In the early days of the Church, the apostles traveled to the far corners of the known world to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ. The stories of their missionary zeal inspired countless others in the years to come. Within a century, Christianity was ubiquitous. Jesus began with 12 followers, yet today, the Lord’s name is known and revered among many nations.
In those earliest days, as the apostles would preach about Jesus Christ, they spoke and wrote of his life, death and resurrection. Additionally, they would point to the prophecies of the Old Testament to prove that indeed, he was the Messiah.
In the latest work by Mike Aquilina, “The Eucharist Foretold, The Lost Prophecy of Malachi,” Aquilina beautifully writes of one particular prophecy – one particular verse – from the book of Malachi:
“From the rising of the sun to its setting my name is great among the nations, and in every place incense is offered to my name, and a pure offering; for my name is great among the nations, says the LORD of hosts” (Malachi 1:11).
In this captivating book, Aquilina writes of this verse in historical context. Written 500 years before Christ, this prophecy would have made little sense to faithful Jews of the time. As Aquilina points out, offerings in the time of Malachi were anything but pure. They were bloody affairs, and they were made in only one place, in one city: the temple in Jerusalem.
The early Church fathers, however, in the centuries that followed Christ’s resurrection, were utterly convinced that this prophecy spoke clearly of the pure sacrifice of the Mass. From the rising of the sun to its setting, the sacrifice of the mass is offered not in just one place in one city. The efforts of early Christians to spread the Gospel ensure that today, priests the world over elevate the Eucharist at all times of every day.
The richness, beauty and truth of the Catholic faith began 2,000 years ago. However, Aquilina, following the lead of the early Church fathers, writes that to know our faith fully is to understand our Jewish roots and the prophecies of the Old Testament. The New Testament doesn’t replace the Old, rather it fulfills it.
“The Eucharist Foretold, The Lost Prophecy of Malachi” is an incredibly readable book that will leave you inspired and encouraged, and you’ll feel a better connection to the early Church than perhaps you’ve ever felt before.
Mike Aquilina serves as the executive vice-president of the Saint Paul Center for Biblical Theology and is a contributing editor to Angelus News. He has written more than 50 books, including “The Fathers of the Church.”
Christopher Aderhold is a freelance writer for the Sooner Catholic.