Abraham in the Catholic liturgy

Abraham figures prominently in Catholic liturgy. Of all the names of the Old Testament used in the liturgies of the of the Roman Rite, a special prominence accrues to those of Abel, Melchisedech, and Abraham through their association with the idea of sacrifice and their employment in this connection in the most solemn part of the Canon of the Mass. Abraham's name occurs so often and in such a variety of connections as to give him, among Old Testament figures, a position of eminence in the liturgy, perhaps surpassed by David alone.

Roman Martyrology ("Martyrologium Romanum")

* Abraham is commemorated on 9 October: "Commemoratio sancti Abrahae, patriarchae et omnium credentium patris, qui, Domino vocante, ab urbe Ur Chaldaeorum, patria sua, egressus est et per terram erravit eidem et semini eius a Deo promissam. Item totam fidem sua in Deo manifestavit, cum, sperans contra spem, unigenitum Isaac et iam seni a Domino datum ex uxore sterili in sacrificium offerre non renuit" [Martyrologium Romanum (Libreria Editrice Vaticana 2001 ISBN 88-209-7210-7)] (The commemoration of Holy Abraham the patriarch and father of all believers, who at the Lord's call left Ur of the Chaldees, his homeland, and became a wanderer in the land that God promised to him and his descendants. He also showed complete faith in God when, hoping against hope, he did not refuse to offer in sacrifice his only son Isaac, whom the Lord had granted him when he was already old and his wife was sterile). As thus revised in the twentieth century, the Roman Martyrology provides a much more complete picture of Abraham than it did when it limited itself to saying only: "Eodem die memoria S. Abrahae Patriarchae et omnium credentium Patris."

Roman Ritual ("Rituale Romanum")

* In the Commendation of the Dying, "Abraham, our father in faith" and "David, leader of God's people" are the only two names from the Old Testament mentioned in the special litany. [Pastoral Care of the Sick, 219] An earlier form of the rite mentions Abel instead of David. In a prayer of commendation that follows, eight Old Testament names are mentioned, including the invocation "Deliver your servant, Lord, as you delivered Abraham from Ur of the Chaldees." [Pastoral Care of the Sick, 220]
* The Rite of Funerals includes the prayer: "Almighty Father, eternal God, hear our prayers for your son (daughter) N. whom you have called from this life to yourself. Grant him (her) light, happiness, and peace. Let him (her) pass in safety through the gates of death, and live for ever with all your saints in the light you promised Abraham and to his descendants in faith …"; [Rite of Funerals, 167] and the responsory for singing while the body is sprinkled with holy water and incense includes the words: "May Christ, who called you, take you to himself; may angels lead you to Abraham's side." [Rite of Funerals, 47]
* In the Order for the Blessing of Travellers, one of the readings proposed is the account in .

Abraham is referred to also explicitly (e.g. "May the God Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, be with you") or implicitly (e.g. "In figuris praesignatur, cum Isaac immolatur" in the Sequence of Corpus Christi) in various other liturgical texts within the Missal.

Roman Pontifical ("Pontificale Romanum")

* In one of the Prefaces of the Consecration of an altar, the bishop says: "May it have as much grace with Thee as that which Abraham, the father of faith, built when about to sacrifice his son as a figure of our redemption...". Again, in the Blessing of a Cemetery (third Prayer) and in connection with Isaac and Jacob (sixth Prayer). Finally, in two of the Prayers for the Blessing and Coronation of a King. The exalted position of Abraham in Sacred History, and the frequent use of his name in invocations etc. in the Old Testament (e.g. Gen. xxviii, 13; xxxii, 9; xlviii, 15,16; Exod., iii, 6,15,16, iv, 5; Tob., vii, 15 etc.), and the continued use thereof by the early Christians (Acts, iii, 13; vii, 32) made his name of frequent occurrence in prayers and exorcisms.

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