Literal flesh and blood?

[ViaCrucis]

[Staff edit]

Can I ask about this (with no intent to argue no matter what the response is, I'm just wondering)? Where in Scripture is there the Mass? Thank you!

In the simplest sense the term "Mass" is derived from the missa, the "sending" at the end of the liturgy; but became the term in the West to describe both the entire Liturgical service as well as the Eucharistic service itself.

Insofar as the Eucharist is instituted by Christ in the Gospels, and referred to by St. Paul in both chapters 10 and 11 of 1 Corinthians, etc the Eucharist itself is very clearly asserted in Scripture. As a reference to the entire liturgical service it is perhaps sufficient to merely point out the reality of Christian worship which is itself mentioned in the New Testament; the historic liturgy is ultimately rooted in the liturgical worship forms of 1st century Judaism--it's what the earliest Christians would have been most familiar with, and adopted it for their own purposes in the celebration of Christ.

Call it the Mass, call it the Divine Liturgy, call it the Divine Service, or the Liturgy, or the Holy Eucharist, or the Lord's Supper (etc) we are ultimately always talking about the gathering of the people of God come before God in the presence of Christ our God here, before us, through the meager elements of bread and wine. Therefore "Let all mortal flesh keep silence, and with fear and trembling stand; ponder nothing earthly minded, for with blessing in His hand; Christ our God to earth descendeth, our full homage to demand."

-CryptoLutheran