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The Eucharistic Prayer: A User's Guide
We somehow think that during the eucharistic prayer at Mass we are expected to be quiet, prayerful, and attentive-if we can be, with our children or other neighbors in the pews distracting us. In this inviting book Barry Hudock shows us that the eucharistic prayer is indeed the most dynamic and "explosive" moment of Christian worship-in fact, of Christian life. Hudock takes us back to the beginnings of formal eucharistic worship in the early church, then forward to Vatican II and beyond, unpacking and exploring the eucharistic prayers old and new in words and concepts accessible to all of us. He also offers us, as the fruit of the journey, a set of points for a eucharistic prayer spirituality to prepare us for the explosion into life that is the whole purpose of our being.
184 pages, Paperback
First published April 16, 2010
About the author
Barry Hudock
19 booksI am the author of Faith Meets World: The Gift and Challenge of Catholic Social Teaching (Liguori Publications, 2013) and The Eucharistic Prayer: A User's Guide (Liturgical Press, 2010).
I'm also in the initial stages of work on a book to follow that, tentatively titled John Courtney Murray: What Every Catholic Should Know about the Most Influential American at Vatican II and His Struggle for the Truth about Religious Freedom.
I earned my STL in sacramental theology from The Catholic University of America. In my day job, I'm an associate publisher at Liturgical Press, which means I get to spend my days preparing some great books for publication. Prior to coming to Lit Press, I worked as executive director of two nonprofit agencies which serve people living in poverty in Mingo County, West Virginia.
My wife and I live, with our seven kids (except the one who's away at college), in central Minnesota.
I'm also in the initial stages of work on a book to follow that, tentatively titled John Courtney Murray: What Every Catholic Should Know about the Most Influential American at Vatican II and His Struggle for the Truth about Religious Freedom.
I earned my STL in sacramental theology from The Catholic University of America. In my day job, I'm an associate publisher at Liturgical Press, which means I get to spend my days preparing some great books for publication. Prior to coming to Lit Press, I worked as executive director of two nonprofit agencies which serve people living in poverty in Mingo County, West Virginia.
My wife and I live, with our seven kids (except the one who's away at college), in central Minnesota.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
June 11, 2018
If you attend Mass, this book has the potential to change how you attend.
Half way through this short book, I wrote on the inside cover - "I LOVE THIS TEXT!" I was that excited reading it. The occasional informal language took me aback at first (and if I were his editor, I would suggest deleting the reference on p.10 to Sister Sarah and Father Finegan) but the more I read, the more excited I got. I DO need a crash helmet this month as I increasingly pray the Mass with this book's insights as a backdrop. At first I was going to pass this book on to friends, but now I've written all over it and I need to read it again, so that my understanding deepens. The sentences seem so simple - such as "The consecratory epiclesis reminds us that the Eucharist is not our work, but God's work in us and for us. It reminds us that what we're involved in here is not magic, but grace."
This book has affected how I pray. The final two chapters, 18 & 19, did that all by themselves, but the other chapters prepared me to understand the context. Wear a crash helmet.
Half way through this short book, I wrote on the inside cover - "I LOVE THIS TEXT!" I was that excited reading it. The occasional informal language took me aback at first (and if I were his editor, I would suggest deleting the reference on p.10 to Sister Sarah and Father Finegan) but the more I read, the more excited I got. I DO need a crash helmet this month as I increasingly pray the Mass with this book's insights as a backdrop. At first I was going to pass this book on to friends, but now I've written all over it and I need to read it again, so that my understanding deepens. The sentences seem so simple - such as "The consecratory epiclesis reminds us that the Eucharist is not our work, but God's work in us and for us. It reminds us that what we're involved in here is not magic, but grace."
This book has affected how I pray. The final two chapters, 18 & 19, did that all by themselves, but the other chapters prepared me to understand the context. Wear a crash helmet.
Displaying 1 of 1 review