The Holy Sacrifice Of The Mass

[Anna]

Was God, therefore, punishing Alexandria, Constantinople, Milan, Pisa, Florence, and every single frickin city in Europe, when He was pissed off at the Bishop of Rome and his "idolatry"?!!!

ICHTUS,

You are highly intelligent, gifted with a wonderful ability to write and articulate. I love reading your posts!

If I may make one suggestion: your intellect shines brighter without the explatives!

Don't let the heretics get to ya, man.

Pax Christi. <><

[Aloysius]

Isn't that quote talking about our personal sacrifice to Him as in when we confess our sins, repent, ask His forgiveness and invite Jesus into our lives as our Lord and Saviour? The need for absolution of sin by a priest isn't neccessary if you believe you can pray directly to God, and, if your act of contrition is genuine receive His forgiveness.

im pretty sure we need some context here, who wants to provide? i dont have a copy of the Didache. i assume context will clear it up though.

[Katholikos]

Isn't that quote talking about our personal sacrifice to Him as in when we confess our sins, repent, ask His forgiveness and invite Jesus into our lives as our Lord and Saviour? The need for absolution of sin by a priest isn't neccessary if you believe you can pray directly to God, and, if your act of contrition is genuine receive His forgiveness.

Reminder -- the Didache [means "Teaching," full name, "The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles"] was the Church's first-century instruction book for adult pagan converts.

Here's all of paragraph 14 of the Didache:

"On the Lord's own day [sunday], assemble in common to break bread and offer thanks [eucharistía], but first confess your sins so that your sacrifice may be pure. However, no one quarreling with his brother may join your meeting until they are reconciled; your sacrifice must not be defiled. For here we have the saying of the Lord: In every place and time offer me a pure sacrifice, for I am a mighty King, says the Lord; and my name spreads terror among the nations. ."

Paragraph 15:

"Accordingly, elect for yourselves bishops and deacons, men who are an honor to the Lord, of gentle disposition, not attached to money, honest and well-tried; for they, too, render you the sacred service of the prophets and teachers."

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Paragraph 14 is a reference to Mt 5:25f; see also Mt 18:34. What we now call "Mass" was first called "the breaking of the bread." There is a clear reference to the Eucharist [offer 'thanks']. These are instructions for the Sunday meeting.

Paragraph 15: This saying is not in the Bible, but see Ecclesiastes 12:1.

(Comments partially based on the endnotes. It isn't known whether Didache copied Matthew or vice versa.)

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Ellenita, this is an instruction concerning the gathering "in common" on Sundays to offer the Eucharist, the community's sacrifice. It is preceded by the Eucharistic prayer that was used in the early Church.

I've searched for years for a NT instruction to confess my sins directly to God and invite Jesus into my life as Lord and Savior. Can you tell me where these instructions are found in the scriptures?

Catholics believe they can pray directly to God. They pray to God all the time. But Jesus didn't teach us to confess our sins that way. Instead, he gave the power to forgive sins to the Apostles, and the Apostles gave it to the bishops they ordained, and the bishops gave it to the priests they ordained, and so on, down through the centuries. Christ clearly expected us to tell our sins individually, one by one, or else how were the Apostles [and their successors] to know which sins to forgive and which to retain? The need for absolution of sin by a priest is absolute (if Jesus is to be believed). John 6:19-23.

JMJ Likos

Edited November 6, 2003 by Katholikos