159 lines
4.3 KiB
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159 lines
4.3 KiB
HTML
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<p>This is the first book review I'm doing, so don't expect very much,
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and it's on the book <i>The Lamb's Supper: The Mass as Heaven on
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Earth</i> by Dr. Scott Hahn, where Dr. Hahn explains how the <i>Book of
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Revelations</i> (a.k.a. the <i>Book of the Apocalypse</i>) can be
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interpreted as a description of the Divine Liturgy (i.e. the Holy
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Mass).</p>
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<p>The <i>Book of the Apocalypse</i> has had many, many, many different
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interpretations over the centuries; perhaps the most common being either
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a futurist depiction of events to come in the End Days, or an extremely
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metaphorical description of the razing of Jerusalem. And Dr. Hahn does
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not discard that these may be accurate interpretations, for as we should
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all know, Sacred Scripture can be layered with meanings. He does,
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however, propose the interpretation that this Book is a description of
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the Divine Liturgy that we celebrate every time we go to Holy Mass.</p>
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<p>As he himself points out, this is not a new idea that he came up
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with. In fact, it would seem to be an idea that has existed since the
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early Christians. This is why in traditional art for the Mass you can
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see so many references to the <i>Book of Revelations</i>. It's even
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alluded to in documents such as <i>Sacrosanctum Concilium</i> § 8 from
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the Second Vatican Council.</p>
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<p>If one reads the <i>Book of Revelations</i> from this perspective,
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and pays close at the Mass (whether <i>novus ordo</i> or <i>vetus
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ordo</i>), one can see a striking resemblance between the two. I will
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post here a small table from the book showing the resemblance:</p>
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<table>
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<tr>
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<td>Sunday worship</td>
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<td>1:10</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td>A High Priest</td>
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<td>1:13</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td>An Altar</td>
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<td>8:3-4; 11:1; 14:18</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td>Priests (<i>presbyteroi</i>)</td>
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<td>4:4; 11:15; 14:3; 19:4</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td>Vestments</td>
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<td>1:13; 4:4; 6:11; 7:9; 15:6; 19:13-14</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td>Consecrated celibacy</td>
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<td>14:4</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td>Lamp stands, or Menorah</td>
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<td>1:12; 2:5</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td>Penitence</td>
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<td>Ch. 2 and 3</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td>Incense</td>
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<td>5:8; 8:3-5</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td>The Book, or Scroll</td>
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<td>5:1</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td>The Eucharistic Host</td>
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<td>2:17</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td>Chalices</td>
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<td>15:7; ch. 16; 21:9</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td>The Sign of the Cross (the <i>tau</i>)</td>
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<td>7:3; 14:1; 22:4</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td>The Gloria</td>
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<td>14:3-4</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td>The Alleluia</td>
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<td>19:1,3,4,6</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td>Lift up your hearts</td>
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<td>11:12</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td>The "Holy, Holy, Holy"</td>
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<td>4:8</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td>The <i>Amen</i></td>
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<td>19:4; 22:21</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td>The "Lamb of God"</td>
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<td>5:6 and throughout</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td>The prominence of the Virgin Mary</td>
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<td>12:1-6; 13-17</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td>Intercession of angels and saints</td>
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<td>5:8; 6:9-10; 8:3-4</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td>Devotion to St. Michael, archangel</td>
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<td>12:7</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td>Antiphonal chant</td>
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<td>4:8-11; 5:9-14; 7:10-12; 18:1-8</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td>Readings from Scripture</td>
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<td>Ch. 2-3; 5; 8:2-11</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td>The priesthood of the faithful</td>
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<td>1:6; 20:6</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td>Catholicity, or universality</td>
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<td>7:9</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td>Silent contemplation</td>
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<td>8:1</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td>The marriage supper of the Lamb</td>
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<td>19:9,17</td>
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</tr>
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</table>
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<p>The lesson that Dr. Hahn wishes for us to see in his book, and hence
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its title, is that when we go to Holy Mass on Sunday and precepts, we
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are not only in the presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, we are in
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Heaven. In the Holy Mass we are together with all the angels and the
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saints participating in a unified worship of the One True God, the
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Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Mass isn't just a ritual of the
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Church for us to get to Heaven, <em>it is Heaven</em>. This is what
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Heaven will be, albeit in a less spacial/temporal manner.</p>
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<p>From this, my recommendation is to read the <i>Book of
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Revelations</i>, from this perspective, and when you next attend Holy
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Mass, visualize what you've read as it happens before you in the Paschal
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Sacrifice. Despite how absolutely bland it may seem - I have this
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feeling with some <i>novus ordo</i> Masses - what is occurring before
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you is truly awesome.</p>
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