The Answer to the BURNING QUESTION of the Week
By Paul Dion, STL
Here 's the Burning Question:
"Why don't we invoke saints from the Old Testament?"
Here's the answer to the Burning Question:
I have to say that this answer is very complete, short, clear and easy to understand. Please enjoy it. Parishworld.net offers it to you as one of the small gifts that the Church offers you for the month of All Saints.
Invoking Old Testament Figures
ROME, OCT. 30, 2007 (www.zenit.org).- Answered by Legionary of Christ Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy at the Regina Apostolorum university.
Q: Why is it that we never invoke or ask intercession of any of the "holy ones" from the Old Testament in the prayers of the Mass, nor do we have feast days to honor them? I am thinking of those such as Elijah, Hannah, Samuel, Ruth, King David, or Isaiah, to name a few. Though we may refer to them, no feast day appears on the Roman calendar, nor any mention when praying in the Eucharistic prayers to be united with the saints in heaven. -- J.K., Portland, Oregon
A: "The reason that there are no feast days to Old Testament saints in the Church's universal calendar is probably due to the historical process in which the calendar was formed. At first, only martyrs for Christ were remembered on their anniversaries, and shortly afterward the Blessed Virgin was also honored with feast days.
St. Martin of Tours (died 397) was probably the first non-martyr remembered with a feast. But the tradition has generally been that the saints in the calendar have been heroic examples of the life in Christ."
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