Abraham in the Catholic Liturgy
Encyclopedia
Abraham
figures prominently in Catholic liturgy. Of all the names of the Old Testament
used in the liturgies of the Roman Rite
, a special prominence accrues to those of Abel, Melchisedech, and Abraham through their association with the idea of sacrifice and their employment in this connection in the most solemn part of the Canon of the Mass
. Abraham's name occurs so often and in such a variety of connections as to give him, among Old Testament figures, a position of eminence in the liturgy, perhaps surpassed by David
alone.
Abraham is referred to also explicitly (e.g. "May the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, be with you") or implicitly (e.g. In figuris praesignatur, cum Isaac immolatur in the Sequence
of Corpus Christi
) in various other liturgical texts within the Missal.
Abraham
Abraham , whose birth name was Abram, is the eponym of the Abrahamic religions, among which are Judaism, Christianity and Islam...
figures prominently in Catholic liturgy. Of all the names of the Old Testament
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
used in the liturgies of the Roman Rite
Roman Rite
The Roman Rite is the liturgical rite used in the Diocese of Rome in the Catholic Church. It is by far the most widespread of the Latin liturgical rites used within the Western or Latin autonomous particular Church, the particular Church that itself is also called the Latin Rite, and that is one of...
, a special prominence accrues to those of Abel, Melchisedech, and Abraham through their association with the idea of sacrifice and their employment in this connection in the most solemn part of the Canon of the Mass
Canon of the Mass
Canon of the Mass is the name given in the Roman Missal, from the first typical edition of Pope Pius V in 1570 to that of Pope John XXIII in 1962, to the part of the Mass of the Roman Rite that begins after the Sanctus with the words Te igitur...
. Abraham's name occurs so often and in such a variety of connections as to give him, among Old Testament figures, a position of eminence in the liturgy, perhaps surpassed by David
David
David was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Hebrew Bible and, according to the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, an ancestor of Jesus Christ through both Saint Joseph and Mary...
alone.
Roman Martyrology (Martyrologium Romanum)
- Abraham is commemorated on 9 October: "Commemoratio sancti Abrahae, patriarchae et omnium credentium patris, qui, Domino vocante, ab urbe Ur Chaldaeorum, patria sua, egressus est et per terram erravit eidem et semini eius a Deo promissam. Item totam fidem sua in Deo manifestavit, cum, sperans contra spem, unigenitum Isaac et iam seni a Domino datum ex uxore sterili in sacrificium offerre non renuit" (The commemoration of Holy Abraham the patriarch and father of all believers, who at the Lord's call left UrUrUr was an important city-state in ancient Sumer located at the site of modern Tell el-Muqayyar in Iraq's Dhi Qar Governorate...
of the ChaldeesBabyloniaBabylonia was an ancient cultural region in central-southern Mesopotamia , with Babylon as its capital. Babylonia emerged as a major power when Hammurabi Babylonia was an ancient cultural region in central-southern Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq), with Babylon as its capital. Babylonia emerged as...
, his homeland, and became a wanderer in the land that God promised to him and his descendants. He also showed complete faith in God when, hoping against hope, he did not refuse to offer in sacrifice his only son Isaac, whom the Lord had granted him when he was already old and his wife was sterile). As thus revised in the twentieth century, the Roman Martyrology provides a much more complete picture of Abraham than it did when it limited itself to saying only: "Eodem die memoria S. Abrahae Patriarchae et omnium credentium Patris."
Roman Ritual (Rituale Romanum)
- In the Commendation of the Dying, "Abraham, our father in faith" and "David, leader of God's people" are the only two names from the Old Testament mentioned in the special litany. An earlier form of the rite mentions Abel instead of David. In a prayer of commendation that follows, eight Old Testament names are mentioned, including the invocation "Deliver your servant, Lord, as you delivered Abraham from Ur of the Chaldees."
- The Rite of Funerals includes the prayer: "Almighty Father, eternal God, hear our prayers for your son (daughter) N. whom you have called from this life to yourself. Grant him (her) light, happiness, and peace. Let him (her) pass in safety through the gates of death, and live for ever with all your saints in the light you promised Abraham and to his descendants in faith ..."; and the responsory for singing while the body is sprinkled with holy water and incense includes the words: "May Christ, who called you, take you to himself; may angels lead you to Abraham's side."
- In the Order for the Blessing of Travellers, one of the readings proposed is the account in of Abraham's response to God's call, "Go forth to a land I will show you"; and the prayer of blessing to be said by a priest or deacon who is to accompany the travellers begins: "All-powerful and ever-living God, when Abraham left his own land and departed from his own people, you kept him safe all through his journey ..."
Liturgy of the Hours (Liturgia Horarum)
- In the Tridentine Roman Breviary the readings from the Genesis, that contain the formal narrative of Abraham begin on Quinquagesima Sunday with the call of Abraham, continue next day with the account of the separation of Abraham from his nephew Lot, and end with the sacrifice of Melchisedech on Shrove TuesdayShrove TuesdayShrove Tuesday is a term used in English-speaking countries, especially in Ireland, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Philippines, Germany, and parts of the United States for the day preceding Ash Wednesday, the first day of the season of fasting and prayer called Lent.The...
, a total of three days. In the two-year cycle of readings proposed for the modern Liturgy of the Hours, the narrative of Abraham takes up twelve days (Wednesday of week 2 to Saturday of week 3 on the even-numbered years). - Every day the Liturgy of the HoursLiturgy of the hoursThe Liturgy of the Hours or Divine Office is the official set of daily prayers prescribed by the Catholic Church to be recited at the canonical hours by the clergy, religious orders, and laity. The Liturgy of the Hours consists primarily of psalms supplemented by hymns and readings...
mentions Abraham in the MagnificatMagnificatThe Magnificat — also known as the Song of Mary or the Canticle of Mary — is a canticle frequently sung liturgically in Christian church services. It is one of the eight most ancient Christian hymns and perhaps the earliest Marian hymn...
(last verse: "As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham and his seed forever") and in the BenedictusBenedictus (Song of Zechariah)The Benedictus , given in Gospel of , is one of the three canticles in the opening chapters of this Gospel. The Benedictus was the song of thanksgiving uttered by Zechariah on the occasion of the birth of his son, John the Baptist.The whole canticle naturally falls into two parts...
(sixth verse: "The oath which he swore to Abraham our father"). He is mentioned in the Psalter in Psalms 46 (47):10 and 104 (105):6, 9, 42. And since he is mentioned in 71 verses of the New Testament alone (41 of them outside the Gospels), his name appears also many times in other parts of the Liturgy of the Hours, especially since in 1970 "a more ample selection from the treasury of God's word" is included in the Liturgy of the Hours. Abraham is also mentioned in the antiphon to the MagnificatMagnificatThe Magnificat — also known as the Song of Mary or the Canticle of Mary — is a canticle frequently sung liturgically in Christian church services. It is one of the eight most ancient Christian hymns and perhaps the earliest Marian hymn...
of Thursday of the Fifth Week of Lent, with reference to the Gospel of that day, which contains Jesus' declaration: "Before Abraham was, I am." In the Tridentine Missal this Gospel was read on the fifth Sunday of Lent, which until 1960 was called "Passion SundayPassion SundayPassion Sunday is a name that the Roman Rite liturgy gives to the sixth Sunday of Lent, but that in the pre-1960 form of that liturgy was given to the fifth Sunday...
" and the corresponding Magnificat antiphon was used on that day in the Roman Breviary.
Roman Missal (Missale Romanum)
- Mention has already been made of the prayer in the Canon of the Mass, when the priest, referring to "the holy Bread of eternal life and the Chalice of everlasting salvation", prays: "Be pleased to look upon them with serene and kindly countenance, and to accept them, as you were pleased to accept the gifts of your servant Abel the just, the sacrifice of Abraham, our father in faith, and the offering of your high priest Melchizedek, a holy sacrifice, a spotless victim." The idea of sacrifice is common to Western and Eastern liturgiesChristian liturgyA liturgy is a set form of ceremony or pattern of worship. Christian liturgy is a pattern for worship used by a Christian congregation or denomination on a regular basis....
, while those of the East, except the Maronite, omit in their epiclesesEpiclesisThe epiclesis is that part of the Anaphora by which the priest invokes the Holy Spirit upon the Eucharistic bread and wine in some Christian churches.In most Eastern Christian traditions, the Epiclesis comes after the Anamnesis The epiclesis (also spelled epiklesis; from "invocation" or...
all reference to the typic sacrifices of the Old Testament, and appear concerned with impressing the faithful with the idea rather of sacrament and communion, an element used for classifying liturgies.
- The second (in the pre-1950s Missal the third) of the Old Testament readings of the Easter VigilEaster VigilThe Easter Vigil, also called the Paschal Vigil or the Great Vigil of Easter, is a service held in many Christian churches as the first official celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus. Historically, it is during this service that people are baptized and that adult catechumens are received into...
between the lighting of the Paschal CandlePaschal candleThe Paschal candle is a large, white candle used at liturgy in the Western Rites of Christianity . A new Paschal candle is blessed and lit every year at Easter, and is used throughout the Paschal season which is during Easter and then throughout the year on special occasions, such as baptisms and...
and the Blessing of the Font recounts the sacrifice of IsaacIsaacIsaac as described in the Hebrew Bible, was the only son Abraham had with his wife Sarah, and was the father of Jacob and Esau. Isaac was one of the three patriarchs of the Israelites...
imposed upon Abraham (bibleverse||Genesis|22:1-19). Before the early 1950s, the priest read this lesson quietly for himself (as he did for all chants and readings at Mass executed by others, with the sole exception of the Gospel) while it was being chanted for the people, a practice that Pope Pius XIIPope Pius XIIThe Venerable Pope Pius XII , born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli , reigned as Pope, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City State, from 2 March 1939 until his death in 1958....
eliminated. The dramatic incidents in this passage of Scripture must have impressed early Christian catechumens deeply, as they are represented on the walls of catacombsCatacombsCatacombs, human-made subterranean passageways for religious practice. Any chamber used as a burial place can be described as a catacomb, although the word is most commonly associated with the Roman empire...
and on sarcophagi. The following prayer begins: "God and Father of all who believe in you, you promised Abraham that he would become the father of all nations, and through the death and resurrection of Christ you fulfil that promise ...".
- Until it was removed by Pope Pius XII, another lesson (then the fourth) was followed by the prayer: "O God, grant that the fulness of the whole world may pass over to the children of Abraham...".
- There are now dozens of Scripture readings at Mass that mention Abraham. In the Tridentine Missal they were fewer, but they included the already mentioned and also .
Abraham is referred to also explicitly (e.g. "May the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, be with you") or implicitly (e.g. In figuris praesignatur, cum Isaac immolatur in the Sequence
Sequence (poetry)
A sequence is a chant or hymn sung or recited during the liturgical celebration of the Eucharist for many Christian denominations, before the proclamation of the Gospel. By the time of the Council of Trent there were sequences for many feasts in the Church's year.The sequence has always been sung...
of Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi (feast)
Corpus Christi is a Latin Rite solemnity, now designated the solemnity of The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ . It is also celebrated in some Anglican, Lutheran and Old Catholic Churches. Like Trinity Sunday and the Solemnity of Christ the King, it does not commemorate a particular event in...
) in various other liturgical texts within the Missal.
Roman Pontifical (Pontificale Romanum)
- In one of the Prefaces of the Consecration of an altarAltarAn altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices are made for religious purposes. Altars are usually found at shrines, and they can be located in temples, churches and other places of worship...
, the bishopBishopA bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
says: "May it have as much grace with Thee as that which Abraham, the father of faith, built when about to sacrifice his son as a figure of our redemption...". Again, in the Blessing of a CemeteryCemeteryA cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
(third Prayer) and in connection with Isaac and Jacob (sixth Prayer). Finally, in two of the Prayers for the Blessing and Coronation of a KingMonarchA monarch is the person who heads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and occasionally rules for life or until abdication...
. The exalted position of Abraham in Sacred History, and the frequent use of his name in invocations etc. in the Old Testament (e.g. Gen. xxviii, 13; xxxii, 9; xlviii, 15,16; Exod., iii, 6,15,16, iv, 5; Tob., vii, 15 etc.), and the continued use thereof by the early Christians (Acts, iii, 13; vii, 32) made his name of frequent occurrence in prayers and exorcisms.