How do you say Yom Kippur
in Latin?

by

Shawn Miller

How do you say Yom Kippur in Latin? A better question would be to ask why there is no Day of Atonement in Catholicism? The Roman Church has copied (counterfeited is better) the other aspects of the sacrificial part of the Mosaic Law with the notable exception of the Day of Atonement. The benefits said to be given by the Eucharist are only temporary and must be repeated at the next Mass. This was true of sacrifices within the Mosaic Law as well, but the Day of Atonement was a crucial part of that system. The word atonement refers to the reconciliation between God and sinners. Under the Mosaic Law of the Old Testament, the high priest made a special sacrifice once a year as an atonement for the sins of the entire nation of Israel (Leviticus 16). On that same day, the Day of Atonement, the sins of the people were placed symbolically on the head of a goat that became the scapegoat and carried the people's sins away into the desert. It was only on the Day of Atonement that the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies. Jews still observe the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) as their holiest day of the year. The Day of Atonement was a reminder that the sacrifices made on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis were able to atone for sins only temporarily. For Christians under the new covenant, the death of Jesus - the perfect Lamb of God - replaces all sacrifices as the perfect atonement for sins. [The Complete Book of Bible Literacy, Mark D. Taylor, (1992) Tyndale Press] The Law was meant to show the nation Israel, and later we who would be grafted into God's family through faith in Christ, what sin is and that we are incapable of earning or meriting righteousness and salvation (Gal. 3:21-24). Just as the Day of Atonement sacrifice was superior in that it covered the whole nation and for the whole year, the sacrifice of Christ upon the cross was superior to the one offered once yearly. Through it Jesus also became the high priest in a superior priestly order (Hebrews 5 & 7). Further, Jesus did not enter the Holy of Holies but heaven itself (Heb. 9:24). And His sacrifice was superior in that it needed to be offered only once (Heb. 9:12, 25-28). The benefit for we who trust in Christ is that we may approach God directly through Christ. The author of Hebrews instructs us to do so (Heb. 4:16). That which God has ordained and enacted is wonderful, replete with His grace and awe-inspiring. That which the Roman Church has ordained and enacted is not. Rome has merely copied the Mosaic sacrifices so that the benefit of Christ's sacrifice is not everlasting, nor is it given only once. The very worship service of Catholicism is driven by the sacrifice of the Mass, making the sacrifice a never-ending one. Whether it is a re-sacrificing of Christ or a re-presenting of the one sacrifice can be argued but is nonetheless a moot point (though a re-sacrifice would be a horrible affront to God). In the end, the benefits said to come from partaking of the Eucharist are only temporary. The benefits also do not address all manner of sin but only lesser (venial) sins, as opposed to the true sacrifice of Jesus Christ, which covered all sin. So why does Rome not have a Day of Atonement: a superior sacrifice to the ones offered daily, weekly and monthly, which only have temporary value? Because the Roman Church has corrupted the true, superior and perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The Church of Rome has taken that which is perfect and made it imperfect. She has taken that which is superior to all other sacrifices and made it one that must be offered daily in order to have any significance. In the end what Rome purports as truth is but a lie. 1088. 'To accomplish so great a work' - the dispensation or communication of his work of salvation - 'Christ is always present in his Church, especially in her liturgical celebrations. He is present in the sacrifice of the Mass not only in the person of his minister, 'the same now offering, through the ministry of priests, who formerly offered himself on the cross,' but especially in the Eucharistic species. [Catechism of the Catholic Church, (1994/1997) United States Catholic Conference, Inc.] 1323. At the Last Supper, on the night he was betrayed, our Savior instituted the Eucharistic sacrifice of his Body and Blood. This he did in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the cross throughout the ages until he should come again, and so to entrust to his beloved Spouse, the Church, a memorial of his death and resurrection: a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a Paschal banquet 'in which Christ is consumed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us. [SC 47]. [Ibid.] 611. The Eucharist that Christ institutes at that moment will be the memorial of his sacrifice.[1 Cor 11:25 .] Jesus includes the apostles in his own offering and bids them perpetuate it. [Ibid.] Notice the mentions of Christ's sacrifice being perpetuated. That is a curious thing to claim, since it is utterly untrue. What Jesus instructed be perpetuated is the memorial of His death for our sins. Were He instructing that we repeat His death thousands of times daily then it would be clear in the Scriptures. What the Scriptures do say is that Christ's atoning sacrifice was given once! For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. [Romans 6:10] who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. [Hebrews 7:27] and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. [Hebrews 9:12] Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. [Hebrews 9:26] so Christ also, having offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him. [Hebrews 9:28] For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; [1 Peter 3:18] No matter how hard man may try we can never overcome the perfect and just truth of God Almighty. The above words of God show without any possibility of dispute that the offering of Christ upon the cross was given once for all time. Thus it was perfect, sufficient and total. Rome cannot seem to understand this. Maybe just one more example will be enough to sway the Catholic faithful. Or not. I'll provide it anyway: By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. [Hebrews 10:10]

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