Know Him in the Breaking of the Bread: A Guide to the Mass [Paperback]

Francis Randolph (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1998

In accessible and lively prose, this book explains the ceremonies of the Catholic Mass and their meaning for lay people, including the young. It is designed to meet the widespread complaint that the Mass is boring, incomprehensible, or alienating. Fr. Randolph goes through the Mass step by step, looking at the origin and purpose of the various elements, and relating them to the reader's experience of prayer and the Christian life. Suggestions are made for ways to enhance our appreciation of the liturgy, how to prepare for Mass, and how to carry the grace of the Mass out into the world. A supplementary chapter looks at the use of Latin in the Mass, its past and present value, and explains it in the context of contemplative prayer.

Product Details

• Paperback: 145 pages
• Publisher: Ignatius Press; Revised edition (October 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0898707013
• ISBN-13: 978-0898707014
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 4.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,828,171 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars reverent of God and His Church, March 30, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Know Him in the Breaking of the Bread: A Guide to the Mass (Paperback)

I loved every page of the book. It was hard for me to put it down. I am hungry for every morsel of the Church and Fr Randolph fed it to me like a good shepherd. I have traveled a rocky road myself and thank God I found the Church. I want to show God all my love and reverence for His Son and this book has helped me do this. I want to enjoy all the treasures my Father has stored for me in the Mass and this book has done this. I want to teach my children everything about the Mass just as I have promised God and this book has helped me. As I read the words I sense the Love for Jesus in Fr Randolphs' pages. I want to give my all and this book tells you how. The faith is not a buffet where you take only what you want nor is it a democracy its the Kingdom of God and this book tells you why certain things are done and how the body and blood are to be treated. Worship Him!

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good basic guide to the symbols and meanings of the Mass, October 15, 1999

By 

Domenico Bettinelli (Holbrook, MA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Know Him in the Breaking of the Bread: A Guide to the Mass (Paperback)

Contrary to other reviews, this book is not necessarily a plea for the Tridentine Mass, but is a recognition that some of those advocating changes to the Mass in recent decades have perhaps gone too far. Moreover, the book provides a balanced look at the different elements in the Mass, what they symbolize or mean, and the history behind them. Fr. Randolph does often insert his beliefs in what the Mass should be like, but that doesn't detract from his reasoned look at the meaning of what we celebrate every Sunday, the source and summit of our Christian life.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Making the norms known, June 5, 2007

By 

Rich Leonardi (Cincinnati, Ohio) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Know Him in the Breaking of the Bread: A Guide to the Mass (Paperback)

"Cheap fabric and dim lighting," Morty Seinfeld once famously told Mr. Peterman on television. "That's how you move merchandise."

That's unfortunately the same approach many liturgical experts take toward the liturgy. "Keep the people stupid and entertain them; that's how you celebrate Mass."

Fr. Randolph's book is the much needed corrective to this sort of thinking. He offers excellent explanations of the prayers of the Mass with helpful commentary on the history and development of the liturgy.

In his recent apostolic exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis, Pope Benedict XVI writes, "[t]he eucharistic celebration is enhanced when priests and liturgical leaders are committed to making known the current liturgical texts and norms, making available the great riches found in the General Instruction of the Roman Missal and the Order of Readings for Mass."

"Know Him in the Breaking the Bread" is a great first step toward the sort of liturgical catechesis envisioned by the Holy Father in his exhortation. Warmly recommended indeed.