Just reading a few chapters quickly I can tell you it is easy to read and "unpacks" the Mass for you. The Mass is the highest form of worship we have here on earth and Jeff illuminates it for us in great detail. He annotates each section with Scripture so you can see where the particular part of the liturgy is derived. Not only does he provide a great understanding of the current translation of the Mass, but discusses the gestures and postures that accompany the Mass. His chapter on the Sign of the Cross is worth the price of the book alone. I suspect this book will become a favorite of RCIA teachers and catechists who desire to help their students develop a true Eucharistically-centered understanding of the Mass. If I had been taught from a book like this in 1973, there is a fair chance I may not have left the Church! Jeff's book is really what the New Evangelization is all about.
One Baptism for the Forgiveness of Sins
The Apostles’ Creed professes faith in the forgiveness of sins, that sins can be and are forgiven. The Nicene Creed says that there is one baptism for this forgiveness. There are two important elements in this clause: there is only one baptism and it bestows forgiveness.
One Baptism. Christ at his Ascension charged the Church with the mission to “make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” (Matt. 28:19-20) Disciples of Christ are made through Baptism and catechesis in the faith. The Church knows, as St. Paul
Forgiveness of Sins. Among the various Protestant communities, there are many differing theologies on just what Baptism is. Some call it an “ordinance” (a command) rather than a “sacrament.” Some do not believe that infants can be validly baptized. Some do not believe it is necessary to be baptized. Some do not believe it saves a person or brings him forgiveness of his sins. What the Catholic Church teaches is that Baptism is a sacrament[1] ordinarily necessary for salvation (cf. John 3:3-5) which forgives the baptized of all sin (original and personal) and removes all punishment due to that sin. (cf. Acts 2:38; 22:16; Catechism 978, 1999) Infants can and should be baptized as soon as is practical, although they have committed no personal sin, because they are conceived with the inherited original sin of Adam. Baptism is to the new covenant what circumcision was to the old covenant: the sign by which a person enters the covenant. Baptism saves us (cf. 1 Pet. 3:20-21), although it does not guarantee our salvation in and of itself. Although Baptism does not forgive us of sins committed after we receive it, Christ gave his Church the sacrament of Confession for the purpose of reconciling those who have fallen into sin after being baptized.
Jeffrey Pinyan was born in northern New Jersey in 1981, the seventh of eight children. He now lives in Princeton, NJ, with his wife Kristin. Jeffrey attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY, studying Computer Science. He is currently a Senior Developer for the Internet Crimes Group, Inc., where he has worked since August 2007.
Jeffrey is a parishioner at Queenship of Mary in Plainsboro, NJ, in the diocese of Metuchen. He was a member of the RCIA team for three years, and was a facilitator of the Great Adventure Bible Timeline. He is currently a member of the Parish Pastoral Council (in the final year of his term) and a catechist for sixth-graders. He also facilitates a Bible Study for 20-and-30-somethings at St. David the King parish in nearby Princeton Junction.
Jeffrey can be found in the Liturgy & Sacraments section of the Catholic Answers Forum under the name japhy. His blog, The Cross Reference, deals with Scripture, the liturgy, and catechesis in general. He can be reached by email at author at prayingthemass.com
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