Part of my Advent goals included reading two books off the pile of Catholic texts to read (and trust me, it is literally “a pile”), so you get a two-for-one book review this time around!
First on the list: The Crucified Rabbi, by Taylor R. Marshall
When my Jewish boyfriend first attended Mass, I expected him to be completely lost. After all, I had felt completely lost the first few times, and I was already coming from a Christian background. Instead, he said a lot of it felt familiar. A lot of the prayers and motions were like Temple. So I had to find out what else might be the same.
There’s a lot, which this book nicely lays out. We forget that the early Christians were Jewish first, and this book explores those origins through its Jewish foundation. Those Christians took their existing religion and integrated Jesus into it. It’s why the layout of a synagogue is similar to a church, and why we have the same prayers. It delves into religious life itself as well, discussing things like the Jewish nazarites and consecrated Catholics. And, yes, it does talk about the Pope’s “yarmulke.”
Book two: Praying the Mass, by Jeffrey Pinyan
This one is a great study of the Mass, for anyone who attends—whether it’s newbies to the Church (hi!), or people who need a refresher as to why things are done, or those who wonder why in the world the words have changed. (Spoiler: the updated translations are now more accurate to the Latin text.) It reviews each part of the Mass, in order, and references accompanying Scripture verses to where the words come from. There are also references to the original Latin and Greek texts to further explain the origin of the translations. And it’s all presented in a way that makes sense, even to a newbie like me. I should’ve read this one a year ago when it was first gifted to me!
It’s more than just the Mass, too—there’s an overarching reminder that church isn’t just an hour sitting in a pew on Sunday morning. From the moment you arrive to the final dismissal, it’s a constant prayer and a reminder that we should be living for Him the rest of our days, too.
For 2019, I plan to get through the rest of my Catholic books pile. And pick up some others to replenish the stack, too, of course.
