Customer Reviews

Mass Confusion: The Do's & Don'ts of Catholic Worship, Second Edition, Expanded

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

James Akin has brought order out of the confusion that marks so much of Catholic worship these days. Akin is not a liturgist, but he is very effective teacher, which means that he can explain the Do's and Dont's of the Mass in ways most convenient for lay readers. This is an easy book to read, completely faithful to the various reforms the way they were meant to be applied. It is, in brief, the No. 1 book I can (and do) recommend to thoughtful Catholics with questions on liturgical life. I did a fuller review of Akin's work for the National Catholic Register, 23-29 August 1998, p. 8. I know the publishing house as well, "Catholic Answers, Inc." here in San Diego, and I know that it has recently replenished its own supplies of Akin's text, so it should be available

This book, along with Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger's "Spirit of the Liturgy" should be manditory reading for all Roman Catholic priests.

After 20 years absence from holy mother Church, I was amazed to see all of the "changes" in the mass; changes like omitting the Profession of Faith on Sundays, omitting the Lavabo, standing (as opposed to kneeling) during the Eucharistic Prayer, not wearing a chasuble or wearing the stole over the chasuble, holding hands during the Our Father, and so on. Was I ever surprised to learn that these were NOT accepted changes, but liturgical abuses by renegade priests!

This book addresses all of these abuses and much, much more. Mister Akin does a superb job of giving references for his statements on each individual abuse, whether he is quoting the GIRM (General Instructions of the Roman Missal), the Lectionary, or any other authoritative Church document pertaining to the Mass. He even gives a list of these at the beginning of the book, and most of them are easily available on the web. That makes this book an excellent study guide on the do's and don'ts of Catholic worship.

Some might consider this material as nothing but strict conformism, but not so. All of the symbolism in the Liturgy has meaning. The Catholic Mass does what it symbolizes, and it symbolizes what it does, so the symbolism must be performed properly.

Read this book and see how good a job your priest is doing. "The faithful have a right to a true Liturgy ..." says the Inaestimabile Donum, and it is time we started holding our priests to this!

Akin has given Catholics just what many wanted, an easily-accessible source of liturgical norms. He uses the official Church documents and rubrics to explain the do's and don'ts of the Latin-rite liturgy. With many "innovations" and changes to the liturgy that we see today, this book helps wade through the opinions to get down to the official word and final say in the matter. This book isn't for everyone. It has one goal to tell you what should and shouldn't be done in the liturgy. It doesn't answer the "why's" or tell us where the problems came from. There are other books that do that well.

A warning: Don't think that you are now the Liturgical Lone Ranger just because you have read this book. Too many pastors will continue to do their own thing regardless of the Church's rules - so be discerning in how you use it and keep praying.

Although liturgical practice tends to be the most tedious and boring subjects of the Catholic faith, Akin uses his unique writing talent to engage this monumental task. This work is thorough and complete, while at the same time easy to understand for the average layman.

The only thing I regret after reading this book is that when I go to Mass, it's difficult to not enjoy it completely. It's quite easy to read a liturgical book and become a "liturgy policeman", since abuses nowadays are so common. I go to a parish in Berkeley, so this parish definitely has its share of liturgical abuses in the name of "ecumenism". But this is something I can't blame the book for, since I'm sure all excellent liturgical treatments will result in this type of mentality.

Regardless, this book is still recommended. It allows you to appreciate the Mass for what it is and show you the reasoning behind certain aspects of Catholic worship.

At mass, you notice that the priest routinely omits the Confetior. You wonder, "Is this permitted?" If you had read James Akin's book, you would know that the answer is yes. However, when this same priest substitutes the Apostles Creed for the Nicene Creed at an adult mass, you'll also know that he's stepped over the line.

Always respectful to the priestly office, James Akin has written a terrific resource for Catholics who worry that their priest might be taking liturgical innovation too far. He also gives detailed instructions on how to approach a priest who has transgressed liturgical law, and what to do if you can't get a response. In these days of clown and balloon masses, paganesque liturgical dancing, and 'guest speakers' at the homily, this book will offer valuable guidance for the confused layman.

James Akin did an excellent job of summarizing and answering some of the common questions concerning the Catholic Mass. If you have specific questions about how Mass should be celebrated, or if you just want more knowledge and a deeper appreciation for the parts of Mass this is an excellent book. James Akin used many credible sources and was not pushing his own agenda. The book was neither touchy-feely, nor was it leaning towards radicle conservatism, and was written with much charity. As a lay person I found this book easy to understand while having my questions answered. I highly recomend it.

Akin explains in good (but not overwhelming) detail what should and should NOT occur at the Latin rite Catholic mass. Most importantly, he cites and quotes the applicable authorities (canon law and otherwise) governing the liturgy. If you're a novice to the subject (as I still am), start with the useful chart in the back of the book, which says if a certain liturgical practice is lawful or not, and then read the cited pages for the discussion of the subject.

If you have ever suspected that there has been anything wrongfully added or subtracted from your parish's liturgy, you now have the resource to prove it.

Charity---that is, Gospel love---is based on obedience to the will of God. And for a man to obey the will of God, he must obey the will of the Catholic Church. Indeed, there can be no true happiness on or off the earth apart from holy obedience. Adherence to this principle is what makes this book so great.

A lot of liturgical texts and liturgical "experts" advocate disobedience to the Church's law in order to make the Mass more "spiritual" or "relevant." Worse still, they promote deviations from the will of the Church as the "spirit of Vatican II." These sentiments, however, are false, because the Holy Sacrafice of the Mass is not the private property of liturgical "experts." It is, rather, the public prayer of the Church, and the highest form of worship. Thus it is thoroughly improper to make changes to the Mass that are not in accord with Church law.

Disobedience, particularly disobedience of the Church in her highest form of worship, is a kind of uncharity---truly an affront to God. Thus, disobedient Masses are not more "spiritual;" they are, rather, highly destructive of the spirit (which must have charity in it in order to live). Disobedient Masses are certainly not more "relevant," either. There is, in the end, really only one thing that is "relevant," and that is the grace that Christ gave us when he sacrificed himself on Calvary. Nothing, therefore, could possibly be more "relevant" than a Mass conducted according to the wishes of Christ. (It is, of course, Christ's will that men obey his Church.) Finally, there is no more terrible a lie than to say that Vatican II promoted disobedience of the Church; the great council, truly guided by the Holy Spirit, never said such a thing.

Mr. Akin's book cuts through all the liturgical "experts'" fallacies with ease, and simply states what the Church requires. Every Mass should be celebrated the Church's way; and that way is spelled out with flawless accuracy in the book. Mr. Akin gives us the _real_ spirit of Vatican II, not the imposter that is so popular among the "experts."

Mr. Akin's work is a terrific accomplishment, and let us hope and pray that it will be the catalyst for a new liturgical renewal in the Church---one that reflects the authentic teaching of the Second Vatican Council. As Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger puts it, it is time for a "reform of the reform," and this book is a great place to start.

This book gets the five-star rating without hesitation.

This book explains just about everything there is to know concerning what is required, optional, discouraged, or prohibited in liturgical practice. There's a lot of information and opinion swirling around about the liturgy, but this author relies on authoritative Church documents, period. They include--

1. The Code of Canon Law (CIC)
2. Sacrosanctum Concilium (SC)
3. The Roman Missal
4. The General Instructionof the Roman Missal (GIRM)
5. Inaestimabile Donum

The bulk of the text is concerned with what the rules are (and are not),and does not provide much context in terms of theology or Tradition. However, Akin begins with a brief but eloquent discourse on the spiritual importance of liturgy and key historical events. If anyone thinks a strict adherence to liturgical norms is mere nitpicking, he/she will think differently by Chapter 2. The concluding chapters provide useful information for the laity about what to do when faced with liturgical abuses at their parish, and a helpful summary of the most important do's and don'ts.

Reading this might be a real eye-opener. I imagine almost any lay person will find at least a handful of situations where the proper liturgical practice is something other than what he/she thought. The author believes the same might apply to certain deacons, priests, and even bishops!

Akin is a convert to the faith and deomstrates his love of the Church with the book.
He clearly explains what we should be seeing at every Mass and why.
His explanations are thorough and his writing style is engaging.
I hope that he keeps up the excellent work he has been doing