Mass...

Scott Hahn's description of Mass as stated on Reasons to Believe (EWTN):

"There are not two churches, one up there, and one down here. There's one church, there's one kingdom, there's one liturgy and we do it on earth as it is in heaven."

"The Mass is probably the most biblically saturated hour that anybody can experience on this planet." And he continues, "From the very opening, and it's not just because they're reading from the bible, but because they're doing what the bible's describing."

The Catholic Church is not "sermon centered" but Eucharistic. The Mass is "soaked" in scripture. 28 times in 22 chapters in Revelation, Jesus is called "Lamb of God" No where else in the NT is Jesus referred to in eucharistic terms.
On the road to Emmaus, when Jesus opens the scriptures, showing them how Christ must suffer. When he takes bread, blesses it, breaks it and gives it to them, pnly then are their eyes opened. Once our faith grasps Christ's real presence IN the Holy Eucharist his physical presence, his visible body is no longer necessary. It even might pose a threat to faith growing and maturing. The gestures of scripture are all through the bible, as well as vestments, and all are part of the New Testament. The NT doesn't do away with the OT, but completes it...with Jesus as our High Priest, and Victim of the sacrifice that 'continues' from the cross in an unbloody manner for it is now his glorified body that we partake of and eat in the Mass. Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world and our Eucharistic meal, for we "eat" the Lamb as did they eat the lamb in the OT during Passover. The Eucharist is what makes us ONE BODY, we who are many are one body by sharing the eucharistic body. Hebrews and Revelation describe the "cloud of witnesses" that share in the Eucharist with us at Mass. They're more alive than we are, those Saints in heaven. The kingdom is already on earth, because the Church is already in Heaven. The Church and the Kingdom, though in some ways distinct, are inseparable and can never be divided. Lumen Gentium describes the Pilgrim Church (on earth) is in perfect sacramental union with the Church in heaven, that "great cloud" by Christ's power through the Holy Spirit, in and during the Mass, but there will come a time when the "veil" now between us is rent and we'll discover the heavenly mysteries that are sacramentally veiled in our midst every time we celebrate the Mass. Though apart we're united and ...

all I can say is, "How cool and awesome and amazing is that?!"

Now I'm OFF TO MASS to gather with ALL THE SAINTS and ANGELS!