Romano Guardini's Meditations before Mass and Sacred Signs: Two Spiritual Classics

By Romano Guardini and Timothy P. O'Malley

Follow the spiritual wisdom of one of the twentieth century’s great theologians, Romano Guardini, as you prepare your mind, body, and heart for Mass. Guardini’s sacramental imagination influenced the liturgical renewal that took shape in the Second Vatican Council, and has been highly praised by Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis.

Romano Guardini’s Meditations before Mass and Sacred Signs collects two seminal works from Guardini that are both filled with brief meditations on the fundamental elements and actions of the liturgy. Taken together, these two classics provide readers with a treasure-trove of reflections on the source and summit of Christian life—The Eucharist.

Romano Guardini’s Meditations before Mass is a set of thirty-two reflections on what the Mass asks of us, and how we might properly respond. The book is divided into two parts:

• Part one focuses on cultivating the appropriate dispositions we need to bring to Mass.
• Part two delves into the various dimensions of the Mass and the movements that demand our attention.

 

Sacred Signs goes on to explore in twenty-six short meditations the actual things of the Mass as they are used sacramentally—water and wine, kneeling and standing, altar and linens—and the ways that they make spiritual and eternal realities visible. Likened to a mother who teaches her child to do the sign of the Cross, and a teacher who instructs his student as to the meaning of the act, Guardini hoped that he “could bring the sacred signs to life” for the reader. Together, these works reorient our attention and understanding so that, in Guardini’s words, “the gaze lifted to the altar (can) grow inwardly quiet and receptive to holiness.”

Though both works were written before Vatican II, their relevance has only grown over the years. They are 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. Romano Guardini’s Meditations before Mass and Sacred Signs are wise, pastoral, and timeless classics on preparing for and savoring the Mass from a theological giant at his very best, yet relatable and meaningful to everyday Catholics who want to deepen their worship through the Mass.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ave Maria Press
• Release date: Jun 14, 2024
• ISBN: 9780870613234

Romano Guardini

Romano Guardini (1885–1968) 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 Guardini’s 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 Christ’s Jewishness. After World War II, he taught at the University of Tubingen and the University of Munich. While Guardini declined Pope Paul VI’s 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.