This work offers a synthesis of the meaning of the sacramental rites and feasts. It should be of use to those who are interested in learning, and in instructing others in, the meaning of Christianity.

As Catholics, the Mass is the center of our Faith. We celebrate it every day. We know all the responses. We know all the gestures. But do we know what it all means? In A Biblical Walk Through the Mass, Dr. Edward Sri takes us on a unique tour of the Liturgy. Based on the revised translation of the Mass, this book explores the biblical roots of the words and gestures we experience in the Liturgy and explains their profound significance. This intriguing look at the Mass is sure to renew your faith and deepen your devotion to the Eucharist. This book is used as the text for A Biblical Walk Through the Mass Study Program, but it may also be purchased separately at steep bulk discounts. For those not able to attend a study, this is a perfect resource for catechesis on the deep riches of the Mass.

This book offers unique insights into the Psalms and sketches a variety of interpretive possibilities. The exposition of Psalm texts against the background of their different historical and/or cultic settings in the ancient Near East sets a firm basis for their reapplication in the liturgy today. In the history of interpretation the Psalms have also proven themselves to be natural texts for liturgical use. This scholarly effort thus portrays in various ways the importance of the Psalms for their reviving interpretation and application in the liturgy. Contributors include: Marcel Bernhard, Georg P. Braulik, Brian Doyle, Alphonso Groenewald, Dirk J. Human, Jorg Jeremias, Louis C. Joner, Jurie H. le Roux, Eckhart Otto, Nick A. Schuman, Stephanus D. Snyman, Hans-Ulrich Steymans, Pieter M. Venler and Cas J.A. Vos. JSOTS 410

This book reexamines what we often take for granted: how Scripture is presented to worshipers; how it is heard, especially by those with little experience of the life of the church; Scripture’s role in mediating the great narratives of incarnation and redemption at the high points of the year; where Scripture meets people in ritual transition; how the Bible itself provides the language of much public prayer. Contributors also consider how the relationship between Scripture and liturgy is tested by new priorities—the climate crisis, the inclusion and protection of children, the recognition and honoring of those who find themselves on the margins of the church, and the significance of gender and identity in all areas of the church’s life. This book does not offer definitive statements. It is an invitation to a wide audience to engage in new conversations with their practice of worship.

The Catholic Church teaches that the celebration of the liturgy is the “source and summit of the Christian life” (Lumen gentium, 11). Participating in the liturgy—the Mass, the Liturgy of the Hours, the sacramental rites, blessings, and other official rites—is the most important act of Catholic Christians, for it is through the liturgy that the faithful give praise to God, thank him for his blessings, and go forth strengthened and challenged to life as Christ’s disciples in the world. This easy-to-read resource explores what it means to call liturgy “source and summit.” It will help the Catholic faithful to understand the meaning of the liturgy and its importance to our life of faith, experience Christ’s four-fold presence in the various Church rites, come to a deeper relationship with God, and reflect on the transforming power of the liturgy to change the world.

Malls, stadiums, and universities are actually liturgical structures that influence and shape our thoughts and affections. Humans--as Augustine noted--are "desiring agents," full of longings and passions; in brief, we are what we love. James K. A. Smith focuses on the themes of liturgy and desire in Desiring the Kingdom, the first book in what will be a three-volume set on the theology of culture. He redirects our yearnings to focus on the greatest good: God. Ultimately, Smith seeks to re-vision education through the process and practice of worship. Students of philosophy, theology, worldview, and culture will welcome Desiring the Kingdom, as will those involved in ministry and other interested readers.

From USCCB Publishing, this revision of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) seeks to promote more conscious, active, and full participation of the faithful in the mystery of the Eucharist. While the Missale Romanum contains the rite and prayers for Mass, the GIRM provides specific detail about each element of the Order of Mass as well as other information related to the Mass.

“You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness to me.”—John 5:39 It takes some real imagination to go back fifteen or twenty centuries to an age when ordinary people didn’t have Bibles. But if we don’t put in that work, we’ll misunderstand the early Christians completely. The early Christians didn’t live in our world, and their encounters with Scripture happened in one main context: the liturgy. That was where they heard Scripture. And just as important, that was where they heard Scripture interpreted. In How the Fathers Read the Bible: Scripture, Liturgy, and the Early Church, Mike Aquilina takes readers back to the first centuries of Church life to show how the liturgy became the home of—and the interpretative lens for—Scripture. Aquilina shows how, both then and now, Scripture is only understood through the life of the Church—and in particular, through the liturgy.