Meditations before Mass
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Meditations before Mass is a wise, pastoral, and timeless classic on preparing for Mass--it is an example of twentieth-century theologian Romano Guardini at his very best. Meditations before Mass was written before Vatican II, but its relevance has endured over the past sixty years. Not a "how to" book for either the old or the new Roman Rite, it is instead a spiritual feast for the mind and heart, and a guide for modern people who wish to make sense of the Church's feasts and liturgies. Meditations before Mass has helped thousands of readers participate more fully in Christian liturgy and continues to do so today.
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Romano Guardini (1885â1968) is regarded as one of the most important Catholic intellectuals of the twentieth century. He lived in Germany most of his life and was ordained a priest in Mainz in 1910. The focus of Guardiniâs academic work was philosophy of religion and he is best known for such works as The Lord, The End of the Modern World, and The Spirit of the Liturgy. Guardini taught at the University of Berlin until he was forced to resign for criticizing Nazi mythologizing of Jesus and for emphasizing Christâs Jewishness. After World War II, he taught at the University of Tubingen and the University of Munich. While Guardini declined Pope Paul VIâs offer to make him a cardinal in 1965, his prolific status as a scholar and teacher heavily influenced the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, especially liturgical reforms. His intellectual disciples are many, including Josef Pieper and Pope emeritus Benedict XVI.
Rev. Eugene F. Hemrick is a research associate at the Institute for Policy Research and Catholic Studies, of which he has been a member since its establishment when it was known as the Life Cycle Institute. He is a priest of the Diocese of Joliet stationed at St. Joseph on Capitol Hill as well as a nationally syndicated columnist for the Catholic News Service. Hemrick is also the author of several books, including The Promise of Virtue and One Nation Under God: Religious Quotes, Symbols and Images in Our Nation's Capital.
