MARSCAST

Episode 202: 202. Sacrifice or Sacrament? Q&A 80's Critique of the Mass

In this episode, Dr. Cornelis Venema provides an in-depth examination of Question and Answer 80 of the Heidelberg Catechism, focusing on its critique of the Catholic Mass. Dr. Venema highlights two major critiques made by the Catechism against the Mass. First, charging the Mass constitutes an unbiblical, repetitive sacrifice, undermining the completeness of Christ's once-for-all sacrifice on the cross. Second, critiquing the Mass as an idolatrous worship of the physical bread and wine of the Eucharist, charging that elevating and adoring the elements leads to idolatry. In addition to discussing these two major critiques, Dr. Venema examines the relationship between Question and Answer 80 and the Council of Trent, the 16th-century Catholic council that affirmed the doctrine of transubstantiation and the sacrificial nature of the Mass.