Zeal for Thy House: Suffering Through Mass

by Jay Boyd

Dr. Jay Boyd’s "Zeal for Thy House" is a collection of essays about the Mass, written for those who have experienced the pain of "bad liturgy". The essays appeared first as posts on “Philothea on Phire” blog during 2011-2013, and are a product of Dr. Boyd’s frustration with the liturgical abuse and the general irreverence she often witnessed at Mass. The essays present a reasoned and logical approach to why God cares about how we “do liturgy”, and why we should try to follow the mind of the Church where liturgy is concerned. The book contains sections entitled: “Liturgical Abuse”; “The Novus Ordo”; “The Music at Mass”; and “The Extraordinary Form of the Mass”.

But lest anyone be driven to despair over the state of the Catholic Mass, each section also includes "Glimmers of Hope", and the Epilogue reminds us that "Hope Springs Eternal". The battles to restore reverence and awe to the liturgy, and to reinstate the extraordinary form of the Mass, are tough ones to fight. Yet, it is our duty and responsibility to do so, for the good of the Church! In this book, Dr. Boyd attempts to provide tradition-minded faithful Catholics with "ammunition" for the fight, while providing some perspective on positive developments regarding the state of the liturgy as well.

249 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 4, 2013