The Forgotten Language: How Recovering the Poetics of the Mass Will Change Our Lives - Paperback

by Michael Rennier (Author)

Poetics is a forgotten language that represents the art of living. For the Christian, it also demonstrates the art of learning to live as a saint, exploring what it means to claim that God is remaking us through grace.

This delicate and delightful book is the meditation of a man who is moving uncertainly from chaos toward beauty and is seeking to connect earth to Heaven -- and who found the poetry hidden in the form and beauty of the Mass, and of life itself.

With profound insights, Fr. Rennier illuminates the things of earth with the eyes of Heaven. He will help you add shape, structure, and heart to your prayer life as he reflects upon the meaning behind the actions in the Mass, the sacred objects, and the sacramentality we find in daily life.

Through Scripture and his own reflections, Father unveils:

• The key to discovering the truth and real mystery of the Mass
• The skill you need to progress quickly in your interior life
• How the Mass aids us in ascending rung by rung up the ladder to Heaven
• Two ways to determine if you are seeking God (You will never guess them!)
• How the world of nature reveals biblical truths and the mysteries of God
• The only means through which God speaks to us

Father also explains your vocation during Mass and the most efficacious way to inflame your Eucharistic love. In page after page, you will see how you are healed and transformed through the Mass and will learn ways to participate in the Sacred Mysteries more attentively and lovingly. You will find tips on how to appreciate the splendor and meaning of the Mass until it becomes pure poetry, a personal relationship, a conversation between your soul and God.

Author Biography

Anthony Lilles is co-founder and Academic Dean of the Avila Institute for Spiritual Formation and also serves as the Academic Dean and Associate Professor of Theology at St. John's Seminary. He is a founding faculty member of St. John Vianney Theological Seminary where he was Academic Dean for nine years. Dr. Lilles has provided graduate level courses on a variety of topics including the Eucharist, the Sacraments of Healing, Church History, Spiritual Theology, Spiritual Direction and on various classics of Catholic Spirituality.