Denver Catholic

13 DENVER CATHOLIC | SEPTEMBER 14-27, 2019 Todah is Hebrew for "thanksgiving." A todah sacrifi ce was a type of peace ož ering that was ož ered by someone who had received a great ben- efi t from God. Its elements were meat, bread and wine (Lev 7:11-15; Num 15:8-10). Eucharist comes from the Latin eucharistia, which also means "thanksgiving." In the Eucharistic sacrifi ce, the bread and wine become the body and blood of Jesus. Many schol- ars have considered both the Todah and the Passover sacrifi ces as foreshadows of the Eucharist. St. Paul asserts that the Eucharist is truly the body and blood of Christ, and there are conse- quences for those who partake in it unworthily. "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?" (1 Cor 10:16). He also writes to the Corinthians saying, "Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord" (1 Cor 11:23-29). After receiving the Law from God, "Moses took the blood and threw it upon the people, and said, 'Behold the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words'" (Ex 24:8). Jesus picks up this language and institutes a new covenant with his body and blood as the new sacrifi ce, during the Last Supper: "This chalice which is poured out for you is the new cov- enant in my blood" (Lk 22:20). The last chapter of the Gospel of Luke (24:13-35) gives a brief description of the Mass that the disciples would partake in, highlighting the two parts of the liturgy: The Liturgy of the Word and then the Liturgy of the Eucharist. As two disciples were traveling to Emmaus from Jerusalem on the Sunday after the crucifi xion of Jesus, Jesus himself draws near them, though they do not recognize him. First, "beginning with Moses and all the prophets, [Jesus] interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things pertaining to himself" (24:27). When he sat at the table with them, "he took the bread, and blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognized him." They went back to Jerusalem and in amazement told the disciples "what had happened in the road and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread" (24:35). The Resurrected Christ is found in the Eucharist. After the Israelites left Egypt, God sent them the manna, or bread from heaven, in the desert: "I will rain bread from heaven for you" (Ex 16:4). Jesus is the fulfi llment of the manna, as he himself states: "Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died… I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever" (Jn 6: 49-51). At the Last Supper, which took part in the context of the Passover, Jesus draws many of the aforemen- tioned symbolisms and unites them in the Institution of the Eucharist. Jesus takes the bread, breaks it, and says, "This is my body which is given for you" (Lk 22:19). He then takes the chalice and says, "This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood" (22:20). He then commands them, "Do this in remembrance of me." Scholars have noted that although the supper was done in the context of the Passover, no Passover lamb is ever mentioned: Jesus, himself is the Passover lamb (1 Cor 5:7). God commands Moses to build a Tabernacle and place the Ark of the Cov- enant in it, so that he may "dwell in their midst" (Ex 25:8). He then com- mands him, "And you shall set the bread of the Presence on the table before me always" (25:30). Later on, David ate this bread, which was given to him by the priest Abimelech: "So the priest gave [David] the holy bread, for there was no bread there but the bread of the Presence" (1 Sam 21:6). Jesus alludes to this episode and says, "Have you not read what David did, when he was hungry… how he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence… I tell you, something greater than the temple is here" (Mt 12:1-8). He who is greater than the temple became the true bread of the Presence. In Acts of the Apostles, the apostles and disciples celebrated the Eucharist: "And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of the bread and the prayers" (Acts 2:42). As previously mentioned, the "breaking of the bread" referred to the Eucharist, as Christ instituted it at the Last Supper. There are many other examples: "On the fi rst day of the week [Sunday], when we were gathered together to break bread…" (Acts 20:7). Isaiah 53 is a strong prefi guration of Christ in the Old Testament. It tells of a man who was "a² icted". "But he was wounded for our transgressions… like a lamb that is led to the slaughter… although he had done no violence… he [made] himself an ož er- ing for sin." The servant is compared to a lamb and to a sacrifi cial o" ering, and by his righteousness "will make many righ- teous." Jesus is, again, the "Lamb of God," who, as John says, is the "righteous", and "the expiation for our sins" (1 Jn 2:2). In the Book of Revelation, John shows that the Eucharis- tic worship corresponds with and fi nds its fulfi llment in the heavenly worship, "the marriage supper of the Lamb" (Rev 19:19). John provides powerful images that correspond to the Mass, showing that Christians already partake in the heavenly worship. In Rev 4-5, John describes the Pass- over Lamb, the elders — presbyteros, which is the Greek word for priests — the proclamation of God's revelation, incense, songs, angels, prayer, the "Holy, Holy, Holy," pros- tration, etc. These elements show that the Mass is not an invention of the Church, but that it is a gift in which Chris- tians already partake in the perfect heavenly worship. MANNA INSTITUTION OF THE EUCHARIST FIRST CHRISTIAN COMMUNITIES THE SUFFERING SERVANT REVELATION TODAH OFFERING ST. PAUL SPRINKLING OF BLOOD ROAD TO EMMAUS 6. 7. 9. Todah is Hebrew for "thanksgiving." A todah sacrifi ce was a type of peace ož ering that was ož ered by someone who had received a great ben- the body and blood of Jesus. Many schol- ars have considered both the Todah and the Passover sacrifi ces as foreshadows of the Eucharist. TODAH OFFERING 9. BREAD OF THE PRESENCE "the expiation for our sins" (1 Jn 2:2). BREAD OF THE body and blood of Christ, and there are conse- quences for those who partake in it unworthily. "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread to the Corinthians saying, "Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord" (1 Cor 11:23-29). 8. 10. 7. 9. 6. 8. 10. CONTINUES ON NEXT PAGE »

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