One of the most popular Jewish holidays of our time. You may question the fact that I begin with calling it “Jewish”, but that is WHO and WHY it is still being promoted among those who call themselves ‘christian’. People complain about “putting Christ back in Christmas” when in fact Christ never intended His death to be celebrated, He intended His resurrection to be the theme of Christianity.
The word mass comes from the word missa. In 604 AD Gregory the Great made this apart of the Lord’s Supper. Missa is neither Hebrew nor Greek and is not derived from the Greek word mysis which is the formal command dismissing the Roman Catholic Assembly-hence ite missa est. The Roman Catholic Church intends the mass to be known as the “true and proper sacrifice and will not tolerate the idea that the sacrifice is identical to the Lord’s Supper (Holy Communion). The mass is the “true sacrifice of the true Body and Blood” of Christ on an altar.
There are four things required for such a sacrifice to take place. One, the sacrificial gift (Christ)-next, the sacrificial minister (Roman Catholic priest), next the sacrificial action (impaling Christ again on the tree), and finally, the sacrificial end or object (appeasing the wrath of God for recent sins covered). Only a Roman Catholic Priest can offer this sacrifice which takes place when there is a voluntary surrendering of the blood of Christ by another’s hand. In short, THEY TEACH a mass is the re-crucifixion of the Christ by the hand of Roman Catholic Priest– offering, again, the blood of Christ as an appeasement for sin showing honor to God’s supreme dominion and appeasing His wrath. Christ-mass is WHEN this takes place!!
Sounds perverse?? I got this from the scholarship of the Roman Catholic Church—look up “mass” on the internet and you will find much more. What I have had trouble with concerning this mass is one, that it CAN exist; two, I cannot find Gregory mentioned among the apostles anywhere I have looked; three—I cannot find it ever practiced and taught first, in Jerusalem or in the first century; and finally, I should not be too concerned about practicing Christ-mass since I do not know too many “fathers” I would feel safe around by bowing my head!!
What bothers me is the other day I was given a bulletin that ended its article like this: “Although I grew up in churches that avoided all spiritual aspects of Christmas, I came long ago to treasure this beautiful annual remembrance of the Savior’s birth. While the church in which I serve as an elder happily celebrates both Christmas and the season of Advent leading to it, I would never judge other Christians who, trusting in the Savior Jesus alone, choose not to celebrate His birth. But, neither (in all honesty), having experienced the joy of a Christ-centered Christmas, would I ever again want to join a church that lived as though Christmas did not exist.” Under this rapturous discussion the “caroling Friday night the 15th was announced as well as the Teen Christmas cookie delivery to the widows. SOMETHING’S wrong!!
We will discuss the ‘birthday” issue later but what about this MASS business?? It is not only as MASS, it is Christ Mass!! What tender-hearted loving elder with an honest bone in his body ever want to lead his flock into the doctrines of Hell without thinking what he is doing?? Did he “hire” him a Roman Catholic Priest to perform this murder-done in love?? If he didn’t, he could not have a mass, anyway!! Unless he converted!! He argued that we could keep Jesus birth (off the subject, THIS IS A MASS) any other day but December the 25th and be happy so, join in Read 2 Corinthians 6:16-18
