Reddit reviews The Lamb's Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth
We found 38 Reddit comments about The Lamb's Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
INSCRIBED BY AUTHOR, STATED FIRST EDITIONi, 345TH PRINTING
It's important to understand the Mass, and Scott Hahn's The Lamb's Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth is an excellent way to learn more about it.
Everyone is welcome to come and hear Mass. Apart from the Eucharist, you can participate to any degree you are comfortable with, including blessing yourself with holy water and kneeling. If you want a deeper understanding of what is going on, The Lamb's Supper by Scott Hahn is a helpful book on the significance of the rituals at Mass.
Always feel free to speak to a priest if you want to learn more about Catholic doctrine or explore joining the Church.
Here are some posts that have been shared on r/Catholicism before:
While Catechism and official Church documents are the most comprehensive and clear way to answer virtually all your questions, they are dense, long and more like reference materials. I recommend The Faith Explained for a start.
Many people I know, including myself found Scott Hahn's "The Lamb's Supper" to be eye opening about the nature of the Church and the Mass, also life changing.
My faithfully Catholic sister recently married a fundamentalist southern baptist. If you wanna talk with a Catholic who has some 3rd-person experience in this situation, message me.
Awww yeah!
There are more books, but I'll have to go into my memory-vault to remember what I would recommend.
Dr. Scott Hahn has a fantastic book on the Mass called The Lamb's Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth. Here it is on Amazon. I'm a former Southern Baptist myself and this book answered every single one of my questions.
A good read is The Lamb's Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth - Mass is Heaven on Earth because God is right there. This life is to help us appreciate that, and it takes time.
Scott Hahn has an interesting book in which he looks at Revelation as an allegorical representation of the Mass.
I'd recommend learning more before you consider converting- you've got time. Some books I'd recommend are:
Different parishes have different styles- you should potentially ask your future husband about "parish shopping" once you're married and settled down somewhere, so you can find a parish where you both feel at home.
A helpful popular level book is Scott Hahn's The Lamb's Supper.
I'm not a non-practicing Catholic, but rather a poorly catechized Catholic for whom, up until about two years ago, Mass felt arbitrary, pointless, and especially, boring. I kept going because my whole family did, and my family structure is such that the problems I'd face by not going would have canceled out any perks of sleeping in on Sundays.
Either way, the questions remained: Why am I doing this? What does this all mean? Is it really so hard for a parish to make a mass that's at least mildly fulfilling and entertaining?
I also felt pretty bad because there was a part of me that knew that the ideal was to want to go to Mass every Sunday, and although I considered myself a spiritual and good person, I just didn't.
The answer? I was simply ignorant of what the Mass truly was. And on a deeper level, I was unaware of the tremendous love God has for me. I think Scott Hahn's The Lamb's Supper is super insightful on both fronts. I implore you to check it out.
Here's where it gets less nice: you have put your soul in grave danger by missing Mass for no good reason. Please don't wait til judgement day to discover the consequences of it. While it's unexpected to overturn years of apathy in a few days, you might not have forever to figure it out.
Make a sincere confession (general and specific) and begin attending Mass on Sundays. Be honest with God when you're there. Tell Him you honestly don't enjoy being there and can he do anything about it? The God that died for us would definitely throw a little something our way to remind us He's there and He wants us.
Hope this helps, I'll pray for ya.
> But where in scripture does it say that?
Your question may be better answered if you learned about the Mass itself and the origins in scripture and Tradition. Scott Hahn has a good book discussing this topic. Called The Lamb's Supper. See if your library has it. Give it a read.
Thank you for this! As a former protestant, I really hope there will come a day you are welcomed in the Catholic Church and receive Holy Communion! It'll be so worth your time to see how Catholics support their beliefs in the Real Presence and what the Mass is with Scripture and Early Christian writings.
Before beginning, the Church doesn't have any stance on premill vs amill, so both are perfectly allowable. That being said, a very large number of the Church Fathers were amill, so it's definitely a good idea to become well-acquainted with it, at the very least.
I tend to lean more amill, so I'll try to give an overview of why I think so. Primarily, I am just generally weary of taking a strong stance on prophecy in the Book of Revelation. It's all highly symbolic, yet somehow grounded and real. I tend to believe most of it is describing actual historical events as well as future events at the same time, with the past events being types of the future events. For example, I generally think Babylon and its destruction correspond to Jerusalem, Rome, and a future event(s) all at once. The difficulty for me is distinguishing which details refer to which event. Certainly, the destruction of Babylon seems to match different details of the destruction of Rome and Jerusalem at the same time. Applied to the Millennium specifically, I generally think the thousand years is referring to the reign of the Church on Earth as the Body of Christ, as well as possibly to a future event of some sort. I'm quite weary of believing that it will be a literal 1000 year reign given how often 1000 years is used in less-than-literal comparisons in the rest of Scripture. Perhaps the Millennium is entirely the reign of the Church described from a spiritual perspective, which is why it appears so different from present reality. Like most things in the Book of Revelation, I honestly don't know and wouldn't bet money on anyone's guess.
Beyond historical vs. future events there is a further issue. The Church emphasizes a strong connection between the Book of Revelation and the Mass; for more details, The Lamb's Supper is a nice summary. With that additional perspective, events in Revelation may be describing things in the liturgy, things presently and perpetually going on. This particularly lends credence to amill for me.
To connect this back with your objection: The difference lies not simply in amill vs premill, but rather in whether one can discern a universal ordering/timeline in the Book of Revelation, or whether events being described are definitely in the past, present, or future. Once I began to believe that it could be all three all at once, I started to think that being premill or amill or even postmill to the exclusion of the other(s) was too strong of a position to take. For this reason, I am generally weary of arguing any point from the Book of Revelation that is not a bald statement of fact or has multiple likely interpretations.
Hope this helps! Let me know if there's anything I can clarify, or if you have any more questions.
> And we open our Bibles to three different passages on Sunday Mass to make one coherent message.
Actually, four! The first reading, the psalm, the second reading, and the Gospel.
And we actually open the Bible in other places too: the Lord's Prayer, "Behold the Lamb of God," Sanctus (Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts), "Lord I am not worthy ..." and so much more. Scott Hahn in the Lamb's Supper speaks about his first experience at Mass and how he thought he had wandered into the Book of Revelation.
Talk about a Bible Church. ;)
Go to mass. Even if you think it is boring.
Did you know that at every single mass you are at the foot of the cross on Calvalry? Do you understand the implications of this?
Did you know that when one receives communion it is the flesh and blood of God one is consuming? Do you understand the implications of this?
When you know these things and more not only is mass less "boring", you start to want to attend mass every day and remain in a state of grace as much as possible so you can receive communion at every mass. I go to mass every day and it is the highlight of my day. I make great effort to attend mass daily even when I travel.
Consider reading The Lamb's Supper by Scott Hahn to get a better understanding of what the holy mass is. There is much more to be said than I have written! Be an active participant by offering up your works, joys and sufferings for the week. Go to mass, it is good!
https://www.amazon.com/Lambs-Supper-Mass-Heaven-Earth/dp/0385496591
I read Rome Sweet Home by Scott & Kimberly Hahn and I thought it was a very good tale of conversion. There's a bit of light apologetics throughout and it was compelling enough for me to finish it in a day. (I hardly read.)
Next up on my list are The Lamb's Supper by Hahn, The Love Chapter: The Meaning of 1 Corinthians 13 by St. John Chrysostom, and An Exorcist Tells His Story by Fr. Gabrielle Amorth, exorcist of the Vatican.
If you know any young people, the YOUCAT is an invaluable resource if they don't want to sit through the entire Catechism. Of course you want to eventually point them to it but I find, at 22, it's more suited to me poor attention span.
Canticle for Leibowitz is my favourite Catholic fiction but that doesn't mean much because I haven't read anything else. If you're looking for a good Catholic writer, I hear Flannery O'Connor is one. Of course Tolkien is a giant as is Chesterton (literally).
The mass is truly the most beautiful thing on earth. I’ve also really enjoyed this book, it might cover some of the same things but is really good, maybe consider picking this up also
https://www.amazon.com/Lambs-Supper-Mass-Heaven-Earth/dp/0385496591
We are here to support you on your journey home, brother/sister.
First, you should know that the Canon of Scripture (the Bible) is not meant to be read from cover-to-cover as a coherent, linear story. Scripture is a collection of books, some of which contain poetry, some song, some pre-history myth, some parable, some wisdom sayings, some history, and some letters to a distinct audience.
One resource I have heard good reviews about is the Quick Journey through the Bible series by Ascension Press. It is intended as a course of study with a group, though.
Other good resources for reading Scripture are:
For other good resources on returning to Catholicism, I recommend the following:
Do not be afraid to go to study groups. As someone who has led study groups, my favorite people are those who come in eager for Truth and ready to ask questions.
If you're a book guy, Scott Hahn has a good book about it. It's what got me back into Mass. You never look at it the same way again. It's not just a bunch of people in a room talking about God for 45 minutes.
If you can't/don't want to drop the 13 bucks on the book, don't worry, there're a few articles on the Catholic Answers website. Here're a few:
The Mass is Profoundly Biblical
The Sacrifice of the Mass
The Institution of the Mass
The big question: Why Go to Mass??
The Mass is a wonderful thing once you know what it is. As a kid, I hated it with a burning passion. Now, I'm discerning the priesthood and have taken a liking to the pre-Vatican II mass, which is in Latin (pretty old school, I know, but it's beautiful. Doesn't appeal to everyone.)
Anyway, welcome home!! If you have any questions at all about Catholicism, feel free to ask here. We've got some pretty smart theologians on this sub
The Lamb's Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth by Scott Hahn
Here's a great interpretation of Revelations as the Mass in the Bible.
The Lambs Supper is an awesome book about the mass and how heaven is on earth during mass, regardless of how shitty the choir is. I'm only a couple of chapters in and I'm loving it.
I recommend this book. The Book of Revelation references the Mass many times throughout. It is truly amazing and non-coincidentally one of the books Martin Luther wanted removed. I guess it was too Catholic for him.
The Roman Catholic theologian Scott Hann deals with this concept in his book "The Lamb's Supper."
https://www.amazon.com/Lambs-Supper-Mass-Heaven-Earth/dp/0385496591
I'm sure the book is well-written and theologically sound given Hann's reputation. There might be some ideas contained in his book that are not shared by Protestants, but Anglicans may find themselves agreeing more with Hann then our Protestant sisters and brothers.
I've not read the book, but this seems along the same lines you're talking about. I'm sure there are a plethora of ideas and books written about the Mass being an expectation or foretaste of things to come.
My first post on r/Anglicanism, I believe, was actually this picture which I think speaks to what my interpretation of Mass is when I go to church on Sundays.
http://www.traditionalcatholicpriest.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Traditional-Latin-Mass.jpg
I still love this picture.
For your talk, I highly recommend taking a canonical approach. That means going through scripture and talking about the typology of the old testament in reference to the Eucharist. Some suggestions:
Here's a great book to get you started on some of these topics.
Here's a couple NT passages to get you started as well:
You might enjoy this book. It describes the connections between Revelation and the Divine Liturgy (the Mass).
Learn about the Mass. If you know what is going on in the Mass it should motivate you to go.
To learn more about the Mass, I suggest The Lamb's Supper by Scott Hahn.
You ask an interesting question, and were perhaps given a very special, particular grace. Good on you for seeking it through to the end. Seeing as you were watching Mass on TV, I'd love to recommend two books to you that will look both at the Mass itself, and at the Sacraments, specifically the Eucharist.
The first is about the Mass as told by Scripture, and the second is a Scriptural walk through the Sacraments. I think you may enjoy them.
Feel free to reply or PM if you want to chat more - I love talking about Mass and the Eucharist! I'll say an extra prayer for you today as you proceed on your journey. Cheers!
DK
Hi there, and welcome to the biggest party on Earth.
As far as knowing "what to do" during Mass - your parish should have a missalette located either in your pew or at the back of the church to pick up with your hymnal and whatnot. They usually look like this or something similar. Say the black, do the red, the priest says the bold. But at the same time, don't worry - it's okay if you don't say everything just right; for many hundreds of years, the laity didn't have any verbal participation, and your spiritual participation (ie adding your prayers and intentions to that of the Holy Sacrifice) is plenty.
On a deeper note, if you want to learn about the history and the theology behind the Mass, I really strongly recommend Scott Hahn's excellent book, The Lamb's Supper as it goes into the Jewish roots of much of the Mass. It really helped me understand not only what was going on from a sensory perspective, but also from a theological perspective.
As far as kneeling: You are more than welcome to remain seated if you can't kneel without pain. You're also welcome to kneel anyway and offer that pain as a sacrifice, but sitting is okay, too!
Are you able to go to Mass? It's really the center of Catholicism, for it's where we have an intimate encounter with Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.
A great book on the Mass is Scott Hahn's The Lamb's Supper. Learn as much as you can about the Mass. It's the model prayer of the Church.
Depends on what section of the Church she wants to discover. Just off the top of my head:
The Lamb's supper is widely recommended, I haven't read it but any word of it highly praises the way it explains and appreciates the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
I enjoyed Francis Cardinal Arinze's book on Mary, and how it relates perfectly to scripture.
Has she seen Bishop Barron's Catholicism series in general?
The Lamb's Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth https://www.amazon.com/dp/0385496591/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_tnZYAbRXDH0DN
I agree with JMJF1209.
There are a few things that can help with boredom:
You could go to Mass a few minutes early and spend the extra time asking Jesus to make you more aware of his presence. He is the Word of God, so he is present in a special way when people are reading the readings out loud, which can make the readings feel more "alive" to us because we are hearing them instead of seeing them. He is present in the tabernacle where there are consecrated hosts. He is present where two or three are gathered in his name (we can guarantee that there will be at least two people at Mass since you're not the priest). Also he will be present on the altar partway through Mass and then people will receive him; you should not, if you have not been to confession after time away; but you can think about what is going on in the other people (usually when we eat food, we turn the food into "us"; but like the "in Soviet Russia" jokes, when we eat Jesus, he turns us a little bit more into him. Practice being more open to the idea of that happening to you, in the future.)
You can learn more about the Mass. There is a Scott Hahn book https://www.amazon.com/Lambs-Supper-Mass-Heaven-Earth/dp/0385496591 for example (fair warning, I have to ignore his sub-headings within a chapter because they are usually puns; and I like puns (as much as the next person who read the then-entire Xanth series in her misspent youth) but they are kind of really jarring to me in this sort of a book.)
You can invest a little bit of time in your relationship with God ("how is your prayer life?") outside of Mass. If we play an instrument at school, we are supposed to practice it every day at home; otherwise we are not going to get much out of a concert; at home, we can sometimes mess around and have fun with it (though yes sometimes it is a tedious-but-necessary slog), and in the concert we all play the same piece together which is (if you are competent) also fun but a different kind of fun; if we never practice, and at the same time we expect the concert to feel like the playing-on-my-own kind of fun, then we are going to be doubly disappointed because we will not really experience either kind of fun. Get a good basic book on prayer such as https://www.amazon.com/God-You-Prayer-Personal-Relationship/dp/0809129353 or https://www.amazon.com/Time-God-Jacques-Philippe/dp/1594170665 (both are short, take a look and pick whichever one appeals to you.)
I haven't read it, but The Lamb's Supper by Scott Hahn is supposed to be a great book for would-be converts with the standard theological apprehensions for conversion. I think it addresses the Marian doctrines, but I'm not sure about the amount of depth it goes into.
More Christianity
by Dwight Longenecker - by an Anglican priest who converted to Catholicism.
The Lamb's Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth
by Scott Hahn - Catholic understanding of the Eucharist by a former protestant.
An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine
by Bl. John Henry Cardinal Newman - Free on kindle, written by a major figure in the Oxford movement who ultimately converted to Catholicism. Here he presents a history Christian doctrine as unfolding from the seeds of the early church into the very large doctrinal garden we have today.
Orthodoxy and the Roman Papacy: Ut Unum Sint and the Prospects of East-West Unity
by Adam A. J. DeVille - written by an Eastern Catholic and has a realistic approach to what the Pope's role would be in a unified church (a limited one).
The First Seven Ecumenical Councils (325-787): Their History and Theology
by Leo D. Davis SJ - History of the ecumenical councils Catholics and Orthodox share, from a Catholic perspective.
I have a bunch of other books on specific topics if there's anything in particular you're interested in. I'm not a convert but these are pretty good none-the-less.
The Lord's Supper: The Mass As Heaven On Earth
Awesome!!!
>As I am very new to the faith, I was wondering if I could receive some advice/answers from people here. What would the best writing be to look at for talks through various denominations. Do I need a specific denomination? What other Christian works would be good to read in order to gain a better understanding of the relationship with God and general Christian concepts (I have already ordered a collection of C. S. Lewis’s works as a start).
Well, I would of course want you to join the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. Some great resources, in general, include Bishop Barron (anything by him, he's fantastic), Peter Kreeft's works, and Scott Hahn's works. C.S. Lewis, who was highly influenced by Tolkien and Chesterton, both Catholic, is a fantastic starting point. [This] (https://www.amazon.com/Why-Be-Catholic-Important-Question/dp/0307986438) book, [this] (https://www.amazon.com/Lambs-Supper-Mass-Heaven-Earth/dp/0385496591) book, and [this] (https://www.amazon.com/Catechism-Catholic-Church-Complete-Updated/dp/0385479670) Catechism aregreat reading resources. I'd recommend getting a kindle if you don't have one so you can do what I did and just pour through tons of books. If you have a past with Orthodoxy, check out the Orthodox Way by Metropolitan Kallistos Ware as well as the Eastern Catholic Churches. [This] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/057803834X/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1493667291&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=origins+of+catholic+christianity&dpPl=1&dpID=41bsQ2nPSxL&ref=plSrch) book, as well as the other two parts of it, are very interesting as well, and include part I, the Crucified Rabbi, part II, the Catholic Paul, and part III, the Eternal City. Sorry for the boatload of information; Bishop Barron, overall, is the best place to start. You can find him on YouTube.
I'd also recommend that you go on the sidebar to each and every denominational subreddit and ask them why they think they are the True Church. The one thing I can't recommend enough is to not make a grocery list of doctrines you like and then pick the denomination that suits you best. That isn't how Christianity works; there is one Pillar and Bulwark of Truth, one Body of Christ, and one Church-- the next step for you is figuring out which one it is. You'd probably want to start with Catholicism or Orthodoxy, the two Churches that can directly trace their roots back to the Apostles, yet sadly one split from the other in 1054.
If you haven't yet, get a good, solid Bible (preferably one with the original canon, not the Lutheran one) and start reading the Gospels prayerfully, as well as the Epistles. For the epistles especially, keep in mind the audience of the letter and the context. For the New Testament, the Ignatius Study Bible is incredible; however, the Old Testament has yet to come out. You can get a bundle deal on Amazon with the Catechism and a Study Bible.
God bless, and we'll keep praying for you on your journey!