The Sacrifice of the Mass as a Decoy
The doctrines of Romanism have been cleverly developed by Satan, on the one hand to mimic biblical doctrine and to use the same language, but on the other hand to meet the religious instincts of the unregenerate heart. They can be useful therefore to Christians to show them what is in their own hearts by nature; and they also serve, indirectly, to highlight the biblical doctrines that Satan is most eager to bury.
One of these biblical doctrines is the intercessory work of Christ as High Priest, and various aspects of Roman Catholic religion entrench on this in different ways. Among these is the so-called “sacrifice of the mass” – the claim that the mass is a sacrifice to God in a similar way to Old Testament sacrifices.
For the great majority of Roman Catholics, the sacrifice of the mass becomes the sacrifice on which they rest their hope for salvation. They view their “righteousness” before God as a composite work, made up partly of their good work in attending mass and in other good deeds, partly of the priest’s work in offering the sacrifice, and partly of some vague “magic” done by Christ in the past which makes the whole thing effective. Such a religion is not very different in spirit from the rituals and sacrifices of the heathen.
For a few more sophisticated Roman Catholics, however – particularly those who have some contact with Protestantism – a more subtle doctrine is needed, to counter the obvious argument from Hebrews 10 that Christ’s sacrifice on the cross was unique: “This Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God . . . for by one offering He hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified” (Heb 10:12, 14).
In answer therefore to the question, “What difference and relation . . . is there between the sacrifice of the mass and that of the cross?” the so-called Catechism of Saint Pius X (1908) replies: “Between the sacrifice of the mass and that of the cross there is this difference and relation, that on the cross Jesus Christ offered Himself by shedding His Blood and meriting for us; whereas on our altars He sacrifices Himself without the shedding of His Blood, and applies to us the fruits of His passion and death”. Thus the application of His work is through the mass, or so it is claimed.
But the application of Christ’s work, really, is through His ongoing intercession at the right hand of God, and through the resulting influences of His Spirit in the hearts of believers, that He secures for them. The effect of the mass, therefore, in this matter, is to keep the poor soul away from Christ as High Priest, who “ever liveth to make intercession” (Heb 7:25). For those that have their eyes opened, however, the decoy shows how important and precious the true doctrine must be. DWBS
Confession and the “Year of Mercy”
Cardinal Vincent Nichols claimed last year that attendances at confession had “increased dramatically” in England and Wales during the Pope’s “year of mercy”. This indicates a number of sad facts. It shows, firstly, that poor souls connected with the Roman Church feel the working of the natural conscience and exhibit a desire for a sense of forgiveness. They will not, however, find true forgiveness with God through the Roman sacramental system, with its priestly caste and their blasphemous “sacrifice of the mass”.
Secondly, it shows that Rome can still be successful in trading in the souls of men, even in this secular era. No mere man has power to absolve sin, for “the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins” (Mk 2:10) and He only is now exalted a Prince and a Saviour “for to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins” (Acts 5:31).” The Westminster Confession of Faith makes it clear that “God alone is Lord of the conscience.”
The dreadful abuses which have sprung from the confessional over the years serve to highlight the danger of giving fallible men power over the con-
science. The whole charade of a “year of mercy” could only serve to heighten anxieties among the devotees of Rome regarding obtaining forgiveness. As previously pointed out in this Magazine, if the Pope and his clergy were really sincere in desiring the forgiveness of sins for their people – and if they actually knew it for themselves – they would not confine the exercise of the mercy of God to one particular “year of mercy”. AWM