In Fire on the Altar , renowned Augustinian theologian C. C. Pecknold provides readers with a genuinely Catholic understanding of Augustine's Confessions . Setting out to free readers from liberal and individualistic distortions of Augustine's anthropology, Pecknold argues that a religious and liturgical understanding of Augustine's famous work unlocks a more Catholic approach. Strikingly, Fire on the Altar demonstrates that Augustine's anthropology is essentially built around the concept of an "altar" at the center of the soul and culminates in the Eucharist setting fire to our hearts and minds. Examining Augustine's orientation to the altar, Pecknold explores: Our duty to worship God - The "religious" nature of our sins - What we offer to God through our hearts - The kind of worship that the mind can make - The vicarious sacrifices that we can make for the love of neighbor - The intercession of saints - The importance of friends and a social understanding of the person - The place of bishops - The sacraments - The Blessed Virgin Mary - The nature of conversion - And the mission of the Catholic Church Dr. Pecknold's unique companion to a classic of western civilization shows that the entire Confessions coheres around the Sacrifice of the Mass, revealing that it is only by union with the fire of divine charity on the Church's high altar that we can make a sacrifice acceptable to God. "Pecknold's refreshing thesis rises from the restlessness and longing we all have within ourselves, and it helps us to arrive at Augustine's properly liturgical conclusion. The joy and grace of a good confession and our participation in the Holy Sacrifice set our restless hearts ablaze to be who God made us to be: partakers of Christ's Body." Bishop Robert Reed Auxiliary Bishop, Archdiocese of Boston The CatholicTV Network " Fire on the Altar is a rare and special book. I think it is the best book on Augustine that I have ever read. Profoundly instructive for scholars and experts on Augustine, this book can also easily be read by all. Pecknold shows that Confessions invites us—in Christ Jesus and his Body, the Church—to a Eucharistic, sacrificial, liturgical, Marian, theocentric, and cosmic understanding of human existence and the meaning of life. Fire on the Altar should revolutionize Augustinian studies while at the same time revolutionizing and re-energizing Catholic life today." Matthew Levering James N. Jr. and Mary D. Perry Chair of Theology Mundelein Seminary "Displaying his immense scholarly erudition and teacherly affection, Dr. Pecknold shows how the theme of sacrifice unifies Augustine's Confessions . Leaving behind our individualist, subjective, and nominalist modern assumptions, Pecknold's Fire on the Altar leads the reader into Augustine's communal, objective, metaphysical, and ultimately liturgical understanding of the human person. To be human is to offer ourselves either to unworthy created things or to the one true Creator God in and through the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ. This short and accessible book will help readers to 'take up and read' the Confessions with renewed attention and understanding." Michael A. Dauphinais Fr. Matthew Lamb Professor of Catholic Theology Ave Maria University "How can I recommend this book highly enough? It's a guide to my favorite text from the Fathers by my favorite scholar of Augustine. Fire on the Altar is the perfect companion for Catholics living in this time of an Augustinian pope! But really, this book, like the Confessions itself, will illuminate a Christian life at any time, in any place." Mike Aquilina Author of Saint Augustine in the Fathers of the Faith series "Sacrifice. Liturgy. Worship. Treatments of Augustine's classic religious work, Confessions , have systematically overlooked these themes. C. C. Pecknold's original work demonstrates how sacrifice, liturgy, and worship structure the rich tapestry of Augustine's reflections on the Eucharistic sacrifice offered on the altar of the heart. Everyone who seeks to penetrate the core religious meaning of Confessions should read this book." Fr. Robert Dodaro, OSA Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Augustinus-Lexikon "Careful readers of Augustine are bound to find new insights with each rereading. But it is useful to have a guide, and one who is keenly sensitive to both the intellectual power and spiritual depths of the great saint's work. Professor Pecknold is just such a guide." Edward Feser Professor of Philosophy Pasadena City College "A great text always rewards repeated readings—and Augustine's Confessions surely stands among the greatest spiritual works of the saints. For those who would return to this wellspring of Christian wisdom, seeking to grasp more deeply the sacrificial character of our life in Christ, Dr. Pecknold offers a set of reflections both illuminating and inviting. Readers will find themselves guided by th