The Lamb's Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth

I thought I was playing it safe by reading a religious book like this during Lent. Boy, was I wrong! How mind-blowing could a book on the Catholic Mass be? And it has a Nihil Obstat & Imprimatur. The censor probably lost his job after letting this one go through. It happens. No hard feelings. Anyway, this book tries to link up an interpretation of the Book of Revelation with the Mass. Similarities are explained and some of the deeper meanings are explored. The part that caught my attention was Hahn's idea (not found in the church's tradition) that God the Father willed that Jerusalem be destroyed in 70AD since the upper room was where Pentecost happened and that it was preserved intact until now. Hahn says that since the mass celebrates show more the sacrifice of Jesus Christ the temple mount was no longer necessary and therefore could be historically dispensed with. Hahn prefaces this by saying we shouldn't be anti-Semites but that there is a new vision in Revelation that the former temple sacrifices are now unnecessary. A very strange opinion that is nowhere part of the Roman Catholic tradition. In fact, Jesus himself even contradicts this view. This book was published in 1999, so during the millennium there were lots of crazy Y2K things being said. Not recommended, as Hahn here shows that scripture scholars should not treat systematic theology or moral theology without an expert coauthor. Hahn is a Catholic convert but says he was formerly a evangelical Calvinist. show less

Beautifully written, in clear direct language, bestselling Catholic author Scott Hahn's new book will help readers see the Mass with new eyes, pray the liturgy with a renewed heart, and enter into the Mass more fully, enthusiastically, intelligently, and powerfully than ever before.

The Lamb’s Supper; the Mass as Heaven on Earth. Scott Hahn. 1999. Just a few days after Fr. Sreboth mentioned this book in his Bible study class of the Book of Revelation, I found it in the Goodwill thrift shop. It was almost too much to be a coincidence, so I had to get the book! Hahn thinks that the book of Revelation is key to understanding the mass the way the early Christians did and he proceeds to explain why. For those interested in this topic, this is very readable.

Despite being a Catholic all of my life, I learned much from this book; it reaffirms the importance of attending Mass and understanding all the tradition, ritual, and promises fulfilled each time the Mass is celebrated. I appreciated the connections between the Old Testament and the New Testament--I had many aha moments as I read this book.

I absolutely love this book... It brings the Mass to life! My cousin told me about this book and I knew it was one that I needed in my own collection. I have a much better understanding of Mass because of this book.

Dr. Scott Hahn provides another book that explains in very easy to understand terms the relevance of the Mass today. The book is divided into 3 parts each with 4 chapters. I highly recommend this book to any Catholic and to anybody interested in the meaning of the Mass.

My review won't be able to do it justice.

However, this is a very important book for anyone who wants a deeper understanding of the Mass. Reading this along with The Fourth Cup will leave you with a new profound understand of the Mass and of the Eucharist.