I recently received and have had the pleasure of reading Dr. Edward Sri’s new book, A Biblical Walk Through the Mass.
How many times have you sat in Mass saying the prayers and thought, “What am I really saying? Where is this really coming from?” This book invites the challenge of looking through that exactly. It also explains in plain english what we say and why we say it and when we say it and how we say it. In essence, it is a complete walk through the Mass. What I really liked about the book was how biblically based it was. So many Catholics do not know just how much our Mass comes from the Bible. But this book not only gives the verse and the reference. It gives the story. It doesn’t just say, “Oh hey. Look up Lamentations 3:41.” It gives you the story behind the verses that it shows, and it explains how they are connected to the mass.
As the switch to the new Translation of Mass approaches, this book becomes more relevant. Many people are going to be wondering why we are changing so much of the words in Mass, and this book does a great job of explaining it.
However, what I found to be the best part about the book was how real it was. A lot of times books dealing with highly theological concepts can leave us as readers (especially as teens) thinking that it is irrelevant. Like, many times the books are good and enjoyable and we learn a lot, but we don’t go away changed. That doesn’t happen here. A Biblical Walk Through the Mass comes from a great, real perspective that connects to life in this day and age. It gives such a great look at one of our forms of Worship through many lenses, and I really like that. It’s not WAY philosophical, it just takes a practical look at each and every part of Mass.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this book. It’s a short 143 pages, and is easy to read as a teen. So if you’re looking to grow in your faith or knowledge of Mass, or just want some summer reading, who knows, this may be the book that changes it all as far as perspective. Enjoy!
Purchase the book here: http://www.ascensionpress.com/shop/Scripts/prodList.asp?idCategory=159
(the Guide to the New Translation Booklet is also EXCELLENT! I would highly recommend spending the $1.95 to not be super confused when Advent rolls around.)