2. Dedication of an Altar #817-822

RITUAL MASSES

IX. For the Dedication of Blessing of a Church or an Altar

2. Dedication of an Altar

817 Reading from the Old Testament

First Option

Genesis 28:11-18

When Jacob came upon a certain shrine, as the sun had already set,

he stopped there for the night.

Taking one of the stones at the shrine, he put it under his head

and lay down to sleep at that spot.

Then he had a dream: a stairway rested on the ground,

with its top reaching to the heavens;

and God's messengers were going up and down on it.

And there was the LORD standing beside him and saying:

"I, the LORD, am the God of your forefather Abraham

and the God of Isaac;

the land on which you are lying

I will give to you and your descendants.

These shall be as plentiful as the dust of the earth,

and through them you shall spread out east and west, north and south.

In you and your descendants

all the nations of the earth shall find blessing.

Know that I am with you;

I will protect you wherever you go,

and bring you back to this land.

I will never leave you until I have done what I promised you."

When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he exclaimed,

"Truly, the LORD is in this spot, although I did not know it!"

In solemn wonder he cried out: "How awesome is this shrine!

This is nothing else but an abode of God,

and that is the gateway to heaven!"

Early the next morning Jacob took the stone

that he had put under his head,

set it up as a memorial stone, and poured oil on top of it.

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Commentary on Gn 28:11-18

The story of the first patriarchs of the Jewish people continues with the story of “Jacob’s Dream.” Jacob takes a stone from a shrine at the holy place he later calls Bethel and uses it for a pillow. He has a dream in which God gives him and his descendants the land.

The notion of God being especially present in a specific physical location represents an ancient Jewish belief (shared by many other ancient near-eastern religions) that God came to earth at “high places” or special places requiring sacrifice to be offered and altars set up. God’s revelation in Christ informs us that God is omnipresent – that is, in all places equally present.

CCC: Gn 28:10-22 2573

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Second Option

Joshua 8:30-35

Joshua built an altar to the LORD, the God of Israel, on Mount Ebal,

of unhewn stones on which no iron tool had been used,

in keeping with the command to the children of Israel of Moses,

the servant of the LORD, as recorded in the book of the law.

On this altar they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings to the LORD.

There, in the presence of the children of Israel,

Joshua inscribed upon the stones a copy of the law written by Moses.

And all Israel, stranger and native alike,

with their elders, officers, and judges,

stood on either side of the ark facing the levilical priests

who were carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD.

Half of them were facing Mount Gerizim and half Mount Ebal,

thus carrying out the instructions of Moses, the servant of the LORD,

for the blessing of the people of Israel on this first occasion.

Then were read aloud all the words of the law,

the blessings and the curses,

exactly as written in the book of the law.

Every single word that Moses had commanded, Joshua read aloud

to the entire community, including the women and children,

and the strangers who had accompanied Israel.

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Commentary on Jos 8:30-35

Led by Joshua, the Israelites have begun forcefully settling the land God has given them. Following their victory over Ai (Joshua 8:1-29), the Covenant of Moses is renewed. First, Joshua erected and altar as commanded by Moses (Deuteronomy 27:1-8; 11-13 and Deuteronomy 11:29-30). The event was similar to what Moses himself had done in the past following a victory by God (Exodus 17:14-16). In the theology of that time, this place would be a holy place where sacrifices would be offered and God would be especially present.

Once the altar was erected, the Covenant of Moses was renewed. The promise by God had been fulfilled and the Promised Land was delivered. Now the Israelites recalled aloud all the promises they had made in fulfilling their part of the Covenant.

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Third Option

1 Maccabees 4:52-59

Early in the morning on the twenty-fifth day of the ninth month,

that is, the month of Chislev,

in the year one hundred and forty-eight,

they arose and offered sacrifice according to the law

on the new altar of burnt offerings that they had made.

On the anniversary of the day on which the Gentiles had defiled it,

on that very day it was reconsecrated

with songs, harps, flutes, and cymbals.

All the people prostrated themselves and adored and praised Heaven,

who had given them success.

For eight days they celebrated the dedication of the altar

and Joyfully offered burnt offerings and sacrifices

of deliverance and praise.

They ornamented the facade of the temple with gold crowns and shields;

they repaired the gates and the priests' chambers

and furnished them with doors.

There was great Joy among the people

now that the disgrace of the Gentiles was removed.

Then Judas and his brothers and the entire congregation of Israel

decreed that the days of the dedication of the altar

should be observed with joy and gladness

on the anniversary every year for eight days,

from the twenty-fifth day of the month Chislev.

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Commentary on 1 Mc 4:52-59

The war between the Gentiles who were trying to destroy the Hebrew faith and traditions was started by Mattathias has been won. The first act following the final victory in Jerusalem required the cleansing and re-dedication of the Temple. We hear a feast declared toward the end of the passage. That feast is celebrated by the Jewish people today as Hannukah, also called the Feast of Dedication (John 10:22). The ancient historian, Josephus Flavius, calls it the Feast of Lights.

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818 Reading From the New Testament

During the Season of Easter

First Option

Acts 2:42-47

They devoted themselves

to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life,

to the breaking of bread and to the prayers.

Awe came upon everyone,

and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.

All who believed were together and had all things in common;

they would sell their property and possessions

and divide them among all according to each one’s need.

Every day they devoted themselves

to meeting together in the temple area

and to breaking bread in their homes.

They ate their meals with exultation and sincerity of heart,

praising God and enjoying favor with all the people.

And every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

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Commentary on Acts 2:42-47

This selection is the conclusion of St. Luke’s Pentecostal narrative. The Holy Spirit has descended upon the people, and St. Peter has offered his speech declaring Christ risen and explaining the messianic significance of that event. The people have reacted favorably to his words and we find many have been reached. The description of the early Christian Community in Jerusalem, the first of three summary passages (along with Acts 4:32-37 and Acts 5:12-16), reflects an idyllic communal life style that is focused on the teaching of the twelve Apostles and the Eucharistic liturgy. We note the reference to the continued attendance at the temple indicating that there was no thought of separating the Christian faithful from Judaism.

CCC: Acts 2:42-46 2178; Acts 2:42 3, 857, 949, 1329, 1342, 2624; Acts 2:46 584,1329,1342; Acts 2:47 2640

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Second Option

Revelation 8:3-4

I, John, saw:

Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a gold censer.

He was given a great quantity of incense to offer,

along with the prayers of all the holy ones,

on the gold altar that was before the throne.

The smoke of the incense along with the prayers of the holy ones

went up before God from the hand of the angel.

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Commentary on Rv 8:3-4

Immediately following the opening of the Seventh Seal silence ensues signally the End has come (the eschaton). The vision of the Church in heaven focuses now on the offering of prayers by all the people to God rising like incense from the heavenly altar.

"Like priests on earth, the angels in heaven are liturgical ministers as well as covenant mediators between God and his people. They are vested like priests according to Revelation 15:6, and here they offer as incense the petitions of the faithful. The company of all the saints probably includes those in heaven, such as the martyrs (Revelation 6:9-11) and the multitudes (Revelation 7:13-14) who praise God for his mercy and plead for the judgement of the wicked. The Communion of the Saints is the basis for the intercession of the saints. Just as the faithful pray for one another on earth, so the faithful departed pray for us as they look down from heaven (CCC 954-56). the golden altar: The heavenly counterpart to the altar of incense in the Temple (2 Chronicles 4:19; Luke 1:11)."[1]

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819 Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 84:3, 4, 5-6a and 8a, 11

R.(2) How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord, mighty God!

or:

R. (Rv. 21:3b) Here God lives among his people.

or:

R. (Rv. 21-3b) God who is with them will be their God.

My soul yearns and pines

for the courts of the LORD.

My heart and my flesh

cry out for the living God.

R. How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord, mighty God!

or:

R. Here God lives among his people.

or:

R. God who is with them will be their God.

Even the sparrow finds a home,

and the swallow a nest

in which she puts her young–

Your altars, O LORD of hosts,

my king and my God!

R. How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord, mighty God!

or:

R. Here God lives among his people.

or:

R. God who is with them will be their God.

Blessed they who dwell in your house!

continually they praise you.

Blessed the men whose strength you are!

They go from strength to strength.

R. How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord, mighty God!

or:

R. Here God lives among his people.

or:

R. God who is with them will be their God.

I had rather one day in your courts

than a thousand elsewhere;

I had rather lie at the threshold of the house of my God

than dwell in the tents of the wicked.

R. How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord, mighty God!

or:

R. Here God lives among his people.

or:

R. God who is with them will be their God.

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Commentary on Ps 84:3, 4, 5-6a and 8a, 11

Psalm 84 gives thanks for the courts of the temple in Jerusalem. It supports the story of the establishment of the “meeting tent” (Exodus 40:16-21, 34-38). The praise given to the temple may also be applied to the less permanent symbol of God’s guiding presence. It also recalls Jeremiah’s oracle that the temple would not be a refuge for the wicked or the great gift his presence was for the faithful.

Those who find a home in God's temple are blessed. They find strength flowing from the Lord, sustaining them. The timelessness of heaven is reflected in the service of God's house, his dwelling place.

CCC: Ps 84:3 1770

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Psalm 95:1-2, 3-5, 6-7 *

R. (2) Let us come before the Lord and praise him.

Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD;

let us acclaim the Rock of our salvation.

Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;

let us joyfully sing psalms to him.

R. Let us come before the Lord and praise him.

For the LORD is a great God,

and a great king above all gods;

In his hands are the depths of the earth,

and the tops of the mountains are his.

His is the sea, for he has made it,

and the dry land, which his hands have formed.

R. Let us come before the Lord and praise him.

Come, let us bow down in worship;

let us kneel before the LORD who made us.

For he is our God,

and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.

R. Let us come before the Lord and praise him.

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Commentary on Ps 95:1-2, 3-5, 6-7

Psalm 95 is a song of praise. These strophes rejoice in God’s saving help and extol his greatness as the creator of all things. The psalmist enjoins the faithful to bow down and worship the one who is the great shepherd who protects his flock from all ills.

The Advent response itself is explained thus: “Marana tha: an Aramaic expression probably used in the early Christian liturgy. As understood here ('O Lord, come!'), it is a prayer for the early return of Christ. If the Aramaic words are divided differently (Maran atha, 'Our Lord has come'), it becomes a credal declaration. The former interpretation is supported by what appears to be a Greek equivalent of this acclamation in Rev 22:20 'Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!'" [2]

CCC: Ps 95:1-6 2628; Ps 95:7-8 2659; Ps 95:7 1165

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Psalm 118:15ab-16, 19-20, 22-23, 27

R. (1) Give thanks for the Lord is good; his love is everlasting.

The joyful shout of victory

in the tents of the just:

"The right hand of the LORD is exalted;

the right hand of the LORD has struck with power."

R. Give thanks for the Lord is good; his love is everlasting.

Open to me the gates of justice;

I will enter them and give thanks to the LORD.

This is the gate of the LORD;

the just shall enter it.

R. Give thanks for the Lord is good; his love is everlasting.

The stone which the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone.

By the LORD has this been done;

it is wonderful in our eyes.

R. Give thanks for the Lord is good; his love is everlasting.

The LORD is God, and he has given us light.

Join in the procession with leafy boughs

up to the horns of the altar.

R. Give thanks for the Lord is good; his love is everlasting.

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Commentary on Ps 118:15ab-16, 19-20, 22-23, 27

Taken as a whole, Psalm 18 is a thanksgiving liturgy. This part of the litany of thanksgiving features the cornerstone image that, in addition to Acts 4:1-12, was also used in the Gospel of St. Mark (Mark 12:10) and the first epistle of St. Peter (1 Peter 2:7) as well as numerous other references (see NAB footnote).

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Psalm 119:129, 130, 133, 135, 144

R. (105a) Your word, O Lord, is a lamp for my feet.

Wonderful are your decrees;

therefore I observe them.