I listened to a sermon recently about the Catholic mass and its history. It really is amazing how similar today’s mass is, to the celebration Justin Martyr described in 148 A.D. The priest noted that Justin Martyr would have known people who knew the disciples!
“On the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits; then, when the reader has ceased, the president verbally instructs, and exhorts to the imitation of these good things. Then we all rise together and pray, and, as we before said, when our prayer is ended, bread and wine and water are brought, and the president in like manner offers prayers and thanksgivings, according to his ability, and the people assent, saying Amen; and there is a distribution to each, and a participation of that over which thanks have been given, and to those who are absent a portion is sent by the deacons.”
Notice the similarities:
- They met on Sunday
- All gathered in a central place
- “Memoirs of the apostles” or “writings of the prophets” were read … today we also have OT readings and gospel readings
- Then is an exhortation to imitate those good things … aka, a sermon based on the readings
- All rise and pray together
- The bread and water and wine are brought and transformed, then distributed to those present. Also, deacons take it to those who were unable to attend.
Also, in Chapter 66 of Justin Martyr’s First Apology, he describes transformation of the Eucharist: “For not as common bread nor common drink do we receive these; but since Jesus Christ our Saviour was made incarnate by the word of God and had both flesh and blood for our salvation, so too, as we have been taught, the food which has been made into the Eucharist by the Eucharistic prayer set down by him, and by the change of which our blood and flesh is nurtured, is both the flesh and the blood of that incarnated Jesus” (First Apology 66:1-20 [A.D. 148]).
The more I learn about my Catholic faith, the more I appreciate the many gifts I’ve received through it. I know I’ve been deeply blessed and protected by the sacraments and I’m enormously grateful for that. I see other people trying to find a church home and I’m so glad that any Catholic church I enter, is my church home.
Still, I am less about “the church” than I am about God. It does trouble me sometimes that people seem more focused on the church and place their identity in her more than Jesus. I do appreciate the church more and more though, and am so glad that when I was ready to leave, God told me to “wait and watch.”
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