Saturday, January 16, 2010

Gen 18, 21-23 Abraham drew nearer to him

(Gen 18, 21-23) Abraham drew nearer to him

[21] that I must go down and see whether or not their actions fully correspond to the cry against them that comes to me. I mean to find out." [22] While the two men walked on farther toward Sodom, the LORD remained standing before Abraham. [23] Then Abraham drew nearer to him and said: "Will you sweep away the innocent with the guilty?

(CCC 1096) Jewish liturgy and Christian liturgy. A better knowledge of the Jewish people's faith and religious life as professed and lived even now can help our better understanding of certain aspects of Christian liturgy. For both Jews and Christians Sacred Scripture is an essential part of their respective liturgies: in the proclamation of the Word of God, the response to this word, prayer of praise and intercession for the living and the dead, invocation of God's mercy. In its characteristic structure the Liturgy of the Word originates in Jewish prayer. The Liturgy of the Hours and other liturgical texts and formularies, as well as those of our most venerable prayers, including the Lord's Prayer, have parallels in Jewish prayer. The Eucharistic Prayers also draw their inspiration from the Jewish tradition. The relationship between Jewish liturgy and Christian liturgy, but also their differences in content, are particularly evident in the great feasts of the liturgical year, such as Passover. Christians and Jews both celebrate the Passover. For Jews, it is the Passover of history, tending toward the future; for Christians, it is the Passover fulfilled in the death and Resurrection of Christ, though always in expectation of its definitive consummation.

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