Episode 23: Sacred Liturgy - Interview with Christoper Carstens

Five Books for Catholics

Christopher Carsten's recommended books on the liturgy are:

1. The Spirit of the Liturgy by Romano Guardini
2. The Spirit of the Liturgy by Card. Joseph Ratzinger
3. Catechism of the Catholic Church
4. The Wellspring of Worshi pby Fr. Jean Corbon
5. The Mass of the Roman Rite: Its Origin and Development (2 vols. )by Fr. Joseph Jungmann SJ
6. The Mystery of Christian Worship by Fr. Odo Casel OSB
7. Rite and Man: The Sense of the Sacred and Christian Liturgy by Fr. Louis Bouyer

Five Books for Catholics may receive a commission from qualifying purchases made using the affiliate links to the books listed.

“The liturgy, "through which the work of our redemption is accomplished," most of all in the divine sacrifice of the Eucharist, is the outstanding means whereby the faithful may express in their lives, and manifest to others, the mystery of Christ and the real nature of the true Church” (Sacrosanctum Concilium 2). The Second Vatican Council also teaches that the liturgy is the source and summit of the Church’s activity. However, Mass attendance is in decline in many parts of the world. Many Catholics must not appreciate what occurs in the Church’s ritual worship and celebration of the sacraments. Even committed Mass-goers may grow weary of humdrum celebrations. It is crucial, therefore, to understand the liturgy and appreciate it. To this end, Christopher Carstens discussesthe five books that he recommends on the nature and significance of the sacred liturgy.

Christopher Carstens is director of the Office for Sacred Worship in the Diocese of La Crosse, Wisconsin; a visiting faculty member at the Liturgical Institute at the University of St. Mary of the Lake in Mundelein, Illinois; and editor of the Adoremus Bulletin. He is author of A Devotional Journey into the Mass (Sophia), as well as Principles of Sacred Liturgy: Forming a Sacramental Vision (Hillenbrand Books). He and his family live in Soldiers Grove, Wisconsin.

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