Award-winning writer Paula Huston offers a rich spiritual reflection on the origin and meaning of the Catholic Mass.    For Catholics, the Mass is the "source and summit of the Christian life," as the documents of the Church put it. Yet many Catholics might confess to not understand in any depth what goes on in a typical celebration of the Eucharist. In One Ordinary Sunday Paula Huston guides us through a Mass at her home parish in a rural California town. Huston's personal and spiritual reflections offer fresh and often unexpected insights into the profound mystery at the heart of the Catholic faith.  A natural storyteller, Huston deftly illuminates what might seem either mysterious to those unfamiliar with the Mass or overly familiar to those who have lost an appreciation of its mystery. In the Mass "we are healed and restored and spiritually fed," she writes. "We are unified and made whole as a people and as a Church. We get a little taste of heaven." "It would be hard to imagine an easier and more attractive introduction to the Eucharist. We find ourselves suddenly in the midst of it with Paula Huston and her family, with all the questions and problems and, yes, awe about what is going on. But the big words are there—transubstantiation, epiclesis, anamnesis—and before we know it we are doing theology. Highly recommended." Jerome Kodell, OSB, Subiaco Abbey   Published On: 2024-03-12 “This is one of the most beautiful, profound books on Christian faith I have ever read. Clear in its vision but never resting in easy certitudes, Paula Huston’s honest and at times painfully vulnerable meditation on her own unfolding faith journey becomes a powerful guide to the meaning of prayer. The liturgy, yes, but also that mysterious wordless space toward which God is always calling us. Extraordinary and deeply moving.” Douglas E. Christie, PhD, author of The Blue Sapphire of the Mind and The Insurmountable Darkness of Love Published On: 2024-03-25 "Part meditation. Part testimony. Part catechesis. Paula Huston reminds us that at each Sunday at Mass, and at every Eucharistic celebration, our personal and communal stories are seamlessly intertwined with the story of Jesus and the stories of the many who have believed in him throughout history. Truly inspiring." Hosffman Ospino, PhD, Professor of Theology and Religious Education, Boston College, Clough School of Theology and Ministry Published On: 2024-04-02 "Paula Huston’s One Ordinary Sunday is a classic example of mystagogy. Huston invites the reader to plumb the depths of celebrating Eucharist on one Sunday in Ordinary Time with extraordinary grace. In this extended theological reflection, we find catechesis, history, spirituality amid the ordinariness of life that is both timeless and timely. Enhanced by a comprehensive bibliography and index, the book’s appendices include valuable, detailed study guides to accompany catechumens on their journey to initiation, book groups interested in deepening their understanding and appreciation of the Eucharist, and individuals looking for spiritual enrichment. Highly recommended!" Julia Upton, RSM, PhD, Retired Distinguished Professor of Theology, St. John’s University, New York   Published On: 2024-05-28 National Endowment of the Arts Fellow Paula Huston is a longtime oblate of New Camaldoli Hermitage. The author of two novels and seven works of spiritual nonfiction, she lives with her husband Mike on four acres eighty miles south of Big Sur, where they grow olives, keep bees, and raise vegetables. She spends her days in the garden, the kitchen, and her writing studio, endlessly inspired by two devoted dogs and four fascinating grandchildren. She is a contributor to Give Us This Day, published by Liturgical Press.