Saturday, 18 November 2006

Loving the Holy Mass by: Edward G. Maristany

Loving the Holy Mass
Edward G. Maristany
Scepter Publishers
ISBN 1594170428


Fr. Maristany packs a lot of punch in this little booklet. Right at the beginning he says: "And yet … how can I blame people who want to spend as little time as possible in church? I remember how, when I was a kid, we loved those midweek holidays when 'you don't have to go to school, and you don't have to go to Mass' Why did we cradle Catholics ever start going to Mass? Because we were told to. It was our duty. " p.7 Yet mass can be so much more than that, and Fr. Maristany helps us to see some of them.

He outline's some things we should consider if we find mass boring and shows us some of the benefits and attractions to attending mass.

1. Jesus' Plan
2. A Sacrifice
3. A Real Presence
4. A Meal (Holy Communion)
5. How to Live and Love the Mass

These are the chapters, and each of them is packed full of spiritual nourishment.

Fr. Maristany draws from many sources, J.R.R. Tolkien, the Catechism, the Summa Theologica, Saint Ambrose and Saint Augustine and so many more. I have already read this book three times and plan on reading it again and again until I internalize the message.

This is a great little book for any Catholic to help them understand the importance and centrality of the Mass to their spiritual life.

I have only found one other book by Fr. Maristany Call Him Father which I reviewed also and recommend just as much as this one.


Books by Father Edward G. Maristany:
Call Him Father: How to Experience the Fatherhood of God
Call Him Father: How to Experience the Fatherhood of God Revised Edition
Loving the Holy Mass

Spanish Editions:
Amar la Santa Misa
Llámale Padre





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