And then, on the pages of the book of revelation, i realized just how significant, how dramatichow worldchangingthe sacrificial worship of the church on earth is. If catholics could not connect the liturgy and slaughter of the book of revelation to the eucharistic mystery, no one could. The book of revelation stands as an eternal witness to the spirituality of all the principles and types of liturgy and sets an eternal seal on its prayers, its praises, its incense, and its sacrifice. In the roman liturgy, when the priest has made the offering of the bread and the wine, he bows to the altar and prays quietly. Introduction worship in book 24 times to worship the first 1.
So, returning to johns vision in the book of revelation, the heavenly liturgy worship and delight of love in heaven by the blessed community of heaven centers upon christ, the lamb that was slain yet is risen and lives. Book of revelation is the only book of the new testament that is not read during services by the byzantine rite churches although in the western rite orthodox parishes, which are under the same bishops as the byzantine rite, it is read. The book of revelation as liturgical commentary scribd. Liturgy and slaughter in the book of revelation church. This is why the priests wear the alb, the white robe of the men. Remember christian worship had been going on at least two generations before the revelation of st.
And it looked to the future, to the eternal heavenly liturgy described in the liturgical book of the new testament, the book of revelation, the marriage of the lamb, the liturgy that ever celebrates the cosmos and to which the people draw near only by their celebration. The worship of the church has traditionally, quite consciously, been patterned after the divine and eternal realities revealed in this book. The book of revelation is poetry, in the sense in which postromantic people understand the term. Revelation united states conference of catholic bishops. The three distinct sets of visions leading up to johns eating of the small scroll 10. The book of revelation follows the structure of liturgy roughly as follows. The mass and the book of revelations by scott hahn youtube. When the wine press is trodden, it unleashes a tide of blood that rises as high as a horse and reaches out for 200 milescertainly. Was byzantine rite divine liturgy inspired or influenced by. Ministry magazine worship in the book of revelation.
Introductory rites, reference verses in revelation, johns vision in revelation. The mass realized in the book of revelation introductory rites. Homepage study by topic mass the mass realized in the book of revelation by m. In fact, many scholars believe that not only is this passage describing the eucharist, but that the entire book is a depiction of sorts of the heavenly liturgy of which the mass is a participation.
The apocalypse, or revelation to john, the last book of the bible, is one of the most difficult to understand because it abounds in unfamiliar and extravagant symbolism, which at best appears unusual to the modern reader. The book of revelation and the holy masscatholic caucus. Lord god, we ask you to receive us and be pleased with the sacrifice we offer you with humble and contrite hearts. A reference sheet for the symbols that are used in the book of revelation. The funeral lectionary offers three official passages from the book of revelation. A catholic study of the book of revelation lesson 1.
The faithful witness has been granted an imprimatur and can be purchased from our website shop. It should come as no surprise that this book of revelation offers four recommended readings for funeral masses. The hymn of the book of revelation that we meditate today concludes with a final acclamation cried out by. Liturgy of the mass in revelation agape bible study. The book of revelation and the holy mass the book of revelation shows us glimpses of the heavenly liturgy jesus christs once and for all sacrifice eternally present in heaven. Today we kick off this exciting podcast series on the book of revelation. A practical exercise is to ask ourselves what deficiencies and qualities christ would list if he were to send his angel to write a letter to us and our communities. The book of revelation, also called the apocalypse which means that which has been disclosed, and also called the revelation to saint john, is traditionally considered to be the work of the lords apostle who later wrote the fourth gospel and the letters.
Polyvalent symbolism, in which symbols have more than one meaning, also is part of revelation s imagery. The book of revelation describes the heavenly liturgy and focuses on a scroll or book which contains the meaning of life and the answers to all. Franciscan father stephen doyle provides a catholic commentary on the book of revelation and explains that todays people do not understand what the author of revelation is talking about. Yes, thats right, revelation, the book of monsters and wonders is a biblical commentary on the mass. In the orthodox church, the book of revelation has great liturgical significance. Eleven interesting facts about worship in revelation. The revealing is done by the commentators, who know nothing. For example, in revelation 14, an angel harvests the grapes of the earth and throws them into the great wine press of gods fury. A lionlike lamb that rises to deliver victory after being slain appears several times in the book of revelation. The liturgy of the word lesson objectivesto understand the deep biblical foundations for the liturgy of the eucharist. Sacramental theology in the book of revelation charles a. Lamb of god you take away the sins of the world, 5. The book of revelation was written for people who were living during the time of the author. What an orthodox bishop thinks you should know about the book of revelation june 11, 20 joel j.
The orthodox faith volume i doctrine and scripture. For example, the seven heads of the beast are said to be both seven mountains rev. The book of revelation as liturgical commentary book of. A comparison of the language and imagery of the book of revelation with the divine liturgy of the orthodox churches suggests that in the revelation we see an. That very short passage about dead believers finding rest in christ. The following is the forward and a portion of a chapter from a forthcoming book which, in my view, falls in. Conversation in catholic theology philip caldwell, lewis ayres, medi ann volpe on. Among the things found in this book was the idea that revelation was speaking about such things as the soviet union, nuclear attacks between the ussr and the us, etc. Fr patrick henry reardon argues that the book of revelation is liturgical prophecy. He explains that, for those students willing to examine the historical background to the new testament, the book of revelation actually summarizes the central doctrines of faith. I inspiration such as is bestowed by god on the author of a sacred book. What are catholic views on the book of revelations. Worshiptraining worship in the book of revelation and the.
For the prophetic aspects of this fascinating book, see the page on. In many respects, the book of revelation is more accessible than most biblical books to the life of modernday congregations. Apr 09, 2007 the book of revelation and the holy mass. The hidden manna preparation of the gifts the wine in chalices and the bread in bowls 15. A surface reading of revelation 20 seems to lend itself to chiliastic interpretation, and so, beginning in the third century as the church pushed back against montanism, it also pushed back against chiliasm, and in the process, against the book of revelation. Unless we come to understand what the liturgy is and how it works to draw us into the mysteries of god, it becomes something else, discontinuous and novel. Do our minds become confused when we hear all those sevens and l2s, and all those strange titles applied to jesusthe alpha and omega and the bright morning star. The holy mass a reflection of the book of revelation.
Like the prophets of old, it is not a work of theological abstraction, but. The book of revelation, often called the book of revelations, revelation to john, the apocalypse of john, the revelation, or simply revelation, the revelation of jesus christ from its opening words or the apocalypse, is the final book of the new testament, and therefore also the final book of the christian bible. The worship setting makes it so, and the elements of christian worship permeate the book. Liturgy and slaughter in the book of revelation church life. And there has been much speculation about it some of it bordering on offthewall, but some of it serious and scholarly. Symbols in the book of revelation saint marys press. In christian theology the lamb of god is viewed as both foundational and integral to the message of christianity. Book of revelation mormonism, the mormon church, beliefs. In this intro episode i explain the basics of revelation and how we will cover it as catholics using the old testament, church fathers, liturgy, and tradition. Other apocalyptic books, like the book of revelation, are in the old testament. Revelation is the new testament book in which worship is most prominent. The following is the forward and a portion of a chapter from a forthcoming book which, in my view, falls in the latter category.
Worship in the book of revelation and the eastern orthodox liturgy. Gieschen the book of revelation is often interpreted as a document that is full of eschatology, namely, it is understood as depicting the gloom of the last days and the glory of eternity. John list of revelation charts the golden thread of liturgy is what holds together the apocalyptic pearls of johns revelation. Has any protestant considered that the book of revelation, along with proclaiming the end times events, is also speaking about the catholic mass. It depicts the liturgy as the center of cosmic history, as the chief battleground between god, mary see ch.
Is one of the most difficult to understand due to its intense use of symbolic imagery. To see how the book of revelation describes the liturgy of heaven. The book is in letter format and is intended to be read aloud in the christian liturgy cf. Louis brighton and the online commentary the book of revelation. The book of revelation, quipped ambrose bierce, is a famous book in which st. When christians gather together in the liturgy, they. If they are not thus connected, divine punitive justice will ultimately be rejected on moral grounds, as unbecoming to god. The book of revelation reveals how gods salvation has entered the world in the life, death and resurrection of jesus.
Peterson, learning to worship from saint johns revelation, christianity today, october 28, 1991, 25. Revelation 45 and early christian liturgical usage jstor. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant john, a 2 who gives witness to the word of god and to the testimony of jesus christ by reporting what he saw. Revelation conveys the call to repentance in all times with equal immediacy.
Sep 05, 2012 prayer in the book of revelation on september 5, 2012, pope benedict xvi resumed his general audiences in the vatican, having held them at castelgandolfo during the month of august. Jun 07, 2017 the book of revelation there is no s on the end. The liturgy of praise in the book of revelation and in the. Prayer in the book of revelation on september 5, 2012, pope benedict xvi resumed his general audiences in the vatican, having held them at castelgandolfo during. Anyone who reads the book of revelation carefully finds before him a detailed heavenly picture of all the different kinds of liturgical rites that. God will not tolerate false worship, so the story revolves around the theme and is punctuated often by scenes of true worship. Scott hahn and mike aquilina explain how the catholic mass is the key that opens ones eyes to understanding the liturgical aspects of the apocalypse the book of revelation. The vision begins during the sunday liturgy, and it conveys the profound meaning of christian worship. The biblical and heavenly roots of the sacred liturgy community. Divine service liturgy deltoce notes bible introduction notes miscellaneous ot theology lecture notes this page is an indepth bible study of the book of revelation based on the concordia commentary of revelation by dr.
Sep 01, 2000 i realized that in the mass i was really seeing on earth what was taking place in the heavenly liturgy that john describes in the apocalypse. Chapter 5 bears the title understanding understanding. In this talk, which is lesson 1 of a 6 lesson seminar entitled unveiling the mystery. Liturgy and slaughter in the book of revelation church life journal. Sep 25, 2008 here, he links up the book of revelation to the holy sacrifice of the mass. The liturgy of praise in the book of revelation and in the church. Thompson worship provides the main conflict of the book of revelation, the contrast between those who worship god and those who worship the beast. Resourcing a theme in twentiethcentury catholic theology renewal. Apr 29, 2019 so in the book of revelation, language comes before music. Just click to listen to the following real audio lessons.
This page is an indepth bible study of the book of revelation based on the concordia commentary of revelation by dr. This created a tension over the book of revelation that lasted for centuries. On the one hand, the heavenly liturgy is the golden thread that holds together all of the apocalyptic pearls in johns revelation, starting in chapter one where jesus appears wearing a white robe and a golden girdle. The sanctus, acclaimed during the liturgy of the eucharist, is taken from rev. The book of revelation is not so intimidating once you understand what the author was up to. It will be seen that revelation as thus explained differs clearly from. Parousia and liturgy 1 although there are various possible translations of maranatha, our lord comes, our lord has come, the fragments at the end of the book of revelation show that it was understood at that time to mean come lord. Guide to catholic worship peter kwasniewski according to joseph ratzinger, the last book of the bible, revelation or the apocalypse of st. A comparison of the language and imagery of the book of revelation with the divine liturgy of the orthodox churches suggests that in the revelation we see an early stage in the development of christian liturgy. Apr 11, 20 so, returning to johns vision in the book of revelation, the heavenly liturgy worship and delight of love in heaven by the blessed community of heaven centers upon christ, the lamb that was slain yet is risen and lives. Heaven on earthbook of revelation and orthodox liturgy 2.
John, is showing forth a kind of archetypal liturgy to which all our earthly liturgies must bear resemblance. John was ever given, and the core structures of the byzantine liturgy were already in place. Francesca murphy, nd professor of systematic theology, details the seven components for any theology formed by the book of revelation. The apocalyptic drama of the mass catholic exchange. Liturgy of heaven third sunday of easter, year c revelation 5. It talks about many things revealed to its author john of patmos. The book of revelation shows us glimpses of the heavenly liturgy jesus christs once and for all sacrifice eternally present in heaven. It is common knowledge that the book of revelation falls into unequal parts. In the 1970s there was an extremely popular book titled the late great planet earth which allegedly interpreted the book of revelation. God speaking his mind, and doing his mind through words, takes precedence over symphonic conceptions of god. This is why the church has always incorporated the elements that john saw in the heavenly liturgy into her earthly liturgy, for they are one and the same.
The revelation to john makes dramatic use of the rich symbolism of the sacrificial ritual of the jewish temple. Hahn demonstrates why this littlestudied book contains many of the keys to understanding the gospels. The woman in revelation 12 is part of the fusion imagerypolyvalent symbolism that is found in the book. A catholic study of the book of revelation, karlo gives a posture with. Revelation predicts cataclysmic events using complicated symbolic language.
As catholics, we reject the approach of those who use this book to guess wildly about the future or to create fear and mistrust among christians or to support their own political agendas. John sees god sitting on a throne in heaven and with him the lamb of god, who is christ. The above scene from the book of revelation culminates in the. Revelation also tells us something more about the mass itself. This is why the church has always incorporated the elements that john saw in the heavenly liturgy into her earthly liturgy, for they are one and the same liturgical action of jesus christ our high priest. The lord himself assures his people that he is coming soon to bring the judgement rev. It is dated in the middle of the last half of the first century. The prayer of the church and its mystical celebration are one with the prayer and celebration of the kingdom of heaven. The orthodox faith volume i doctrine and scripture new. Is the book of revelation canonical in the orthodox church. What an orthodox bishop thinks you should know about the.
Scott hahn gives a detailed liturgical reading to revelation in the lambs supper, and more succinctly in the final chapter of his book on the. Book of revelation liturgy and sacraments catholic. Symbols in the book of revelation a reference sheet for the symbols that are used in the book of revelation. Although there are various possible translations of maranatha, our lord comes, our lord has come, the fragments at the end of the book of revelation show that it was understood at that time to mean come lord. He has quotes from church fathers who read the liturgy into it as well its not something he or gen just made up. That was what the high priest wore in the jerusalem temple. In this episode will look at chapters 45 of revelation line by. The liturgy as a window to another world inside the vatican. Here, he links up the book of revelation to the holy sacrifice of the mass.