Jan

29

On the use of sacred images and On kneeling

January 29, 2007 |

This from Hierurgia: the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, again, authored by Daniel Rock D.D.:

“The use of Images in the house of God, is authorized by Scripture. Moses was commanded to place the images of two Cherubim upon the Ark; and Solomon ‘carved all the walls of the Temple round about with divers figures and carvings’ (3 Kings 7:29). By making a reverence before the crucifix, Catholics do not intend to worship the image of their divine Redeemer, but the Redeemer himself. All denominations of Christians, as well as Catholics, bow the head when they hear the sacred name of Jesus pronounced: Catholics bow also when they behold his figure. The sound and the figure are both images of Jesus. No sensible Protestant will ever raise an objection to that inferior respect which Catholics exhibit towards the cross and the images of Jesus; since he will remember that, in receiving the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, according to the rites of the Established Church of England, each communicant is obliged to kneel down to the sacramental elements, though he verily believes them to be nothing more than common bread and wine, mere figures of the body and blood of Christ…The Catholic neither worships nor prays to, nor reposes any trust in images, as the Heathens did in their idols; nor does he believe any power or virtue to reside in them. He is expressly taught by his Church ‘that images have neither life nor sense to help him’. (Concilium Trident, Sess. 25).”

In another place:

“The Roman Missal prescribes that we should kneel during the whole of Low Mass, except at the recital of the two Gospels, and the Creed (should there be one). If, therefore, ill health, or weakness do not compel us to sit down occasionally, we ought to comply with the Rubric, and hear Mass in a kneeling posture, which is the one most becoming a sinner who is present at the commemoration of the dath of his crucified Redeemer.”


Comments

1 Comment so far

  1. Marc Aupiais on December 10, 2007 9:10 am

    Yes, it does seem that the ancient Israelites were evil by their own law, or had other traditions, if one goes by the fundamentalist view. Luckily ,most of them now allow crosses, though many still hate crucifixes.
    Pax christi et catholici. Marc Aupiais
    (i.e. scripturelink/kindstuff/biblestuff)

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