Thomas J. Nash - Biblical Roots of the Mass

Thomas J. Nash

The Biblical Roots
of the Mass

SOPHIA INSTITUTE PRESS
Manchester, New Hampshire

The Biblical Roots of the Mass was originally published by Ignatius Press in 2004 under the title Worthy Is the Lamb . This 2015 edition by Sophia Institute Press contains minor revisions.

Copyright 2004, 2015 by Thomas J. Nash

Printed in the United States of America. All rights reserved.

Cover design : Coronation Media in collaboration with Perceptions Design Studio.

On the cover: Open Pages of the Bible (44965897) Lane V. Erickson /
Shutterstock.com; detail of The Last Supper by Juan de Juanes (1475-1579).

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations (except those within citations) in this book are taken from the Catholic Edition of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1965, 1966 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Excerpts from the English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for use in the United States of America, copyright 1994 by United States Catholic Conference, Inc. Libreria Editrice Vaticana. English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church: Modations from the Editio Typica copyright 1997, United States Catholic Conference, Inc. Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Used with permission.

The English translation of the Prayer after Communion from The Roman Missal 1973, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation (ICEL); the English translation of the Roman Canon from The Roman Missal 2010, ICEL. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review.

Nihil obstat : Rev. James Dunfee
Imprimatur : W Bishop R. Daniel Conlon

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Box 5284, Manchester, NH 03108
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Sophia Institute Press is a registered trademark of Sophia Institute.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Nash, Tom.

[Worthy is the lamb]

The biblical roots of the mass / Thomas J. Nash.

pages cm

Reprint of: Worthy is the lamb. San Francisco : Ignatius Press, ?2004.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-62282-259-1 (pbk. : alk. paper) ePub ISBN 978-1-622822-607 1. Lords Supper Biblical teaching. 2. Lords Supper Catholic Church. I. Title.

BV825.3.N37 2015

234'.163 dc23

2015005103

With great love to Mom and Dad,
Genevieve and Joseph Nash,
whose lifelong witness to Jesus Christ
and his Catholic Church
is further evidence that its all true

Contents

Introduction:

Part I

Part II

Part III

Appendix:

Foreword

Two great and recent liturgical events make this book a joy to read. First, the fortieth anniversary of the publication of Sacrosanctum Concilium (December 4, 2003) moves us to meditate on the meaning of that full, conscious, and active participation in the celebration of the Holy Eucharist so urgently called for by the Council Fathers. Second, Pope John Paul IIs encyclical letter Ecclesia de Eucharistia (Holy Thursday, 2003) calls us to deepen our appreciation, amazement, and gratitude for the Eucharistic Mystery.

In his encyclical letter, the Holy Father wonders whether even the apostles gathered in the Upper Room understood the full meaning of the words spoken by Christ. Throughout his life, each reader of this book has sought to deepen his understanding of the holy and living sacrifice , which is the source of the Christian life and the summit of every good work.

In this book, Thomas Nash helps us to revisit the fonts of our understanding of the Eucharistic Mystery. So we journey with him in an exploration of the many dimensions of the Catholic Faith in the Mass, the sacrificial memorial in which the sacrifice of the Cross is perpetuated, and the sacred banquet of communion with the Lords body and blood.

Each time we gather to celebrate the sacred mysteries, may our study of the Churchs teaching on the Eucharist draw us more deeply into the mysteries we celebrate. Each time we kneel in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament, may the holy teachings allow us to embrace the Eucharistic gift more fully. Each time we seek to join our lives to the great sacrifice of praise of Christ upon the Cross, may our ever-deepening understanding of Holy Communion make us ever more one with our Lord and Savior.

As our Holy Father reminds us, the Eucharist is a mysterium fidei , a mystery which surpasses our understanding and can only be received in faith. As we refresh our understanding of the Churchs Eucharistic teaching in these pages, may God grant us the grace to be joined ever more closely to the Eucharistic Sacrifice of the Cross.

Monsignor James Patrick Moroney
Executive Director, Secretariat for the Liturgy
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

Vatican II, Sacrosanctum Concilium (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy), nos. 14, 41, 48, in Austin Flannery, O.P., ed., Vatican Council II: The Conciliar and Post Conciliar Documents (Northpoint, NY: Costello Publishing, 1975). See ibid., no. 10. Pope John Paul II, encyclical letter Ecclesia de Eucharistia (On the Eucharist in Its Relationship to the Church), (Boston: Pauline Books and Media, 2003), no. 12. Ibid., no. 15.

Introduction

Follow the Lamb

Rediscovering the Biblical Story of the Mass

At St. Mary of Redford in Detroit, the beloved parish of my youth, there is a sermon etched in stone and stained glass that aches for a well-formed and worldwide audience. St. Marys proclaims the biblical story of the Mass within its French-Romanesque structure, a story illustrated in four windows that peer down upon the sanctuary. But it is also a story that remains hidden from the casual visitor and, more significantly, from too many Catholics in general.

From a distance, the windows stunning beauty catches your attention. Because the sanctuarys enormous arch and associated pillars obstruct your view, however, you move forward for a closer, more informed look. When you enter a semicircular walkway that rings the sanctuary, and provided that you have eyes to see (see Matt. 13:1017), you will encounter the biblical story of the Mass, the Catholic Churchs liturgical heritage writ large on stained glass, for each window depicts a famous sacrifice of the Old Testament that prefigures Jesus Christs everlasting Sacrifice of Calvary:

• Abels sacrifice of his firstborn lambs (Gen. 4:24)
• Melchizedeks offering of bread and wine (Gen. 14:1720)
• Abrahams sacrifice of Isaac (Gen. 22:119)
• The sacrifice of the Passover lambs, which helped liberate Israel from Egyptian bondage (Exod. 12:132)

As a backdrop to the altar on which Christs Sacrifice is made sacramentally present at every Mass, the windows at St. Marys are well placed, because they collectively portray the biblical story that culminates in the same Sacrifice that Christ first made known to us at the Last Supper.

Unfortunately, given their faith formation, many Catholics understandably do not have eyes to see the Masss biblical roots, nor do they really grasp how Christs Sacrifice can be made present throughout time. Indeed, many practicing Catholics do not really understand the biblical story of the Mass, a lack of understanding that is even more pronounced among those U.S. Catholics more than 50 percent who sadly do not even participate regularly in Sunday liturgy. The rich meaning of Gods sacrificial love remains hidden from them, and too many know too little about the liberating message of the Mass.

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