November A Biblical Walk Through the Mass: Understanding What We Say and Do in the Liturgy, Edward Sri  (West Chester: Ascension Press, 2011) 156 pp.

Beginning with the First Sunday in Advent the new English translation of the Roman Missal will be used for celebrating Masses. The new translation of the prayers used throughout the Catholic Church provides us an opportunity to renew our participation in the celebration of the Liturgy. The new words will help us reflect more deeply on the mysteries represented in the celebrations. The new book by Edward Sri is a concise but thorough treatment of the Mass. The author not only presents the new translations and their meanings but goes well beyond this to present the deep theological and spiritual riches contained in this celebration. The Church has a deep and abiding love for the Scriptures as is evident in every celebration of the Mass. Mr. Sri brings this to the fore in his treatment of the prayers and actions of the liturgy giving the biblical roots or references for each. In a compelling way he also relates how the priest and faithful can enter more fully into the celebration through this understanding. As the Church in English speaking lands prepare to begin using the new translation of the Roman Missal this text will help us be renewed in our awareness of God’s immense love and our response of thanksgiving, praise and faithfulness.

Available online at Ascension Press; Amazon.com; ChristianBook.com

Read a reflection on the New Roman Missal by Edward Sri here.

October The Apostles, Benedict XVI (New York: Our Sunday Visitor, 2007)

The Apostles is a book edited from the Holy Father’s weekly public audiences in Rome from 2006-2007. The book presents each of the apostles as they are presented in the Gospels but also adds some information from Church tradition. The Holy Father uses the apostles to help us iden- tify aspects of Christian discipleship from these the earliest disciples. He very thoughtfully presents them as human beings seeking something more in life who find their answer in Jesus the Christ. One of the “marks” of the Church is that it is “apostolic.” The apostles were sent by Jesus to proclaim the Gospel. This proclamation still goes on today in the life of the Church. This work by the Holy Father helps us not only to understand the apostles better but to learn from them how to be a better disciple of Christ.

Available online at Amazon.com

September Keeping the Feast: One Couple’s Story of Love, Food and Healing in Italy, Paula Butturini, (Riverhead Books: New York, 2010)

Keeping the Feast is a true story of a family, food and faith. The story is told in the framework of food and meals shared by family and friends of two international reporters working and living in Europe.

The author, Paula Butturini, worked for the Chicago Tribune and later UPI. Her husband, John Tagliabue, was an international reporter for the New York Times. The autobiographical account opens with scenes from the Campo dei Fiori in Rome. The “Campo” is the site of a large outdoor market in the heart of Rome. The author describes it well and draws one into the piazza filled with all sorts of fresh food and lively people. As the story of her life and that of her husband unfolds, one is drawn into the joy and happiness that soon becomes horribly shattered during the fall of communism in Eastern Europe. The author describes the trauma that hit her and the brutal beating she endured from the military while covering the Velvet Revolution, in the attack on her husband in the former Yugoslavia and the long recovery from his wounds both physical and emotional.

The story is uplifting in that the challenges this woman and her family faced seem insurmountable, but through the staples of life — family, food and faith – - they make it through and find joy in “keeping the feast.”

Available online at Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble