The faith of our fathers - Carmel Apologetics

""""THE SACRIFICE OF THE MASS. 357Wehas." St. Paul, in his Epistle to the Hebrews, frequently alludes to the sacrifice of the Mass.have an altar,"he says, whereof they cannot eatwho serve the tabernacle." 1 The Apostle hereplainly declares that the Christian church hasits altars as well as the Jewish synagogue.Analtar necessarily supposes a sacrifice, without whichit has no meaning. The Apostle also observes thatthe priesthood of the New Law was substitutedforthat of the Old Law. 2 Now, the principal officeof priests has always been to offer sacrifice. Priestand sacrifice are as closelyidentified as judge andcourt.St. Paul, after David, calls Jesus a priestforoveraccording to the order of Melchisedech." He8is named a priest, because He offers sacrifice ;apriest forever, because His sacrifice is perpetual ;according to ike order of Melchisedech, because Heoffers up consecrated bread and wine, which wereprefigured by the bread and wine offered by Mel.chisedech, the priest of the Most High God." 4Tradition, with its hundred tongues, proclaims theperpetual oblation of the sacrifice of the Mass, fromthe time of the Apostles to our own days. If weconsult the Fathers of the Church, who have stoodlike faithful sentinels on the watch-towers of Israel,guarding with a jealous eye the deposit of faith,and who have been the faithful witnesses of their1Heb. xiii. 10.2 Ibid. vii. 12. Ps. cix. 4 ;Heb. v. 6.*Gen. xiv. 18.