Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: cms@dragon.uucp Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: Importance of sacrifice Message-ID: Date: 18 Jul 90 09:02:59 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: Computer Projects Unlimited Lines: 135 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu In article , wagner@karazm.math.uh.edu (David Wagner) writes: > Joe Buehler described the importance of the priest's offering of the mass > as a sacrifice, in Roman Catholic worship. He also showed that he > understood that Protestants can not reconcile this with Christ's once-for- > all sacrifice. I would like to know how Joe makes this reconciliation, > and how he views the teachings of Scripture regarding the priesthood > of all believers: { Scripture passages deleted. } > What is the purpose of making the Lord's Supper into a sacrifice? Why is > a sacrifice needed or useful? Enquiring minds want to know! > > David H. Wagner I'm quite sure that some people are tired of me quoting this section from the Book of Common Prayer, but it's the best and simplest explanation from an official source I've ever come across. Although the above refers to the Roman Catholic Church, Anglican Catholic beliefs are not different. The following is from the Catechism of the Book of Common Prayer according to the use of the Episcopal Church of the United States, pages 859-860: Q. What is the Holy Eucharist? A. The Holy Eucharist is the sacrament commanded by Christ for the continual remembrance of his life, death, and resurrection, until his coming again. Q. Why is the Eucharist called a sacrifice? A. Because the Eucharist, the Church's sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, is the way by which the sacrifice of Christ is made present, and in which he unites us to his one offering of himself. Q. By what other names is this service known? A. The Holy Eucharist is called the Lord's Supper, and Holy Communion; it is also known as the Divine Liturgy, the Mass, and the Great Offering. Q. What is the outward and visible sign in the Eucharist? A. The outward and visible sign in the Eucharist is bread and wine, given and received according to Christ's command. Q. What is the inward and spiritual grace given in the Eucharist? A. The inward and spiritual grace in the Holy Communion is the Body and Blood of Christ given to his people, and received by faith. Q. What are the benefits which we receive in the Lord's Supper? A. The benefits we receive are the forgiveness of our sins, the strengthening of our union with Christ and one another, and the foretaste of the heavenly banquet which is our nourishment in eternal life. Q. What is required of us when we come to the Eucharist? A. It is required that we should examine our lives, repent of our sins, and be in love and charity with all people. Augustine defined "sacrament" as "a sign of a sacred thing." Medieval theologians tended to stress that the "sign" not only signified a sacred thing but also conveyed the thing it signified. According to Hatchett's Commentary on the American Prayer Book, the present edition of the Prayer Book emended answers to these questions by "incorporating a number of phrases from the catechism of 1973 which was, in turn, dependent on the English revision of 1962. The question and answer on the eucharistic sacrifice and several phrases in other answers are new to this revision. The 1979 [Prayer] Book substantially enriches the material on the doctrine of the Eucharist, biblically and patristically, in ways which parallel the enriched content of the eucharistic prayers new to the Book. The first answer recalls the historic forms of the anamnesis {remembering and making present -- cms } and of the memorial acclamation, which stress the resurrection and the second coming as well as the death of our Lord. The statement on the benefits of the sacrament restores the patristic emphasis upon forgiveness as a benefit of the sacrament rather than as a condition for receiving it, defines the sacrament as a strengthening of our union not only with Christ but also with one another, and depicts the sacrament as a foretaste of the heavenly banquet." Another section of the book notes "the late medieval text which followed, 'Behold the Lamb of God, behold who takes away the sins of the world,' which was associated with a showing of the consecrated bread to the people, was replaced by a new text [in the 1549 Prayer Book]: 'Christ our paschal Lamb is offered up for us once for all, when he bare our sins on his body upon the cross, for he is the very lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world; wherefore let us keep a joyful and holy feast with the Lord.'" An interesting note in this section was about the method of reception (this is a tangent): "The Book explains that to protect against persons' carrying away the consecrated bread for superstitious use, as had been done on occasion in the late middle ages, the priest is to continue to place the bread in people's mouths rather than following the ancient practice of placing it in their hands." So that's why! I find it interesting that here the Church is a force against such superstition. I'm personally of the opinion that, while it is indeed and truly the Body of Christ, it is useless unless consumed. The 1552 Prayer Book denied, not "any real and essential presence," but "any Corporal Presence of Christ's natural Flesh and Blood." That makes sense as there are two different Greek words for "Body" (soma: whole person, me) and "Corpse." We consume the Body of Christ, not the Corpse of Christ. Page 316 of today's Prayer Book, an Exhortation, says: "For, as the benefit is great, if with penitent hearts and living faith we receive the holy Sacrament, so is the danger great, if we receive it improperly, not recognizing the Lord's Body. Judge yourselves, therefore, lest you be judged by the Lord." The phrase "Lord's Body" above comes from 1 Cor 11:29. An earlier paragraph I won't quote echoes "the eucharistic prayers of this revision, restores and emphasizes the conception of the Eucharist as encompassing not only the death and passion of Christ but thanksgiving to God for His creation, His continual providence, the incarnation, His making us His children and exalting us to everlasting life." There's more to the Eucharist than meets the eye, and, yes, sacrifice is an essential part of it. -- Sincerely, Cindy Smith _///_ // SPAWN OF A JEWISH _///_ // _///_ // <`)= _<< CARPENTER _///_ //<`)= _<< <`)= _<< _///_ // \\\ \\ \\ _\\\_ <`)= _<< \\\ \\ \\\ \\ <`)= _<< >IXOYE=('> \\\ \\ \\\ \\_///_ // // /// _///_ // _///_ // emory!dragon!cms <`)= _<< _///_ // <`)= _<< <`)= _<< \\\ \\<`)= _<< \\\ \\ \\\ \\ GO AGAINST THE FLOW! \\\ \\ A Real Live Catholic in Georgia Oh, yes, as to the priesthood of all believers: The church ordains people who are specially trained to minister to the people and *accurately* administer the sacraments. Just as you wouldn't want someone who read some medical textbooks to operate on you, but would rather have someone with a degree from an accredited medical college, so I would rather receive communion from an ordained priest from an "accredited" church rather than receive communion from someone who had flipped through the Bible a few times.