Chapter 19 The Feast of God

A Sacred Celebration The Mass is a sacred celebration/feast Sacred = Holy ◦Time set aside (consecrated) for Him alone ◦Need for reverence  Clothing  Silence  Actions  Prayerfulness Celebration/Feast ◦Celebrating the mystery of our salvation ◦Like most celebrations, a common meal is shared  A family meal – the family of God shares the Eucharist  “Communion” – draws us into union with God and one another  Greater than any one person

Completing the Sacrifice A lamb was offered up in the Old Testament The people would then eat the lamb ◦In order to complete the offering ◦The gift they offered to God was received back by them as a gift ◦United them to God  They offered something to God, and then received themselves that which had already been accepted by Him The Mass ◦Priest offers Jesus to the Father ◦The Father accepts the offering ◦Returns the offering for us to eat  Allows us to share in the sacrifice

But Remember… The Mass is a big family meal But two points cannot be forgotten ◦The family is the Church of Christ ◦The food is the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ  We receive the Eucharist when we are united at Mass  It’s not just a private thing

The Our Father Give us this day our daily bread ◦Expresses trust that God will take care of our earthly need ◦Also praying for the daily bread of the Eucharist Our Father ◦We don’t say my Father ◦Designed to remind us of the communal nature of our worship  We are part of the Mystical Body of Christ