Summary
What does the Bible teach about true Christian worship, and how does it connect to the Catholic Mass? In his new book, Bible Worship, Fr. John Waiss examines Scripture’s teachings on worship, tracing God’s commands from the Old Testament through the New Testament to the Eucharist and Catholic liturgy. Published by Catholic Answers Press, the book reveals how Catholic worship is rooted in Sacred Scripture and the history of salvation.
You Shall Worship the Lord Your God—Like This
New book goes to the source to reveal what true biblical worship looks like
SAN DIEGO: Today’s “Bible churches” all claim to put a premium on “worship,” but though they agree on its importance they disagree on how to do it. Hymns and psalms in a stark little chapel? Spontaneous shouts of praise as the Spirit moves you? Rocking out with smoke machines and a driving bass hook? Protestant worship turns out to be as varied as its doctrine.
A new book from Catholic Answers Press aims to understand what worship really means, with a deep dive into its authoritative foundation and guide: the actual words of Sacred Scripture. In Bible Worship, Father John Waiss follows up his bestselling Bible Mary with a similarly thorough investigation of the scriptural data about what true Christian worship is and how God commands us to do it.
It turns out that God’s biblical prescriptions for worshiping him in spirit and truth are not trendy or banal but are rooted in the rich traditions of salvation history. They span millennia of divine action with his people in the world: from the Hebrews in the desert, to the Gospel of our Lord, to the altar and tabernacle in every Catholic Church, culminating in the heavenly banquet of the saints. And worship’s reward for us is not simply checking a dutiful box or experiencing an emotional high, but a foretaste of everlasting communion with Trinitarian life.
“The very concept of worship has become sadly Protestantized in our age,” says Todd Aglialoro, director of publishing for Catholic Answers Press. “But the same text that Evangelical mega-churches say they follow actually lays out a program for worship that matches beautifully with the liturgical life of the Catholic Church—the original Bible church.”
About the Author:
Fr. John Waiss is a priest of Opus Dei.