Dr. Edward Sri has given a gift to the Catholic faithful. This gift is this truly wonderful book, A Biblical Walk through the Mass. This book is coming at a critical time for the American Church, as the new English translation of the Novus Ordo will be coming into use in a few short months. This is placing the Liturgy at the forefront of the consciousness of the American Catholic. The purpose of this little book (at only 156 pages, including the index, it is a fairly quick read) is to not only familiarize the faithful with the text of the new translation, which is used throughout, but also to show the biblical roots of why we do those things that we do in the Mass.
Dr. Sri does not charge straightaway into unpacking the Biblical roots of the words and actions in the Liturgy, but rather in a brief chapter explains exactly what the Mass is, and what sets the Mass apart from other liturgical and quasi-liturgical celebrations. Yet he does not develop a long discourse on the nature of the Mass, but only addresses three points that are necessary to understand in order to facilitate the main thrust of the book:
- The Eucharist is a memorial sacrifice
- The Eucharist as the Real Presence
- The Eucharist as communion with the Lord.
As an example, here is part of Dr. Sri’s explanation of how the Eucharist is a sacrifice because of the very language used by the Lord (p. 8):
One important note is how the language of Jesus used when speaking about his body and blood had strong sacrificial overtones. He said his body would be offered up and his blood poured out. As we will see later, this language would have recalled the Jewish sacrificial rites in which an animal’s body is offered up and blood pured out in sacrifice.
Beyond the opening remarks on the nature of the Mass, Dr. Sri the book’s structure follows the order of the Mass. Starting with the Sign of the Cross and ending with the Dismissal, Dr. Sri firmly roots everything we say and do in the Liturgy in Scripture, and also expounds on the theological significance. He explains such things as:
- The Greeting is more than an exchange of pleasantries
- The Examination of conscience suggested by the Confiteor
- How the Liturgy of the Word can be called “The Greatest Bible Study on Earth”
- The Biblical roots of the Presentation of Gifts
- The theological significance of the Sanctus
This list, of course is not comprehensive (after all this is a book review not a book summary). In all, I highly recommend this book to deepen your understanding of the Mass, and why we do what we do when celebrating the sacred mysteries. You can order the book by clicking on the title above, and if you click Dr. Sri’s name, you will be directed to his biography.
God Bless!
Catholic Ramblings 