The Biblical Roots of the [Catholic] Liturgy

Archdiocese of Washington ^ | 11-26-17 | Msgr. Charles Pope

[Salvation]

The Biblical Roots of the Liturgy

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 …

Bishop’s miter, priest’s 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 Father’s 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 today’s 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:

[Mark17]

How many lepers have YOU cured?

Have you finally stopped curing lepers? 😀😆😄

[Mark17]

Many lepers came to Jesus for a cure
Though some had motives not so pure
He cured them anyway
No requirement to pay
But only by faith, can we ever be secure.

[aMorePerfectUnion]

“Oh, it’s not just my assertion, there are 1.29 billion others that share it with me.

Actually, no. Almost half of Romans do not attend church all year. Still counted. In Belgium, for example, something like +80% do not attend in a whole year.

Assertions by many are also just assertions.

No biblical or historical basis to support your assertion - still.

[infool7]

That was just an estimate for the number of Catholics that walk the earth today. I am sure that His Church has seen many, many more members over the course of time. Yours seems like a weak position to me but you can go with it at your own peril. I would suggest taking a deeper look into why so many millions of people, though they may not regularly attend Mass but still seem to agree with the historical record and biblical support for and claim to be affiliated with the One True Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church founded by Christ Jesus.

Who are these Romans you keep obsessing over? I could Google it for you but the percentage of Catholics that are actually Roman is probably small.

[aMorePerfectUnion]

“Yours seems like a weak position to me but you can go with it at your own peril. ”

Trusting the faithfulness of God, the complete payment of Christ, and the inspired Words of the Holy Spirit is never perilous.

Trusting the religions and requirements of man isn’t perilous - it is a certain path to hell.

“Who are these Romans

The church you trust for your salvation instead of what a God says is true. The religion you profess, that started as Christian, but was perverted by the inclusion of pagan practices and beliefs in the Roman Empire.

[daniel1212]

I watch you guys day in and day out and often late into the night tie yourselves into knots trying to prove what is, isn’t and what isn’t, is.

Really? Details at 11? Few and relatively rare are disagreements of much substance among us seen here, and certainly not day in and day out. But what is often seen here days on end is that of Catholics trying to assert and defend what the truth is, and being tied into a knot in response (many of which I am still waiting for), and what isn't the truth or reality, including the status of Bergoglio and facing what used to be Catholic teaching (or understanding thereof) but isn't (depending on which kind of RC you are dealing with).

Want details?

If it was for a good reason fine but it almost always serves to divide the body of Christ.

Actually evangelicals and those who most strongly uphold the authority and integrity of the Bible are the most unified in core truths , in contrasts to Catholics overall, and thus are treated as enemy #1 one by both liberals and TradCats.

Christ longed for us to be one Church, not my church, not your church but His Church. When we are united in prayer we are brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus but when we argue about what often amounts to ratifying us in our own particular sins we diminish ourselves and Christ’s One True Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.

Which assertion is itself divisive and duplicitous, since according to you and RCs the One True Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church is uniquely elitist Rome, which does not even consider Prot and evangelical churches worthy of the proper name "church!" Thus your statement actually is about Christ longing for us to be one Church=my church

And in response to which we must look to the "Original Code," thus resulting in a detailed list here of the contrast btwn what the NT church manifestly believed, which is blithely dismissed, and responded to with an insolent appeal to me "to come home to the real thing" - the very "realness" which was exposed as fallacious.

I apologize for saying Daniel would be no fun to have a drink with, we would probably close the place.

I did not see or respond to this as disrespectful, but seeing as I have not drank in close to 40 years (due to promise to God) then the invite would not even open the bar.

When the apostles saw someone driving out demons in His name Christ said “Do not hinder him; for he who is not against you is for you.”

Which applies to one actually effectually manifestly doing supernatural ministry in the name of Christ. And what is also supernatural is evangelical "fellowship of the Spirit." (Phil. 2:1) I can attest that as a former RC, who became born again with its profound basic changes in heart and life, even while being a weekly Mass-going Catholic, and remaining therein for 6 years, seeking to serve God (CCD teacher and lector for some time) and find real fellowship, that this was very rare in Catholicism (mainly only with some charismatics), in contrast to among evangelicals, though differing in degree among churches. And despite the many "tribes," and differences what we see in evangelicalism is a multitude of para church ministries staffed by believers from various churches, seeking to show the love and truth of Christ, and engaging in prayer and worship together. Which is in contrast to one particular church uniquely asserting itself to be one, and denigrating all who sincerely oppose her due to what they see in contrast to Scripture.

At this point we see you advocating "not my church, not your church but His Church" and asserting we are united in prayer as brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus, versus arguing, while requiring us to "come ho," to Rome" - your church - to be in "His church.

Thus I would like you to answer for us what is your take on Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus (outside the church there is no salvation)

1. Is the Mystical Body of Christ and the Roman Catholic Church one and the same thing?

2. Is it necessary to belong to this true Church in order to gain eternal salvation? In other words, can true faith or true worship and eternal salvation exist outside of this true Church?

3. Can one belong to or remain in this one Church of Christ who does not accept, recognize and obey the authority and supremacy of Peter and his legitimate successors?

4. In other words, is it absolutely necessary for the salvation of every human creature to be subject to the Roman Pontiff?

5. Will Jews and culpable heretics and schismatics depart into everlasting fire...unless before the end of their life they become members the one Catholic Church as described above?

Or,

6. Are those who believe in Christ and have been properly baptized incorporated into Christ have a right to be called Christians, and are to be accepted as brothers by the children of the Catholic Church (presuming they respond to that grace in thought, word and deed), even if they do not profess the faith in its entirety or preserve unity of communion with the successor of Peter?

7. Are their ecclesial communities Churches in the proper sense.

8. But will those be saved who know that the Catholic Church was made necessary by Christ, but refuse to enter or to remain in it?

We can hardly have any degree of doctrinal unity if we do not understand what divides us.

[daniel1212]

Wow, that turned ugly fast.

Indeed infool7; I post extensive substantial, detailed non-personal refutations of your posts, and you resort to cultic bombast, and absurd amateurish psychological appeal, and blasphemy. Then complain about things turning ugly. How fitting.

[ealgeone]

The one thing Roman Catholics seem to agree upon is the Roman Catholic version of Mary.

You've got one Roman Catholic on these threads that doesn't think the current pope is legit.

And ya'll claim to be united??

[ealgeone]

The one thing Roman Catholics seem to agree upon is the Roman Catholic version of Mary.

You've got one Roman Catholic on these threads that doesn't think the current pope is legit.

And ya'll claim to be united??

[ealgeone]

The one thing Roman Catholics seem to agree upon is the Roman Catholic version of Mary.

You've got one Roman Catholic on these threads that doesn't think the current pope is legit.

And ya'll claim to be united??

[ealgeone]

The one thing Roman Catholics seem to agree upon is the Roman Catholic version of Mary.

You've got one Roman Catholic on these threads that doesn't think the current pope is legit.

And ya'll claim to be united??

[ealgeone]

The one thing Roman Catholics seem to agree upon is the Roman Catholic version of Mary.

You've got one Roman Catholic on these threads that doesn't think the current pope is legit.

And ya'll claim to be united??

[infool7]

The church you trust for your salvation instead of what a God says is true. The religion you profess, that started as Christian, but was perverted by the inclusion of pagan practices and beliefs in the Roman Empire.

That's only your opinion and so few people comparatively, share it that it should behoove you to re-evaluate it. It just sounds so silly, I imagine you think we are all going to Mass with everyone dressed up as Romans some with roman weapons and armor and others in white robes with those roman laurels

[RegulatorCountry]

It does look strange to most Protestants, all the wacky hats and slinging that smoky gold-leafed doodad up and down the aisle in a procession. Makes no sense other than showmanship, to us.

[infool7]

Yes the article describes the Biblical Roots of the [Catholic] Liturgy, all of the elements of the Mass have a basis in Scripture. To the uninformed I am sure it seems confusing. There are many readily available sources from which to learn about it.

[rwa265]

The one thing Roman Catholics seem to agree upon is the Roman Catholic version of Mary.

---

There are many things upon which Catholics agree; some of which I would think you would agree.

We agree that there is one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.

We agree there is one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father; that through Him all things were made; that He came down from heaven and by the power of the Holy Spirit became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man; that for our sake He was crucified under Pontius Pilate, suffered death and was buried, and on the third day rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; that He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father; and that He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and His kingdom will have no end.

We agree that the Holy Spirit is the Lord and giver of life, and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified; and that He has spoken through the Prophets.

[RegulatorCountry]

The obvious basis is the Old Testament Jewish priesthood, which Biblically speaking was done away with, with the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. No further sacrifice is necessary, therefore no priesthood is required under the New Covenant. The righteous dead were led out of captivity in Sheol or Abraham’s Bosom by Jesus Christ also, so there is no need of the obvious model for Purgatory, either.

It seems odd to me, that the church models itself so after the Pharisees and the Sanhedrin to the point of actually claiming to be Israel, yet it seems embarrassed of the Book of Genesis and seems altogether too dismissive of the Bible it claims to have written. So, there is much that makes no sense to Christians outside of your church.

[aMorePerfectUnion]

And yet your view has no biblical or historical support. It is a wish, inside a mantra, wrapped in an argument from silence.

Why?

Where is the overwhelming proof of your mynah mantra??

Surely there must be some facts or evidence that overwhelmingly and definitively proves your truth claim?

*pinging people familiar with history and the scriptures. Maybe they can help find *anything* to prove your claim.

(Well, believers, infool7 repeats the claim endlessly, that His is the One True Church, established by Christ. Yet when asked to prove it, he has offered nothing but further assertions. And he pointed out that many people also believe his assertion, but of course that isn’t proof, but a logical fallacy... Do you know of anything at all to help this fellow FReeper out of this dilemma? I know of nothing. Nothing in history. Nothing in Scripture. Nothing at all before 100 ad, that proves his truth claim...)

[daniel1212]

You may agree with what he writes but you ca learn from it.

Glory to God for what is good.

[ealgeone]

...that He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father; ...

Except in Roman Catholicism it is believed Christ is summoned from Heaven to be rendered on the altar again and again as a sacrifice.

The NT doesn't record that.

This is a key difference and a very substantial one.

Christianity sees Christ in Heaven while Roman Catholicism seems to want to keep Him on the cross.