Idolater
"Matthew 16:18-19" Dispensationalist (Catholic) χρ
Hypothetically, if you were to come to Mass, here is what you will see and an explanation.
First of all remember that Catholics are all priests, and we are coming to Mass to celebrate our liturgy together. Liturgy is work; priestly work, and while we are all priests equally (Galations 3:28), there are helpers, who we call priests (admittedly, confusingly), who facilitate the liturgy for us, as our helpers.
First thing when you enter the building, is that there is blessed water available (this is currently on hold because of the covid), and us priests will frequently dab our fingers in the blessed water and then make a sign on ourselves with the water.
There is always a cabinet, or a kind of low-security safe, usually around the altar at the front of the church. We will kneel in the direction of that cabinet before we take our seat in a pew. In this safe, is any sacrifice that has already been offered on the altar in a previous Mass.
Once the Mass begins, our helper the priest, who facilitates or 'presides' over this celebration of our priestly liturgy, will make a sign in the air, and all us priests follow his lead by making that same sign on ourselves, like we did with the blessed water when we first entered.
Then later on in the Mass, we will all lower our 'kneelers', which are usually padded, and kneel upon them, this is just before our helper the priest begins to 'consecrate' our collective offering of bread and wine, so that it might be acceptable to our deity, Whom we call "God the almighty Father".
Later still, we will all line up to partake of the offering ourselves, we get to eat the bread and drink from the wine (the partaking of the cup is still suspended due to the covid, which is also typical during flu season). Many of us will bow or kneel just before receiving the bread that was sacrificed.
Before we leave after the liturgy, we will also kneel to the cabinet near the altar.
There are a variety of other rituals that we might do; for any of you familiar with the Assemblies of God or other 'Pentecostal' traditions, you might say that we Catholics are very 'charismatic' in our liturgy, with all these little rituals and signs we do and make.
And this is why I'll remind you again, that we are all equal priests (Galatians 3:28), and these routines that we observe are priestly. What I want you to think of is another culture, with another religion, and this hypothetical culture has its own priests, and those hypothetical priests of this hypothetical culture practicing a hypothetical religion, they all do certain things that we really only see priests do; all the other people do not do them.
In the Church, there are no "other people". We are all priests. So we all do priestly things like dab our fingers in blessed water, make signs on ourselves, bow, kneel, recite certain words, and partake of our altar, etc., just like priests in other religions.
Come, to Mass. You are welcome.
First of all remember that Catholics are all priests, and we are coming to Mass to celebrate our liturgy together. Liturgy is work; priestly work, and while we are all priests equally (Galations 3:28), there are helpers, who we call priests (admittedly, confusingly), who facilitate the liturgy for us, as our helpers.
First thing when you enter the building, is that there is blessed water available (this is currently on hold because of the covid), and us priests will frequently dab our fingers in the blessed water and then make a sign on ourselves with the water.
There is always a cabinet, or a kind of low-security safe, usually around the altar at the front of the church. We will kneel in the direction of that cabinet before we take our seat in a pew. In this safe, is any sacrifice that has already been offered on the altar in a previous Mass.
Once the Mass begins, our helper the priest, who facilitates or 'presides' over this celebration of our priestly liturgy, will make a sign in the air, and all us priests follow his lead by making that same sign on ourselves, like we did with the blessed water when we first entered.
Then later on in the Mass, we will all lower our 'kneelers', which are usually padded, and kneel upon them, this is just before our helper the priest begins to 'consecrate' our collective offering of bread and wine, so that it might be acceptable to our deity, Whom we call "God the almighty Father".
Later still, we will all line up to partake of the offering ourselves, we get to eat the bread and drink from the wine (the partaking of the cup is still suspended due to the covid, which is also typical during flu season). Many of us will bow or kneel just before receiving the bread that was sacrificed.
Before we leave after the liturgy, we will also kneel to the cabinet near the altar.
There are a variety of other rituals that we might do; for any of you familiar with the Assemblies of God or other 'Pentecostal' traditions, you might say that we Catholics are very 'charismatic' in our liturgy, with all these little rituals and signs we do and make.
And this is why I'll remind you again, that we are all equal priests (Galatians 3:28), and these routines that we observe are priestly. What I want you to think of is another culture, with another religion, and this hypothetical culture has its own priests, and those hypothetical priests of this hypothetical culture practicing a hypothetical religion, they all do certain things that we really only see priests do; all the other people do not do them.
In the Church, there are no "other people". We are all priests. So we all do priestly things like dab our fingers in blessed water, make signs on ourselves, bow, kneel, recite certain words, and partake of our altar, etc., just like priests in other religions.
Come, to Mass. You are welcome.
