A Forest of Symbols: The Traditional Mass and Its Meaning (Paperback)

In parallel with the same method of reading Scripture, the Christian liturgy—and the Roman liturgy in particular—grew and flourished inside a tradition of commentary and meditation that was essential to understanding it. The rationalist tendencies that eventually caused the mystical or spiritual interpretations of Scripture to diminish and be rejected in favor of a narrowly conceived literal understanding also caused a shrinking of the liturgy, which was reduced to its material components and their varied roles. While the significance of Scripture's spiritual meaning has been restored in recent decades, its liturgical equivalent has not. This gap is filled in the present book with an intelligible description of the conventional method for navigating the "forest of symbols" found in the Roman Mass.

“For almost a millennium, theologians saw in the Holy Mass an allegory of the life of Christ, a symbolic unfolding of the ages of the world, a pageant of mysteries. Under the withering chill of rationalism, this treasure-chest of meditation was first mocked, then forgotten. Fr. Barthe explains why we should recover the mystical interpretation of the Mass and then shows how it is done, reconnecting us with our forefathers in the Roman rite. A potent tonic to restore our lost memories!”

—PETER A. KWASNIEWSKI
author of Reclaiming Our Roman Catholic Birthright

 

“Drawing on Amalarius of Metz, Innocent III, St. Thomas Aquinas, William Durandus, and Jean-Jacques Olier, among others, Abbé Claude Barthe has synthesized the best insights from the tradition of the expositio Missae—a genre of Mass commentary, focused on the mystical meaning of the rites, that flourished from the ninth century through the seventeenth. If the mystical meaning is to the Mass what the spiritual sense is to Sacred Scripture, then A Forest of Symbols reads like a liturgical lectio divina.”

—URBAN HANNON
editor, The Josias

 

“Allegory is a classic method by which Christians have sought to achieve a deeper understanding and appreciation of the liturgy’s meaning, especially for the Eucharistic sacrifice. The liturgy is a collection of texts, chants, actions, and symbols that might rightly be considered a kind of ‘sacred drama’ that points to ever deeper meanings. Fr. Barthe’s book aims to provide the reader with a revived allegorical approach to liturgy that is informed by the great allegorists of yesteryear alongside insights offered by more recent scholarship and commentary.”

—SHAWN TRIBE
editor, Liturgical Arts Journal

 

“In this highly accessible commentary, Abbé Claude Barthe leads us in this essential spiritual reflection on the mystical qualities of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. From the preparation of the altar to the end of the Last Gospel, each aspect of the Mass is examined with reference to the Bible, the Fathers, and the Catholic tradition, with the allegorical meaning of even the smallest ritual details explained. In an age disfigured by scientism, literalism, and rationalism, in which the corrosive i dea that liturgy is ‘manufactured’ seems so pervasive, Abbé Barthe’s work is a sure guide through the glorious ‘forest of symbols’ given us in the traditional liturgy, and provides an excellent way for us to rediscover the spiritual power and beauty of the Mass in our lives.”

—MATTHEW HAZELL
scholar of comparative liturgics
About the Author

Abbé Claude Barthe was ordained in 1979 by Marcel Lefebvre and incardinated in 2005 into the diocese of Fréjus-Toulon in France. He has taught for the seminary of the Institute of the Good Shepherd and the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, and has published numerous liturgical studies. He also serves as chaplain of the annual Summorum Pontificum Pilgrimage in Rome.