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Saying Amen: A Mystagogy of Sacrament

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Saying Amen: A Mystagogy of Sacrament is a light-hearted book that looks at the role of the sacraments in the Catholic Church. It not only gives a mystigogical perspective of the sacraments, but a brief history and theology as well. Hughes writes this book with clarity and pizzazz. One can not help but become excited and enthralled as she writes about the lost act of contemplation. Besides contemplation, she also writes about "Mystagogy as Method," "Paying Attention," and separate chapters for each respective sacrament. This book not only educates one on the practices and beliefs that the sacraments entail in the Church, but also provides thought provoking topics that are garenteed to call for reflection and arouse discussion. A must read for all!

Kathleen Hughes provides a solid background, devoid of trendy cliches, covering mystagogy and contemplation in relation to the sacraments. Though a bit more historical perspective would have improved the approach, the underlying ideas are far sounder and more enlightening than in most popular books on the topic of liturgy.

Nonetheless, there are deficiencies. The idea of letting people speak of their experiences has some validity, but that many would have incorrect impressions of underlying doctrines is largely ignored. The author, quoting individual cases, is idealistic and, in effect, rather narrow, as if symbols (for example, immersion of a nude baby in baptism as far superior to other forms) thrill everyone and would be common in appeal to all.

The scholarship is rich, but some of the application a bit too "parish discussion group" for my own taste.

Kathleen Hughes is one of the most respected liturgists in the United States. Her "Saying Amen, A Mystagogy of Sacrament" has served well as a basis for liturgical catechesis since its appearance in 2000. Written in an approachable style,it provides both the catechist and the liturgy professor a primary source for both class room discussion and smaller RCIA group exploration of their faith sharing.

This book carries neither an imprimatur nor a nihil obstat; and for good reason.

This is one of those "spirit of Vatican II" works which never actually quotes the documents.

Full of thinly veiled heterodox perspectives, I believe this book has very limited usefulness as it contains so many errors. One use that I know of is as a textbook for catechists, which is how I encountered it. That is a terrible mistake because it is simply NOT Catholic.

There is a little that here represents true Catholic teachings. Instead the author presents much material that does not uphold the magisterial teachings or is simply inaccurate. The radical feminism and "feel-good" theology and "The Mass as entertainment" concepts are just a few of the gross errors in this book.

The author seems to enjoy using theological language. Unfortunately, she often uses terms improperly. This seriously detracts from the book as well.

I encourage you to avoid this book. There are far easier and better ways to learn about the Sacraments and Catholic teachings. Take a look at "Catholicism for Dummies" (Frs. Trigilio and Brighenti) or "Catholic Christianity (Kreeft).