Jesus’s famous statement in John 4:23 that the Father seeks worshippers is unparalleled, for nowhere in the entire corpus of Holy Scripture do we read of God’s seeking anything from a child of God.
I guess that I’m a hard core Catholic or something.
Before the call of Abraham and long before the Pentateuch, the God Most High taught mankind how to worship: a sacrifice and a meal of that which was sacrificed. It was focused in the first Passover: a sacrifice and a meal. Transitioning to the New Covenant, Jesus said this is my body and blood, and the bread and wine were shared as a meal. IMO, worship begins when a priest begins the liturgy of Transubstantiation and concludes when what remains of Christs’s body is placed in the tabernacle.
Not an emotion, although if one takes Mass seriously, one is filled with emotion when the priest lifts the Body and Blood and says “Éste es el Cordero de Dios, el que quita el pecado del mundo” (This is the Lamb of God, that which takes away the sin of the world) and we say, “Señor, no soy digno de que entres en mi casa, pero una sola palabra tuya bastará para sanarme.” (Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul will be healed.)
Our worship begins with the Cornerstone, the Lord Jesus Christ, and stands upon two thousand years of foundation laid by the disciplined lives, and often blood, of the saints. Certainly not by wallowing in the gutters of common culture.
I, as you know, very much appreciate the direction this website goes today, especially as a lover of traditional liturgical worship. Lew Rockwell had an interesting article today about hymns used in American Catholic parishes. Many of the hymns have the congregation singing about itself, rather than about God. Yes, the worshipper should apply the sermon's lessons personally. When I preach, in concluding my reflections, I try to show the relevance of the Scriptural passages of the day to the needs and the obligations of the congregation. It seems to me that, in essence, should be the central concern of the preacher.
I guess that I’m a hard core Catholic or something.
Before the call of Abraham and long before the Pentateuch, the God Most High taught mankind how to worship: a sacrifice and a meal of that which was sacrificed. It was focused in the first Passover: a sacrifice and a meal. Transitioning to the New Covenant, Jesus said this is my body and blood, and the bread and wine were shared as a meal. IMO, worship begins when a priest begins the liturgy of Transubstantiation and concludes when what remains of Christs’s body is placed in the tabernacle.
Not an emotion, although if one takes Mass seriously, one is filled with emotion when the priest lifts the Body and Blood and says “Éste es el Cordero de Dios, el que quita el pecado del mundo” (This is the Lamb of God, that which takes away the sin of the world) and we say, “Señor, no soy digno de que entres en mi casa, pero una sola palabra tuya bastará para sanarme.” (Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul will be healed.)
Yes!!
Our worship begins with the Cornerstone, the Lord Jesus Christ, and stands upon two thousand years of foundation laid by the disciplined lives, and often blood, of the saints. Certainly not by wallowing in the gutters of common culture.
I, as you know, very much appreciate the direction this website goes today, especially as a lover of traditional liturgical worship. Lew Rockwell had an interesting article today about hymns used in American Catholic parishes. Many of the hymns have the congregation singing about itself, rather than about God. Yes, the worshipper should apply the sermon's lessons personally. When I preach, in concluding my reflections, I try to show the relevance of the Scriptural passages of the day to the needs and the obligations of the congregation. It seems to me that, in essence, should be the central concern of the preacher.
So glad to be on this journey with you. Thanks.
Thank you, John.