Apologia: The Fullness of Christian Truth


``Where the Bishop is, there let the multitude of believers be;
even as where Jesus is, there is the Catholic Church'' Ignatius of Antioch, 1st c. A.D


Cain and Abel


Read:

Genesis 4:1-5:

And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD. And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect.

And ponder:

The Supra Quĉ of the Traditional Mass, a prayer after Consecration:

"And now, O Lord, we, Thy servants, and with us all Thy holy people, calling to mind the blessed Passion of this same Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, likewise His Resurrection from the grave, and also His glorious Ascension into heaven, do offer unto Thy most sovereign Majesty out of the gifts Thou hast bestowed upon us: a Victim + which is pure, a Victim + which is holy, a Victim + which is spotless, the holy Bread + of life eternal, and the Chalice + of everlasting Salvation. Deign to look upon them with a favorable and gracious countenance, and to accept them as Thou didst accept the offerings of Thy just servant Abel, and the sacrifice of our Patriarch Abraham, and that which Thy high priest Melchisedech offered up to Thee, a holy Sacrifice, an immaculate Victim."

The Novus Ordo Offertory Rite:

"Blessed are You, Lord, God of all creation. Through your goodness we have this bread to offer, which earth has given and human hands have made. By the mystery of this water and wine may we come to share in the Divinity of Christ, Who humbled Himself to share in our humanity. Blessed are you, Lord, God of all creation. Through your goodness we have this wine to offer, fruit of the vine and work of human hands. It will become for us our spiritual drink. "

And what comes after in the Novus Ordo? One of the the four Novus Ordo proclamations of the "Mystery of Faith" which come after the Consecration:

  • "Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again."
  • "Dying you destroyed our death, rising you restored our life. Lord Jesus, come in glory."
  • "When we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim your death, Lord Jesus, until you come in glory."
  • "Lord, by your cross and resurrection you have set us free. You are the Savior of the world."


In the Novus Ordo, three of the four "Memorial Acclamations" indicate that what is being offered is still "bread and wine." If "Christ will come again," then Who/who/or what is on the Altar as the priest says those words? How can we partake of the Body of Christ by eating "this bread" and drinking "this cup" as we also wait for Him to come?


The traditional "Mystery of Faith" refers not to the Resurrection, but to transubstantiation, and the words "Mystery of Faith" are found in the very words of Consecration, making it clear that what is being offered is not "bread and wine," but the Son to the Father.

The Novus Ordo liturgy mimics in style the offering of Cain, giving to God that "which earth has given and human hands have made." The traditional Mass clearly, in all its words and signs, offers the Divine Victim, the Lamb of God, to the Father..


Back to For Catholics
Index

Quantcast