Food for the Soul: Reflections on the Mass Readings by Peter Kreeft

Here's another set of commentaries to consider as the new Church year begins on Sunday. I originally ran this review when there was just one book available but now there's one for each of the Church's three year cycle.

Peter Kreeft has a different style than the John Bergsma books I recommended yesterday, but I love these too. We're going into Year B, if you are wondering which to get.

In Food for the Soul, the first book in a three-part series, philosopher Peter Kreeft invites the faithful—clergy and laity alike—to a heart-to-heart relationship with Christ the Word through the Word of the Scriptures.

Moving through the first reading, second reading, and Gospel reading for each Sunday and other major liturgical celebrations throughout the lectionary cycle, Kreeft brings the Mass readings to life with his trademark blend of wit and wisdom, challenging readers to plant their souls in the rich soil of Scripture and sharpen their minds with the Sword of the Spirit.

As Peter Kreeft himself says, this book is intended to help priests and deacons make their boring or bad homilies better. In his inimitable style, Kreeft offers reflections on each of the Sunday Mass readings, excepting the psalms (which I wish he'd included). These amount to a series of mini-homilies on each reading and I like them a lot so far.

Reading these made me think of Fordyce's Sermons*, which Jane Austen mentioned in her books. She was making a joke because of the topic of the sermons chosen, but I always thought it was a great idea to make sermons available for people to read at home or to give pastors something they could read if they weren't good writers or engaging speakers. Not everyone can do everything well after all.

Kreeft's style of commentary is quite different from John Bergsma's commentary so the two work together well. If I could only have one, I'd pick Bergsma's book but that is just a matter of taste. Luckily, that's a choice I don't have to make! I'll keep reading both to prepare for Sunday Mass.

Available directly from Word on Fire or I got mine from Amazon.

*Sermons to Young Women (1766), often called Fordyce's Sermons, is a two-volume compendium of sermons compiled by James Fordyce, a Scottish clergyman, which were originally delivered by himself and others. Fordyce was considered an excellent orator, and his collection of sermons found a ready audience among English clergy and laity alike. It quickly became a staple of many Church and personal libraries.