There is no historical information to suggest the first Christians dressed like that. The liturgical vestments worn at Mass have evolved over time.
Please show me where "Mass" was celebrated ever in the first century....? Its evolution is of no consequence if it was never part of original Christianity.
Christ instituted the new covenant on the night of his last Passover. The Lord's Supper replaced the Passover for Christians and was therefor a yearly observance, celebrated on the correct date each year as Passover was, and still is by devout Jews.
The New Catholic Encyclopedia admits that “the Mass of today differs greatly from the very simple ceremony followed by Christ and His Apostles.” And by observing the Mass frequently, even daily, Christendom has veered from what Jesus intended and has made it a common event.....and don't get me started on transubstantiation.....
The things that disturb me most are the mindless repetitions of what are apparently called prayers. I had a Catholic neighbor who played a recording of the Rosary in the car wherever she went.
When Jesus said the "Our Father" prayer, what did he say just before he gave it?
Matthew 6:6-10...
"6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees everything that is done in secret will reward you."
Does this sound like the kind of prayer heard in Catholic households?
7 “When you pray do not go on babbling endlessly as the pagans do, for they believe that they are more likely to be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not imitate them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him."
So no repetitious prayers, babbling endlessly as if the number of times you say a phrase or the Lord's prayer is somehow acceptable to God.....?
If your own children approached you and said the same things over and over again, day in day out.....wouldn't you just want to slap them up the side of the head and tell them to just talk to you? Tell me who said that is was OK to endlessly repeat words? Where did God ever tell his worshippers to do that?
Notice the sentence before the Lord's Prayer....
9 “This is how you should pray:
Jesus did not say "pray this prayer" he said that this was "how you should pray"....then he stated the order of importance in what our prayers should include.....and the first thing mentioned, was the "hallowing" or sanctification of God's name......its hard to sanctify a name that is never used....
"‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
10 Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven."
Its also hard to pray for God's Kingdom to "come" when you don't know exactly what it is......but when it does "come" (and the Bible tells us what that means)....God's will can then "be done on earth as it is in heaven". God's will has not being done "on earth" since Adam's sin...so this is something yet future......but what? No Catholic person that I have ever studied the Bible with had a clue about any of it.
Like I said before. I would prefer the money be spent on the poor but their is nothing in Scripture against it. I defend Church doctrine/dogma which is based on Scripture. I think the most important part of
Matthew 23 is this:
The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; 3 therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it. Jesus is telling his listeners to obey their Church elders/leaders. This is followed up later in Hebrews 13:7; 13:17 and 1 Peter 5:3-5. Do you obey your Church leaders Jane? I follow Scripture so I do.
Leaders first have to prove that what they teach is from the word of God. If they failed to do that, I would not follow their leadership. God would not expect me to follow their leadership.
Actually if you read the whole of Matthew 23 you will get a good idea about just what he said about the Pharisees and their leadership.....by saying that
“The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat. Therefore, be careful to do whatever they tell you, but do not follow their example, for they do not practice what they preach." (NCB)...Jesus is certainly highlighting that what they read from the scriptures was accurate, but in their own application of God's word, they failed to apply it to themselves.
Again, I see a strong prophetic pattern in the situation in Judaism and the situation in Christendom, (which I can never call "Christianity" for obvious reasons.) When Jesus gave commands, these were from his God and Father and there was no clause that said any of those commands were merely recommendations that only applied if you wanted them to....IOW, they were not optional.
It seems to me that everything Jesus said NOT to do, the Catholic church did it...and the things that they were commanded to do, they made excuses for NOT doing them.
The Jews site
Exodus 28 when considering what God thinks of vestments. The best I can tell is that historically
Christians continued this practice. Wearing of the vestments visually separates the Church elders from the flock.
What do you think about the Protestant preachers that wear a $1,000.00 suit and tie while on stage preaching to others about helping the poor?
Do you dislike that also? If so,
why haven't you said anything about it? Why are you only pointing out how Catholic church leaders dress?
When I speak of Christendom, I am including all who come under that description.
Unlike Judaism, Christianity had no earthly priesthood. They had no temple, no distinctive clothing (or else Judas would have been able to point Jesus out as the one with the distinctive robes.....)
The Christian priesthood was always spoken of as future, not present....and in heaven not on earth. (Revelation 20:6)
Paul said that the earthly things were shadows of heavenly things.....so as Paul says of his fellow "saints" (holy ones)...
Hebrews 3:1-2....
"1 Therefore, holy brethren, who share in a heavenly calling, concentrate your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and the high priest of our profession of faith. 2 He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in God’s household."
Did you ever hear of Jesus being called an "apostle"? And he is also a "High Priest", but not in any earthly Temple. If Jesus was God then he serves as his own High Priest.
Therefore there is no reason to emulate the Jewish system with its Temple and priesthood and distinctive clothing, liturgy and incense, which was abolished when Christ returned to heaven. At the end of Matthew 23 Jesus said....
"Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you murder the Prophets and stone the messengers sent to you! How often have I longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would not allow it! 38 Behold, your house has been abandoned and left desolate. 39 I tell you, you will not see me again until you say: ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’ ”
Only a remnant of natural Israel were going to be saved as it was prophesied.
Romans 9:27-28...
"And Isaiah cries out in regard to Israel:
“Though the number of the Israelites
will be like the sand of the sea,
only a remnant of them will be saved.
28 For the sentence of the Lord on the earth
will be executed quickly and with finality.”
And no wonder only a remnant of natural Israel would be saved.....with a history like theirs, how could God excuse them?
I see a judgment for Christendom for all the same reasons....Protestantism is just the offspring of the 'mother church'. Her core doctrines are exactly the same.
