Today’s Catholics are predominantly what the Bible called Gentiles: people who are not Jewish by birth or culture. This means many Catholics are personally unfamiliar with Jewish worship and rituals. 

 

Did you know that the Catholic Mass is patterned closely after the biblical structure of worship? 

 

 

Catholics, Like Old Testament Israelites, Confess Sins Before Sacrifice 

 

In the Old Testament, before the Israelites offered a sacrificial burnt offering at the altar, they acknowledged their sins. The Levite priest then put his hand on the animal to be sacrificed, symbolically transferring the sins of the people, expressing sorrow on their behalf with a repentant heart. 

 

In a similar way, the Holy Mass begins with the Greeting by the priest followed by the recitation of the Penitential Act by the faithful: 

 

I confess to almighty God 

and to you, my brothers and sisters, 

that I have greatly sinned 

in my thoughts and in my words, 

in what I have done 

and in what I have failed to do 

through my fault, through my fault, 

through my most grievous fault; 

therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin, 

all the Angels and Saints, 

and you, my brothers and sisters, 

to pray for me to the Lord our God. 

 

The priest responds, “May Almighty God forgive us our sins and bring us to everlasting life.” 

 

The faithful then reply, “Amen”. 

 

In the Old Testament the Levite priest offered sacrifice on behalf of the people. In the Catholic Mass the priest is in a parallel role. 

 

 

Outward Gestures Reflect Inner Repentance in the Bible and the Mass 

 

Luke chapter 18 tells the parable of a tax collector who is sorry for his sins. In verse 13 Jesus said the tax collector struck his breast in fervent contrition. This was an outward sign of his grief, and his petition for mercy. 

 

In the Mass when the Penitential Act is prayed by the faithful, striking one’s breast accompanies the words, “…through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault.” In the Mass, this humble gesture emphasizes acknowledgement of sins and repentance. 

 

This is followed by the “Lord, have mercy”, also hearkening to the New Testament parable above, as well as Psalm 51 in the Old Testament. King David prays: 

 

Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions. 

(verses 1-2) 

 

For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;

you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. 

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;

a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. 

(verses 16-17) 

 

Repentance and mercy come before the sacrificial offering. 

 

 

The Sacrificial Lamb of the Bible is Directly Connected to the Catholic Mass 

 

After confessing sins and asking for God’s mercy, Old Testament Levite priests sacrificed an animal. Blood sacrifices were central to atonement for sins because sin equals death. An innocent and spotless animal was sacrificed to pay the penalty due to sin. 

 

The image of the sacrificial lamb is connected to the Catholic Mass: 

 

• Jesus became the sacrificial Lamb to take away the sins of the world. Just as sin came into the world when Eve gave Adam forbidden fruit from a tree, so Mary became the new Eve and brought Jesus into the world to save mankind. Jesus is the new Adam and saved humanity when He died on a tree (the Cross). 

 

• Old Testament priests repeated sacrifices on the altar. The sacrifice of Jesus, however, was once and for all. 

 

• At the Last Supper, Jesus proclaimed the bread was His Body. The Mass re-presents the Last Supper as an unbloody sacrifice. We eat the sacrificial meal that is re-enacted, participating in Christ’s atonement for our sins. 

 

Learn More About Scripture, the Mass, and Sacraments on Catholic Radio 

 

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