Edward Sri - A Biblical Walk Through the Mass: Understanding What We Say and Do In The Liturgy

West Chester, Pennsylvania

Nihil obstat: Mr. William C. Beckman

Censor Deputatus

November 16, 2010

Imprimatur: +Most Reverend Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap.

Archbishop of Denver

November 16, 2010

Copyright 2011 Edward Sri. All rights reserved.

With the exception of short excerpts to be used in critical reviews, no portion of this work may be reproduced in any form whatsoever, printed or electronic, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Scriptural quotations contained herein are from the Revised Standard VersionCatholic Edition (RSVCE) of the Bible, copyright 1965, 1966 by the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States. Used by permission.

Published by Ascension Press

Post Office Box 1990

West Chester, PA 19380

Orders: 1-800-376-0520

www.AscensionPress.com

www.BibleStudyforCatholics.com

Cover design: Devin Schadt

Printed in the United States of America

11 12 13 14 15 16 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

ISBN 978-1-935940-00-5

Dedication:

To my son Karl

Acknowledgments

I am grateful to my students at the Augustine Institute, Benedictine College, and FOCUS, with whom I have studied the Scriptures and the Mass in various settings over the past decade. Several insights gathered from our biblical journeys through the liturgy have found their way into the pages of this book. The staff at Ascension Press deserves many thanks for all their hard work on the various facets of this project. I am also thankful for Emmaus Road Publishing, who allowed me to explore some of these themes many years ago in a short piece for the Catholic for a Reason series. Curtis Mitch and Audree Heath offered some helpful feedback, for which I am appreciative. Most of all, I express gratitude to my wife, Elizabeth, whose patience and encouragement throughout this projectamid raising our childrenhas been a tremendous blessing.

Key to Biblical Abbreviations

The following abbreviations are used for the various Scriptural verses cited throughout the book.
( Note : CCC = Catechism of the Catholic Church .)

Old Testament

Gn = Genesis
Ex = Exodus
Lv = Leviticus
Nm = Numbers
Dt = Deuteronomy
Jos = Joshua
Jgs = Judges
Ru = Ruth
1 Sam = 1 Samuel

Jon = Jonah

Mi = Micah

Na = Nahum

Hb = Habakkuk

Zep = Zephaniah

Hg = Haggai

Zec = Zechariah

Mal = Malachi

New Testament

Mt = Matthew

Mk = Mark

Lk = Luke

Jn = John

Acts = Acts

Rom = Romans

1 Cor = 1 Corinthians

2 Cor = 2 Corinthians

Gal = Galatians

Eph = Ephesians

Phil = Philippians

Col = Colossians

1 Thess = 1 Thessalonians

2 Thess = 2 Thessalonians

1 Tm = 1 Timothy

2 Tm = 2 Timothy

Ti = Titus

Phlm = Philemon

Heb = Hebrews

Jas = James

1 Pt = 1 Peter

2 Pt = 2 Peter

1 Jn = 1 John

2 Jn = 2 John

3 Jn = 3 John

Jude = Jude

Rv = Revelation

2 Sam = 2 Samuel
1 Kgs = 1 Kings
2 Kgs = 2 Kings
1 Chr = 1 Chronicles
2 Chr = 2 Chronicles

Ezr = Ezra

Neh = Nehemiah
Tb = Tobit

Jdt = Judith

Est = Esther

1 Mc = 1 Maccabees

2 Mc = 2 Maccabees

Jb = Job

Ps = Psalms

Prv = Proverbs

Eccl = Ecclesiastes

Sng = Song of Songs

Wis = Wisdom

Sir = Sirach

Is = Isaiah

Jer = Jeremiah

Lam = Lamentations

Bar = Baruch

Ez = Ezekiel

Dn = Daniel
Hos = Hosea
Jl = Joel
Am = Amos

Ob = Obadiah

Introduction

A 30,000-Foot View of the Mass

Ill never forget a conversation I once had on a plane about the Mass. Sitting next to me was a middle-aged woman who was reading a Bible. Curious about her devotion to the Scriptures, I turned toward her and asked whether she was a Christian.

In a strong southern accent, she replied, Yes, Im a Pentecostal. Are you a Christian, too?

I enthusiastically answered, Yes, Im a Catholic!

To this, my new fundamentalist, Bible Christian friend replied only, Hmmm.

I went on to ask her where she was traveling and learned that she was excited about going to North Carolina to visit her son. When she asked me about my destination, I once again gave a fervent reply:

Im traveling to a conference where hundreds of Catholics are gathering to study the Bible. In fact, Im going to be giving a presentation on the biblical foundations of the Mass! Im very excited. Were going to explore how all the prayers, signs, and rituals of the Mass are rooted in Scripture, and I hope to show that the more we know about the biblical roots of the liturgy, the more we will understand the beauty of the Mass and give ourselves more to Christ at every Mass.

Hmmm.

Unsure what to do with a Catholic who spoke passionately about the Bible and the Mass, she proceeded to tell me about her own personal encounter with Catholic liturgy.

I once attended a Mass with a friend of mine when I was eighteen, she began. I had never been to anything like that before! Whew! There was a lot of standing up and sitting down and kneeling . And people saying things from some book. I didnt know what was happening! But, ohhh yeass, I sure had a sense that there was something deeper going on there, in that there Mass.

Indeed, this woman was correct: There is something deeper going on in the Masssomething more than meets the eye. For some non-Catholics, like the woman on the plane, the Mass can be very confusing. With people standing, sitting, standing again, now kneeling, and periodically marking themselves with the sign of the cross, the way we worship in the Mass can, from an outsiders perspective, look like Catholic calisthenics. Moreover, the recitation of formulaic prayers and responses can seem to some to be a rather dry, mechanical way of talking to God. Worship should be much simpler and much more personal than all of this empty ritual and ceremony, some might say.

But even Catholics can miss the significance of what is really happening in the liturgy. For many people who grew up with the Mass, the prayers from the liturgy are quite familiar: Lord, have mercyChrist have mercy. Lift up your heartsWe lift them up to the Lord. The body of ChristAmen. Many of us could recite these prayers from the Mass in our sleep. But what do these words mean? Do we really understand what we are saying when we address Jesus as Lamb of God or cry out Holy, Holy, Holy Lord? Or are we repeating things robotically every Sunday, unaware of the significance of these prayers and thus unable to give ourselves to God as fully as we could through them?

One key to unlocking the meaning of the rituals and prayers of the Mass is Scripture. As we will see in this book, the entire Mass is saturated with biblical references. The soul attuned to Gods Word in Scripture cannot help but notice that the Bible calls out to us in practically every prayer, sign, and ritual of the Mass. Candles and incense, standing and kneeling, phrases such as The Lord be with you, and Glory to God in the highestall these have their roots in Sacred Scripture, whether it be a direct quotation or an echo of a biblical passage or a re-enactment of a biblical story or event. Knowing the biblical background of the prayers and rites of the Mass can shed much light on what is actually happening in the Liturgy. It will greatly enhance our participation in it, and thus enable us to enter more deeply into the mystery of the Mass.