and make her into a demigoddess. I certainly did, when I was a Catholic. 😂😊 I prayed to Mary, so I was guilty of necromancy.
235
posted on
11/27/2017 10:24:50 PM PST
by
Mark17
(Genesis chapter 1 verse 1. In the beginning GOD....And the rest, as they say, is HIS-story)
To: aMorePerfectUnion
Sorry I don't have a complete list of millions of South Americans who left Rome to come to Christ and gain eternal life.Same with the Philippines. Most of the people I meet, are Bereans by nature. They just want the truth. 😊🤣
236
posted on
11/27/2017 10:41:24 PM PST
by
Mark17
(Genesis chapter 1 verse 1. In the beginning GOD....And the rest, as they say, is HIS-story)
To: Mark17
237
posted on
11/27/2017 10:43:13 PM PST
by
Luircin
To: MamaB
Thanks for the uplifting recollections!
I think that the differences between our church bodies are important and need to be hashed out with Scripture having the final say, or at least discussed vigorously. The harder we strive for capital-T Truth, the more we generally resist error and folly.
Provided that we remember who, or Who, I should say, is our Head. He who is the source of all salvation.
238
posted on
11/27/2017 10:46:50 PM PST
by
Luircin
To: Mark17; aMorePerfectUnion
Earlier today I encountered one of them who was getting REALLY angry because we were ‘blaspheming the Mother of God.’
And I really wish that I’d taken the time to point out that meant classifying her as a goddess. And is by definition idolatry.
Oh well, if I run across that thread again, I’ll certainly point it out.
239
posted on
11/27/2017 10:51:05 PM PST
by
Luircin
To: NKP_Vet; aMorePerfectUnion; metmom; daniel1212
The biggest reason men leave the Catholic priesthood is to get married.I have known a few. I dont know for sure, but maybe some of them saw married Christian pastors, who have successful ministries, and maybe they figured they could too. Who knows?
Thats the main reason I never had any desire to be a priest, even though my dad wanted me to be one. I wanted female companionship in my life, so it never appealed to me.
240
posted on
11/27/2017 10:56:23 PM PST
by
Mark17
(Genesis chapter 1 verse 1. In the beginning GOD....And the rest, as they say, is HIS-story)
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