Page:PracticalCommentaryOnHolyScripture.djvu/500

 The Worship  of  God  in  Spirit  and  in  Truth.  In  what  does  this consist? We must  first  of  all  understand  that  both  the  question  of  the woman and  our  Lord’s  answer  refer  to  the  public  and  common  worship of God  by  sacrifices  and  ceremonial. Jews and  Samaritans  alike  knew very well  that  God  can  be  worshipped  everywhere,  but  as  regarded  His public worship,  laid  down  in  the  Law,  the  Jews  affirmed  that  this  could only be  offered  at  Jerusalem,  while  the  Samaritans  affirmed  the  same of Mount  Garizim. (In Old  Test.  XIII,  we  find  the  word  “worship” used  as  synonymous  with  the  offering  of  sacrifice,  as  when  Abraham said  to  his  servants:  “When  I and  the  boy  have  worshipped”  &amp;c.). Jesus told  the  woman  that  the  dispute  between  the  Jews  and  Samaritans would soon  have  no  meaning,  for  the  time  had  come  when  a new worship was  to  replace  the  old  one. And this  new  worship  was  to differ  from  the  old  both  as  to  place  and  kind,  for  i.  it  would  be  universal, and  2. it would  be  a worship  in  spirit  and  truth. The ancient worship of  the  Jews  was  not  a worship  “in  truth”  but  only  “in  shadows”, i. e.  in  types  and  figures  of  the  truth. The truth  is  to  be  found  only in that  Sacrifice  ordained  by  Jesus  Christ,  even  the  holy  Sacrifice  of the  Mass,  which  is  the  fulfilment  of  the  typical  sacrifices. The offering up of  the  spotless  Victim  of  the  New  Testament  is  the  highest  act  of worship  possible,  and  is,  indeed,  the  worship  of  God  in  truth. Again, the worship  of  the  Jews  was  not  a worship  “in  spirit”,  but  “in  matter”, the sacrifices  consisting  only  in  things  material  which  could  not  cleanse the conscience  of  the  worshipper. In the  new  worship  Jesus  says  that God will  be  adored  in  spirit,  i.  e.  by  a truly  spiritual  sacrifice  and victim, the  Lamb  of  God,  and  that  the  hearts  of  men  will  be  cleansed  and spiritually united  to  Him,  by  faith,  hope,  charity  and  contrition,  and  thus will a worship  be  offered  worthy  of  Him  who  receives  it. At the  same time this  new  worship  will  not  be  limited  to  one  place,  but  will  be spread  over  the  whole  face  of  the  earth,  and  in  it  will  be  fulfilled  the words which  God  spoke  through  Malachias  the  prophet:  “I  have  no pleasure  in  you  and  I will  not  receive  a gift  of  your  hand. For from  the rising of  the  sun  even  to  the  going  down. . . there is  sacrifice,  and there is  offered  to  My  name  a clean  oblation”  (Old  Test.  LXXX1I). All our  Lord’s  discourse  on  this  worship  of  God  in  spirit  and  truth points to  the  spotless  and  unbloody  Sacrifice  of  the  New  Law,  in which  the  typical  sacrifices  of  the  Old  Law  have  found  their  fulfilment. It also  contains  an  exhortation  to  us  to  lift  up  our  hearts  to  God,  when we pray,  and  not  to  honour  God  with  our  lips  only  (Is.  29,  13).

Correspondence with  Grace.  We  can  see  by  the  case  of  the  woman of Samaria,  how  only  those  obtain  salvation  who  correspond  with  grace. The first  or  prevenient  grace  which  the  woman  received,  consisted  in being  asked  by  Jesus  to  render  Him  a service  of  love. She might  have refused our  Lord’s  request  and  said:  “You  Jews  are  never  civil  to  us: you hate  and  despise  us!”  But  she  overcame  her  national  antipathy  and proffered to  our  Lord  the  service  He  asked  for. As a reward  for  this  our