Thomas Nash, author of Worthy is the Lamb: The Biblical Roots of the Mass (Ignatius Press, 2004), is co-hosting a 13-part EWTN series, "The Biblical Story of the Mass," that kicks off this Sunday at 5:00 EST:
Thomas J. Nash’s book, Worthy Is The Lamb: The Biblical Roots of the Mass, is both profoundly insightful and highly readable. In it he refutes, in a resoundingly biblical fashion, the common charge that the Mass is "unbiblical".
From the Garden of Eden to Christ’s Ascension, Nash illustrates how the
biblical
roots of the Mass go much deeper than the Last Supper and Christ’s
Passion. Old Testament sacrifices like Abel’s, Abraham’s and
the Passover all prefigure and are fulfilled by Christ’s Sacrifice.
Indeed, Nash shows how Christ’s Sacrifice has two distinct, yet inseparable
phases: What began on the Cross culminated in everlasting glory when Jesus
entered once for all into the heavenly holy of holies.
In other words, at Mass the Church does not become present at the foot of the Cross in sorrow but rather to a never-ending, heavenly drama in joyful celebration, offering and partaking of Christ’s Sacrifice according to the priestly order of Melchizedek! As the renowned apologist Frank Sheed concisely observed, "The essence of the Mass is that Christ is making an offering to the Father of Himself, Who was stain for upon Calvary The Mass is Calvary, as Christ now offers it to His Father."
In a time when the Catholic Church is under attack from within and without, Worthy Is the Lamb reminds the faithful why they believe and where they are heading, that the Mass is, as Vatican II affirms, "the source and summit of the whole Christian life". This book will transform your understanding of and participation in the Mass.
Dr. Scott Hahn, noted theologian and co-author of Rome Sweet Home, states: "It’s high time Catholics discovered the Old Testament roots of our Church’s worship and priesthood. The New Covenant did not abolish the Old, but fulfilled and transformed it. Our Lord wants us to experience the reality of the Mass in all its fullness, and that’s what Tom Nash wants you to know."
And Steve Ray, author of Upon This Rock and St. John's Gospel, writes, "A sprout emerges from the seed, then a tree from the sprout. In the same way the Church and the sacraments emerge from the Jewish Scriptures—the Old Testament. To understand the Passover Lamb and ceremonies of ancient Israel is to fully appreciate Our Lord Jesus, the Mass, and the Catholic Church, Nash has done us all a great service by pulling back the curtain and blowing away the mist, giving us a glimpse back in time and forward through eternity, enabling us to clearly see and appreciate Our Lord in the Eucharist in all his rich glory-prefigured in the Old Testament and revealed in the New.
IgnatiusInsight.com: What prompted you to write your book?
Thomas J. Nash: I had long thought of doing an apologetics book on the biblical basis of the Catholic Church for Emmaus Road Publishing, which is the publishing house of my employer, Catholics United for the Faith (CUF). But I learned that someone else had been signed up for a similar book, and, amidst my disappointment, I prayed about which direction to proceed. I came to the conclusion that a book on the biblical story or roots of the Mass would be a good one, because there wasn’t really one that filled this niche in the Catholic marketplace on the popular/scholarly level.
When I say the biblical roots of the Mass, I refer to the heart of the Mass—the Sacrifice of the Mass-and how that Sacrifice was prefigured in Old Testament offerings and fulfilled in Christ’s one Sacrifice in the New Testament. While many apologetics books made worthwhile, New Testament-based arguments for the Eucharist in the midst of covering other doctrinal topics, I didn’t see any book that cultivated a biblical overview of the Sacrifice of the Mass. Different authors affirmed my conclusion.
Because it makes present Christ’s one Sacrifice of Calvary, the Mass is the both the source and summit of the Catholic life, as Vatican II reminds us. The Mass is fundamental in showing us where we’ve come from and where we’re going in salvation history, and it is also provides us the strength-Jesus Himself—for us to get there and help others do the same. The Mass is also misunderstood both by many Catholics and Protestants, with Catholics often vulnerable to biblical arguments against the Mass.
Given these various reasons, I thought a good biblical exposition of the Mass was much needed. My goal was to write a book that would be accessible and engaging to the average layman, yet, in doing so, lead the reader to better appreciate the profound theological realities that are wrapped up in the Sacrifice of the Mass. For example, how can Jesus have died once on Calvary, yet have his Sacrifice re-presented 2,000 years later by the Church? I had written significantly on the biblical basis of the Mass as a graduate student and that—and others’ writings—provided a good basis on how to proceed.
Read the entire interview.
Irondale, AL (EWTN) – As a Catholic, do you ever wonder why Jesus is referred to as “the Lamb of God” or why the “Body and Blood” of our Lord distributed at Communion time still look and taste like ordinary bread and wine? If the biblical story of the Mass did not begin at the Last Supper, where did it begin? Answers to these and many more questions will be provided in EWTN’s exclusive new 13-part series, “The Biblical Story of the Mass,” which will air 5 p.m. ET Sundays (with a re-air at 2:30 a.m. ET Fridays), beginning Aug. 29.Here is the introduction to an Ignatius Insight interview with Nash about his book:
If you really want to understand what’s happening at Mass, why the priest and people have distinct liturgical roles, why the Eucharist is the best path to a more personal relationship with Jesus Christ and the Trinity – and a whole lot more -- tune into this challenging new series.
Hosted by EWTN Theology Advisor Tom Nash and Fr. Wade Menezes, this lively, conversational program is partially based on Nash’s book, “Worthy is the Lamb: The Biblical Roots of the Mass” (Ignatius Press). Nash is also co-author of “Catholic for a Reason III: Scripture and the Mystery of the Mass.” Fr. Wade is the well-known host of numerous EWTN series, including “The Ten Commandments of Catholic Family Life,” and “Gospel of Life vs. Culture of Death”.
“When St. Paul mentions the Lord’s Supper, most Protestant Christians view the ritual as simply a symbolic meal, which recalls Christ’s redemptive work that they believe began and ended on the Cross,” says Nash. “Wouldn’t you like to be able to defend the Catholic belief with biblical and historical evidence?”
Tune in this fall and learn what really happens on the altar each Sunday!
Thomas J. Nash’s book, Worthy Is The Lamb: The Biblical Roots of the Mass, is both profoundly insightful and highly readable. In it he refutes, in a resoundingly biblical fashion, the common charge that the Mass is "unbiblical".
From the Garden of Eden to Christ’s Ascension, Nash illustrates how the
biblical
roots of the Mass go much deeper than the Last Supper and Christ’s
Passion. Old Testament sacrifices like Abel’s, Abraham’s and
the Passover all prefigure and are fulfilled by Christ’s Sacrifice.
Indeed, Nash shows how Christ’s Sacrifice has two distinct, yet inseparable
phases: What began on the Cross culminated in everlasting glory when Jesus
entered once for all into the heavenly holy of holies.In other words, at Mass the Church does not become present at the foot of the Cross in sorrow but rather to a never-ending, heavenly drama in joyful celebration, offering and partaking of Christ’s Sacrifice according to the priestly order of Melchizedek! As the renowned apologist Frank Sheed concisely observed, "The essence of the Mass is that Christ is making an offering to the Father of Himself, Who was stain for upon Calvary The Mass is Calvary, as Christ now offers it to His Father."
In a time when the Catholic Church is under attack from within and without, Worthy Is the Lamb reminds the faithful why they believe and where they are heading, that the Mass is, as Vatican II affirms, "the source and summit of the whole Christian life". This book will transform your understanding of and participation in the Mass.
Dr. Scott Hahn, noted theologian and co-author of Rome Sweet Home, states: "It’s high time Catholics discovered the Old Testament roots of our Church’s worship and priesthood. The New Covenant did not abolish the Old, but fulfilled and transformed it. Our Lord wants us to experience the reality of the Mass in all its fullness, and that’s what Tom Nash wants you to know."
And Steve Ray, author of Upon This Rock and St. John's Gospel, writes, "A sprout emerges from the seed, then a tree from the sprout. In the same way the Church and the sacraments emerge from the Jewish Scriptures—the Old Testament. To understand the Passover Lamb and ceremonies of ancient Israel is to fully appreciate Our Lord Jesus, the Mass, and the Catholic Church, Nash has done us all a great service by pulling back the curtain and blowing away the mist, giving us a glimpse back in time and forward through eternity, enabling us to clearly see and appreciate Our Lord in the Eucharist in all his rich glory-prefigured in the Old Testament and revealed in the New.
IgnatiusInsight.com: What prompted you to write your book?
Thomas J. Nash: I had long thought of doing an apologetics book on the biblical basis of the Catholic Church for Emmaus Road Publishing, which is the publishing house of my employer, Catholics United for the Faith (CUF). But I learned that someone else had been signed up for a similar book, and, amidst my disappointment, I prayed about which direction to proceed. I came to the conclusion that a book on the biblical story or roots of the Mass would be a good one, because there wasn’t really one that filled this niche in the Catholic marketplace on the popular/scholarly level.
When I say the biblical roots of the Mass, I refer to the heart of the Mass—the Sacrifice of the Mass-and how that Sacrifice was prefigured in Old Testament offerings and fulfilled in Christ’s one Sacrifice in the New Testament. While many apologetics books made worthwhile, New Testament-based arguments for the Eucharist in the midst of covering other doctrinal topics, I didn’t see any book that cultivated a biblical overview of the Sacrifice of the Mass. Different authors affirmed my conclusion.
Because it makes present Christ’s one Sacrifice of Calvary, the Mass is the both the source and summit of the Catholic life, as Vatican II reminds us. The Mass is fundamental in showing us where we’ve come from and where we’re going in salvation history, and it is also provides us the strength-Jesus Himself—for us to get there and help others do the same. The Mass is also misunderstood both by many Catholics and Protestants, with Catholics often vulnerable to biblical arguments against the Mass.
Given these various reasons, I thought a good biblical exposition of the Mass was much needed. My goal was to write a book that would be accessible and engaging to the average layman, yet, in doing so, lead the reader to better appreciate the profound theological realities that are wrapped up in the Sacrifice of the Mass. For example, how can Jesus have died once on Calvary, yet have his Sacrifice re-presented 2,000 years later by the Church? I had written significantly on the biblical basis of the Mass as a graduate student and that—and others’ writings—provided a good basis on how to proceed.
Read the entire interview.
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