God’s revelation is made known through word and sacrament in the Catholic liturgy, which is rooted in Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition. The expressions, actions, and symbols at every Catholic Mass come from the Bible.
The Jewish temple worship, Passover observations, and sacrificial offerings of the Old Testament are fulfilled in an unbloody manner through the New Covenant sacrifice of the Mass in the form of Bread and Wine.
Instituted by Jesus at the Last Supper, Catholic Mass re-presents his sacrifice on the Cross at Calvary and provides a glimpse into the Wedding Supper in the Book of Revelation where Jesus is the sacrificial Lamb to be eaten.
Commanded by Jesus in the Bible, the highest form of worship and fullest participation in the life of God that man can have on Earth is when Catholic priests offer the sacrifice of Jesus’ Body and Blood in the Holy Eucharist to God.
Catholic Mass is totally dedicated to proclaiming and living the Word of God, and its elements are found throughout the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. Everything in the Mass is inspired by God and nothing is done arbitrarily.
More than a gathering to read or study the Holy Bible, Catholics incorporate Sacred Scripture directly into their gestures, postures, and rituals while participating in the Sacred Liturgy.
Both the Old and New Testaments of Sacred Scripture are the sources of the readings, prayers, and responses of Catholic Mass. The postures, movements, and processions of the liturgy are also influenced by the Bible.
Catholic Mass is rooted in Scripture and Tradition:
The roots of Catholic Mass are in the Bible:
For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over, took bread, and, after he had given thanks, broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.
1 Corinthians 11: 23-26
The Bible reveals how God wants to be worshipped:
A sacramental celebration is woven from signs and symbols. In keeping with the divine pedagogy of salvation, their meaning is rooted in the work of creation and in human culture, specified by the events of the Old Covenant and fully revealed in the person and work of Christ.
Catechism of the Catholic Church 1145
Catholic Mass is foreshadowed in the Jewish Scriptures:
Mass is prefigured in the Old Testament and fulfilled in the New:
In considering the Church as “the home of the word”, attention must first be given to the Sacred Liturgy, for the liturgy is the privileged setting in which God speaks to us in the midst of our lives; He speaks today to his people, who hear and respond. Every liturgical action is by its very nature steeped in Sacred Scripture. In the words of the Constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium, “Sacred Scripture is of the greatest importance in the celebration of the liturgy. From it are taken the readings, which are explained in the homily and the psalms that are sung. From Scripture the petitions, prayers and liturgical hymns receive their inspiration and substance. From Scripture the liturgical actions and signs draw their meaning”. Even more, it must be said that Christ Himself “is present in his word, since it is He who speaks when Scripture is read in Church”. Indeed, “the liturgical celebration becomes the continuing, complete and effective presentation of God’s word. The Word of God, constantly proclaimed in the liturgy, is always a living and effective word through the power of the Holy Spirit. It expresses the Father’s love that never fails in its effectiveness towards us”.
Pope Benedict XVI, Verbum Domini, 30 September 2010
Catholic Mass is profoundly biblical:
Everything Catholics do at Mass comes from Sacred Scripture:
Catholics quote Scripture throughout Catholic Mass:
The Truth, Goodness, and Beauty of the Catholic Church
Appreciating the mystical realities of the Mass:
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