“The
Mass is What Catholics Do.” These first
words of the book, The Mass: The Glory, The Mystery, The Tradition” by Cardinal Donald Wuerl and Mike Aquilina remind
us that celebrating the Mass is the source and summit of the Catholic faith and
the most recognizable element of that faith.
But how deeply do we understand the history and reasons behind the
individual parts, actions and words of the Mass?
Cardinal
Wuerl and Mike Aquilina in this new book magnificently illustrate the innate
beauty behind the Mass by breaking it down into various pieces to explain each
section in glorious detail.
“When
the Church celebrates the Mass, she commemorates Christ’s Passover and it is
made present: the sacrifice Christ offered once for all on the cross remains
ever present. The Church calls us not
jut to a commemoration of long-ago events, as great as that might be, but also
to enter the mystery itself- today. We are not bystanders, but participants.”
The
first part of the book connects the actions, prayers and liturgies in our
modern mass to the mass as celebrated almost 2,000 years ago by the first
Christians. We are reminded in a very
direct way that Christ instructed at the Last Supper to “do this in remembrance
of me,” and so we continue to “do this” as faithful Catholics in a modern age.
The
authors continue throughout the first section of the book to walk the reader
through the mechanics of the mass; how we prepare ourselves, the parts of the
mass, the roles of participants, the sacramentals used in the mass and even the
distinct areas and furnishings of the physical church. This section of the book explained and
defined many attributes of the mass or the church that I routinely see, but never
fully understood its function or even its name.
The
second section of the book explores details and explanations of the mass that
even many Catholics might not know. Through
our personal experience, events and actions within the mass seem familiar or
common. The authors describe how each action, each prayer and even the very words
we use are designed to draw us into real communion with Christ, so that our participation
takes on a new importance in our experience.
If
you think attending Mass has become too routine, pick up this excellent,
informative book to provide a fresh look at the most familiar type of Catholic
worship from both a priest and layperson perspective. By providing a deeper understanding of the
parts and whole of the mass, you will be inspired to view the Mass in a more
reverent and passionate way, leading it to become a more necessary desire in
your Catholic life.
