True Worship: Thoughts on St. John Chrysostom's Commentary on the Gospel of John

What is true worship? Can we worship without going to church?

What is true worship? Can we worship without going to church? Let’s look at some wisdom from St. John Chrysostom on his commentary on the Gospel of John

On John 4:23, where Jesus speaks to the woman at the well, St. John Chrysostom writes,

"[Jesus] says '...the fulfillment is already at hand and at your very doors, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth.'

This has been interpreted by some non-Catholic Christians as saying that the worship of God can be done from our hearts, and our minds and actions. But Jesus is actually saying that worship will no longer be tied exclusively to a single geographic location (Jerusalem), which was the case in His time. He’s telling the woman that a time is coming, when the worship of God will happen more broadly—on altars in churches everywhere; tied spiritually to the eternal sacrifice of the Lamb of God in Heaven. Worship won’t be tied to a place, but to an event (the consecration, which is a re-presentation of the cross of Christ). This is a spiritual event that happens in both a spiritual reality (a truth), from a temporal reality (on an altar, during the consecration of the Eucharist at mass).

John Chrysostom continues,

“In saying 'true', He excludes Jews as well as Samaritans; for although the Jews be better than the Samaritans, yet are far inferior to those that shall come, as inferior as is the type to the reality. But He speaks of the Church, that she is the true worship"

A “type” is a representation of something to come. Moses was a “type” of Jesus. The lamb of the Passover sacrifice is a “type” of Jesus crucified. The exodus is a “type” of the salvation to come through the messiah. The “type” is inferior to the reality—what the type represents and foreshadows. St. John says that the Jews are ‘better’ than the Samaritans because their worship is more perfect, since it is canonical, and it happens in the temple at Jerusalem, the necessary and required place for worship/sacrifice. But he goes on to say that even the Jews are inferior “to those that shall come” because the worship of the Jews is a type of the reality of the worship that is to come—the sacrifice of the Lamb of God on the altars of Catholic Churches

There is a true and false worship in God's eyes. There is a 'type' that reflects a reality, but the type is NOT the reality. Even prayer and praise (how Protestants see “worship”) is a 'type' of worship, but it alone is not TRUE worship. True worship is the holy sacrifice of the Mass. And here’s a bonus nugget for you, my friends. Our prayer has effect because of the mass. That’s why it’s a “type” of worship. And so even the prayers of protestants only have effect because of the Catholic mass.

You may be interested in this 4-minute commentary about the struggles of faith and religion. It’s a weird, roundabout way it’s what started a train of thoughts that lead to this article you just read. My mind is a scary place!

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