What should enter your mind as you pass through the Church door? What symbolism is in the Sign of the Cross other than the Trinity? How should you listen to the readings during Mass?
If you’ve ever wondered about these things or if your interest is now piqued, then pick up a copy of A Devotional Journey into the Mass: How Mass Can Become a Time of Grace, Nourishment, and Devotion by Christopher Carstens.
Carstens weaves faith and Scripture into this book as he explains each aspect of the the liturgy and how we should respond. He reminds us that mass is a prayer and that we should treat it as such.
Concerning what should occupy our minds as we enter a church, Carstens writes, “In a word, Jesus. He Himself says: ‘I am the door. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture’ (John 10:9)…Although Jesus isn’t literally a for, He is the only way to enter paradise.”
Read more: 10 Things You Might Be Doing Wrong at Mass
On the Sign of the Cross, Carstens writes: “If we recall this first creation account when making the Sign of the Cross, we should see in the Mass;s first words and actions the persons of the Trinity, who made us from the heart of Their being…The tree of life, rejected by Adam and Eve, marks our bodies and feeds our souls.” How incredible is the connection between the tree of life and the Sign of the Cross!
Throughout the book, Carstens continually puts forth connections you may not have thought of or new ways of participating with our full selves in the liturgy. Each chapter ends with some bullet points summarizing the chapter and some challenges to try the next time you go to church.
With all of these gems and more, Christopher Carstens’ book A Devotional Journey into the Mass: How Mass Can Become a Time of Grace, Nourishment, and Devotion, is not to be missed. Get your copy today and start feeling a true change in yourself when you participate in the mass!
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