D
Denise1957
Guest
As has been stated, the Catholic Church considers the OT to be part of Scripture. Even those parts which are unpleasant. Catholics, I have found, don’t quote a lot from the OT, since we focus mainly on the NT. But I’d like to mention that there’s are quotes from the OT given at every Mass, every day. The first and second readings at Mass are usually from the OT - often from the Psalms.
I have a copy of an older missal which was in use before 1962. Missals provide a Catholic with the form how the Mass proceeds, and also gives the readings, which change daily, so that they can follow along, or read them ahead of time. In addition to the daily readings, the old missal gives a very long and thorough description of the meaning attached to that particular Sunday, according to tradition. Here’s an example of one description that the missal gives for the Twelfth Sunday after Pentacost (about August 1st on the old calendar), which describes the proverbs of Soloman, and how he was a type of Christ. The readings from this time of the calendar up to Advent mostly concern the OT prophets:
Twelfth Sunday After Pentacost:
To-day if this is Sunday is the nearest to August 1st the Church begins to read in the divine office the proverbs of Soloman.
These proverbs are useful “to know wisdom and instruction, to understand the words of prudence; and to receive the instruction of doctrine, and justice, and judgment and equity: to give subtilty to little ones, to the young man knowledge and understanding” (1st nocturne).
Soloman was only a type of Christ, the Incarnate wisdom, as indeed, we read in today’s Gospel: “Blessed are ye which see the things that you see. For I say to you that many prophets and kings have desired to see the things that you see, and have not seen them; and to hear the things that you hear and have not heard them.” “Blessed,” says St. Bede, "are the eyes that can recognize the mysteries of the Lord; of whom it is said, ‘thou hast revealed it to the little ones.’ " Blessed are the eyes of these little ones, to whom the Son has vouchsafed to reveal Himself and the Father. Here is a doctor of the law who, tempting Our Lord, asks Him questions about eternal life (Gospel). But the snare that he spread for Jesus Christ shows how true were the words our Redeemer has just uttered, when He said to His Father: “Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them to the little ones.”
“The fear of the Lord,” says Soloman, “is the beginning of wisdom…If sinners shall entice thee consent not to them. If they shall say: ‘Come with us, let us hide snares for the innocent without cause: let us swallow him up alive like hell, and whole as one who goeth down into the pit. We shall find all precious substance: we shall fill our houses with spoils.’ My son, walk not with them: restrain thy foot from their paths. For their feet run to evil and make hast to shed blood. So the ways of every covetous man destroy the souls of the possessors.”
It was thus that the demon acted with regard to the first man, for when Adam fell into sin they stripped him of all his goods and covered him with wounds. For original sin deprives man of all the gifts of grace and wounds him in his very nature. His intelligence is less alert and his will weaker, for the concupiscence which reigns in his members carries him toward evil. To make him feel his impotence, for as St. Paul says, our sufficiency is from God (Epistle), almighty God instituted the Mosaic Law which gave him the commandments that faith enabled him to fulfill, but without supplying the sacramental help we enjoy in the New Dispensation.
Thus man, understanding that he needs the divine assistance in order to be healed, to will what is good, to obtain it and to persevere in it to the end, looks to heaven and cries: “Incline unto my aid, O God: O Lord, make haste to help me…”
There’s quite a bit more that’s written, but the above should suffice to show that there’s good reference to the OT in Catholicism.
