Saturday, March 21, 2009

Heb 9, 1-5 The first covenant had regulations for worship

Hebrews 9
(Heb 9, 1-5) The first covenant had regulations for worship
[1] Now (even) the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly sanctuary. [2] For a tabernacle was constructed, the outer one, in which were the lampstand, the table, and the bread of offering; this is called the Holy Place. [3] Behind the second veil was the tabernacle called the Holy of Holies, [4] in which were the gold altar of incense and the ark of the covenant entirely covered with gold. In it were the gold jar containing the manna, the staff of Aaron that had sprouted, and the tablets of the covenant. [5] Above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the place of expiation. Now is not the time to speak of these in detail.
(CCC 1113) The whole liturgical life of the Church revolves around the Eucharistic sacrifice and the sacraments (Cf. SC 6). There are seven sacraments in the Church: Baptism, Confirmation or Chrismation, Eucharist, Penance, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony (Cf. Council of Lyons II (1274): DS 860; Council of Florence (1439): DS 1310; Council of Trent (1547): DS 1601). This article will discuss what is common to the Church's seven sacraments from a doctrinal point of view. What is common to them in terms of their celebration will be presented in the second chapter, and what is distinctive about each will be the topic of the Section Two. (CCC 1114) "Adhering to the teaching of the Holy Scriptures, to the apostolic traditions, and to the consensus… of the Fathers," we profess that "the sacraments of the new law were… all instituted by Jesus Christ our Lord" (Council of Trent (1547): DS 1600-1601). (CCC 1118) The sacraments are "of the Church" in the double sense that they are "by her" and "for her." They are "by the Church," for she is the sacrament of Christ's action at work in her through the mission of the Holy Spirit. They are "for the Church" in the sense that "the sacraments make the Church" (St. Augustine, De civ. Dei, 22, 17: PL 41, 779; cf. St. Thomas Aquinas, STh III, 64, 2 ad 3), since they manifest and communicate to men, above all in the Eucharist, the mystery of communion with the God who is love, One in three persons. (CCC 1119) Forming "as it were, one mystical person" with Christ the head, the Church acts in the sacraments as "an organically structured priestly community" (LG 11; cf. Pius XII, Mystici Corporis (1943). Through Baptism and Confirmation the pRiestly people is enabled to celebrate the liturgy, while those of the faithful "who have received Holy Orders, are appointed to nourish the Church with the word and grace of God in the name of Christ" (LG 11; Mystici Corporis, 1943).

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