Catholic Massterclass: All About Holy Mass

15. Chant and Song

An integral part of our worship is lifting our voices in song and chant. This has been part of liturgical worship since the time of David the king and has been a vital part of Christian worship from the beginning.

14. Posture of the Priest

In the Temple worship, the priest would receive the offering from the people and then turn to offer the sacrifice to God on their behalf. He would face the same direction, the same Person in worship, as the people. The priest in Mass offers the sacrifice of the Eucharist on behalf of the people, which may be done facing the same direction as the people, ad orientem.

13. Incense

This week we look more closely at incense. It is found in Old Testament worship and in the Heavenly liturgy. It is also found in Catholic Mass.
It points us to sacrifice.
It symbolizes prayers rising to God.
It brings greater dignity to worship.
It engages the senses.
It veils the holiness of God.

12. Sacred Vessels

There were sacred vessels used in the Temple to carry out the particular sacrifices and offerings. We also use sacred vessels for Mass, which are truly holy and help us to recall the dignity of the Eucharist and of Mass.

11. Temple Furnishings

We take a look at some of the core furnishings of the Temple and how they compare with some of the core furnishings of a Catholic Church.

10. The Jersualem Temple vs A Catholic Church

This episode looks at the Jerusalem Temple and how itcompares to any Catholic church. There are some remarkable similarities.

9. Priestly Vestments

In Exodus 28, God gives Moses some instructions about the vestments that the priests were to wear during their worship. The vestments of the High Priest were meant to be "for glory and for beauty" and they were. Catholic priests, sharing in the High Priesthood of Jesus, are also meant to wear vestments for beauty and for glory. They are meant to point to the beauty and glory of God.

8. Instructions for Worship

How did the priests know what to say and do? Where did they get their instructions for worship? Surely they wanted to offer something that would be both acceptable and pleasing to God. Indeed they did! Jewish documents reveal that there were necessary parts of the worship, including what to say, what to do, what to wear, etc. Our Catholic documents reveal the same thing about our own worship offered to God.

7. The High Priesthood of Jesus

Jesus offers himself in sacrifice to the Father, which he unites with the bread and wine at the Last Supper. When he tells his Apostles, "Do this in memory of me," he institutes the Eucharistic Sacrifice, which is what the Mass is. We are not offering a new sacrifice day after day, like they did in the Old Covenant, but we are participating anew in the one sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross, united with the sacrifice of the Last Supper.

6. A Sacrifice of Thanksgiving

This week we begin the second phase of our Massterclass, which focuses on connections between Old Covenant worship and New Covenant worship. Our first connection is between the Todah sacrifice in the Temple and the Eucharistic sacrifice of the Mass.