THE SACRIFICE OF THE MASS AND THE EARLY CHURCH
If indeed the children of today and the children of the Early Church shared the same belief in the Body of Christ then what would be the experience of adults if they returned to the Early Church? From the writing of the Fathers and the Early Church we can conclude that such Catholics would be very much at home since although the trimmings may be different the priest would offer the Bread and Wine as the priest does today, but perhaps with a great more reverence than today. Jesus had asked them to 'do this in memory of me' at the Last Supper but again there must have been much debate over the question why and how they should conduct it. They found the answer in the Prophet Malachi.
St Justin Martyr Hence God speaks by the mouth of Malachi, one of the twelve prophetess I said before, about the Sacrifices being offered by you at that time "I have no pleasure in you and I will not accept your sacrifices at your hands, for from the rising of the sun unto its going down my name has been glorified among the Gentiles for in every place incense is offered in my name, AND A PURE OFFERING for my name is great among the Gentiles but you profane it" {Malachi 1 10-12}" Thus he then speaks of those Gentiles, namely us, who in every place offer sacrifice to him, that is the bread of the Eucharist and also the cup of the Eucharist [Dialogue with Tripho 155AD]
Three things have now been put together. There was to be this constant memorial meal we now call the Mass. It was a sacrificial meal. Someone would say the words of Jesus and this would bring the Holy Spirit to change bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ
The Didache, a set of rules set out by the Early Church around AD50 give us more detail on how the 'Mass' was conducted. "Assemble on the Lord's day and break bread and offer the Eucharist; but first make confession of your faults so that your sacrifice may be pure. Anyone who has a difference with is fellow is not to take part until he has been reconciled so as to avoid profaning your sacrifice. For this is the Offering of which the Lord said "Everywhere and always bring me a Sacrifice that is undefiled, for I am a great King, says the Lord, and my name is the wonder of nations.
What are our priorities when we go to Mass on a Sunday? Are we all as a community joined together to ensure that the Sacrifice is a worthy one? Perhaps though we do not even think of sacrifice, and offering our forgiveness to those who offend us and ensuring there is forgiveness in our hearts does not even cross our minds. Perhaps we have been taught only 'to be one with the community', and even when receiving the Lords Body we accept the false teaching that the Eucharist has not meaning apart from the Community and we profane the Sacrifice.
That the Mass is a sacrifice and that Sacrifice is part of a Universal Sacrifice by the Catholic Church following the teachings of Jesus, and the prophecy of Malachi that 'in every place there is offered Sacrifice, means that there is no American Church, Italian Church, English Church or any other nationality. We offer one Sacrifice. We are one people and through the authority given and practiced in the Early Church until now. we are kept free from erring to only in this most important subject button all the teachings and practices of the Catholic Church. When after Vatican II, some tried to impose 'their' ideas of Church on others it led to the destruction of our young people and the generations which followed. There is only One Church established by Jesus Christ. I remember when disobedient bishops and priests started their assault on faithful catholics after Vatican II, and appointed in parishes people who went along with them, and the faithful who remained faithful were mocked and sneered at there was a deletion among many Catholics as they saw the damage that had been done to their sons and daughters. In America however something happened of real significance. An Evangelical Minister called Scott Hahn started to study the early Church Fathers. Like myself in my small study he began to realise that the Early Church was Catholic. He told his wife about his discoveries and told her they had to become Catholic. He did so and when he was noticed he gave a talk on the Catholic Church in a Catholic Radio Station and his witness was so compelling that in that studio more than one person started to weep. He had brought a light into heir darkness. That is what the study of the Early Church does, it encourages us and brings its face to face again with the Catholic Church.
St Justin Martyr Hence God speaks by the mouth of Malachi, one of the twelve prophetess I said before, about the Sacrifices being offered by you at that time "I have no pleasure in you and I will not accept your sacrifices at your hands, for from the rising of the sun unto its going down my name has been glorified among the Gentiles for in every place incense is offered in my name, AND A PURE OFFERING for my name is great among the Gentiles but you profane it" {Malachi 1 10-12}" Thus he then speaks of those Gentiles, namely us, who in every place offer sacrifice to him, that is the bread of the Eucharist and also the cup of the Eucharist [Dialogue with Tripho 155AD]
Three things have now been put together. There was to be this constant memorial meal we now call the Mass. It was a sacrificial meal. Someone would say the words of Jesus and this would bring the Holy Spirit to change bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ
The Didache, a set of rules set out by the Early Church around AD50 give us more detail on how the 'Mass' was conducted. "Assemble on the Lord's day and break bread and offer the Eucharist; but first make confession of your faults so that your sacrifice may be pure. Anyone who has a difference with is fellow is not to take part until he has been reconciled so as to avoid profaning your sacrifice. For this is the Offering of which the Lord said "Everywhere and always bring me a Sacrifice that is undefiled, for I am a great King, says the Lord, and my name is the wonder of nations.
What are our priorities when we go to Mass on a Sunday? Are we all as a community joined together to ensure that the Sacrifice is a worthy one? Perhaps though we do not even think of sacrifice, and offering our forgiveness to those who offend us and ensuring there is forgiveness in our hearts does not even cross our minds. Perhaps we have been taught only 'to be one with the community', and even when receiving the Lords Body we accept the false teaching that the Eucharist has not meaning apart from the Community and we profane the Sacrifice.
That the Mass is a sacrifice and that Sacrifice is part of a Universal Sacrifice by the Catholic Church following the teachings of Jesus, and the prophecy of Malachi that 'in every place there is offered Sacrifice, means that there is no American Church, Italian Church, English Church or any other nationality. We offer one Sacrifice. We are one people and through the authority given and practiced in the Early Church until now. we are kept free from erring to only in this most important subject button all the teachings and practices of the Catholic Church. When after Vatican II, some tried to impose 'their' ideas of Church on others it led to the destruction of our young people and the generations which followed. There is only One Church established by Jesus Christ. I remember when disobedient bishops and priests started their assault on faithful catholics after Vatican II, and appointed in parishes people who went along with them, and the faithful who remained faithful were mocked and sneered at there was a deletion among many Catholics as they saw the damage that had been done to their sons and daughters. In America however something happened of real significance. An Evangelical Minister called Scott Hahn started to study the early Church Fathers. Like myself in my small study he began to realise that the Early Church was Catholic. He told his wife about his discoveries and told her they had to become Catholic. He did so and when he was noticed he gave a talk on the Catholic Church in a Catholic Radio Station and his witness was so compelling that in that studio more than one person started to weep. He had brought a light into heir darkness. That is what the study of the Early Church does, it encourages us and brings its face to face again with the Catholic Church.
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