The Mass and the Saints

Book excerpt: The Mass and the Saints is a work both of deep spirituality and profound insight into the glories of the Church's liturgy. It brings together passages from great spiritual writers throughout the ages, from all centuries in which the Mass has been offered. Every aspect and part of the Mass is covered, the quotations forming a continuous commentary on the central action of the Church's worship. Most of the authors are canonized saints of the Church, and many are doctors of the Church. Included are Church Fathers such as St. Augustine, St. Jerome, and St. Gregory the Great; great scholars of the Middle Ages such as St. Anselm, St. Albert the Great and St. Thomas Aquinas; and more modern figures such as Prosper Gueranger and Pope John XXIII. The quotations have been selected and freshly translated by Fr. Thomas Crean. These writings will nourish understanding and appreciation of the Mass, and also aid prayer and contemplation. "[This book] reminds the reader of the huge supply of enriching aspects at every Mass that are often easy to miss." The Catholic Sun