On the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass

by Robert Bellarmine, Mediatrix Press, Ryan Grant (Translator)

St. Robert Bellarmine was one of the best known of the Counter-Reformation theologians by both friend and foe. His apologetic writings were the most widely read treatises on theological subjects during the 17th century, and they also brought numerous conversions to the Catholic faith. Now for the first time, St. Robert’s amazing treatises are available to you in English! In this treatise on the Sacrifice of the Mass, St. Robert divides his work into two That the Mass is a Sacrifice, and secondly, the nature of that Sacrifice, namely that the Mass is propitiatory, beneficial to others, and that the ceremonies of the Mass are ancient and pleasing to God. St. Robert takes the fight to the Protestants on their own ground, defending the Mass from Scripture and how the Church Fathers understood it. Then he argues from the consensus of Greek and Latin Fathers and the whole history of the Church to defend the Mass as a sacrifice instituted by Christ Himself.



“St. Robert Bellarmine is a masterful defender of the Catholic faith, a prince of apologists. The controversy over whether the Holy Mass is a true and proper sacrifice was—and is—among the most hotly debated questions dividing Catholics and Protestants. Bellarmine’s almost ubelievable erudition is on full display as he thoroughly proves the Catholic doctrine by marshalling arguments from Scripture, the Fathers of the Church, and human reason. But the real thrill for lovers and scholars of liturgy comes in his defense of the various prayers and ceremonies of the Roman Rite of Mass. Here is a commentary on the Tridentine Mass by one of the greatest theologians of the Tridentine era.”—Dr. John Joy, President of the St. Albert the Great Center for Scholastic Studies



“St. Robert Bellarmine, in this section of the De Controversiis, provides the reader with an unparalleled defense of the Catholic theology of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Many of objections raised and refuted by St. Robert are still applicable today amidst the various theological speculations of our times. Steeped in the tradition of the Church, this text addresses many aspects of the theology of the Mass in a depth not seen in writings of modern authors. The timeliness of the book is evident in our current historical context as many priests and faithful are taking a fresh look at the ancient rite of Mass.”

—Fr. Chad Ripperger, SMD



“For five years in Chablais, I preached with no books other than the Bible, and the Great Bellarmine.”—St. Francis de Sales

Genres: Theology, Catholic

309 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 23, 2020

About the author

Saint Robert Bellarmine, SJ was an Italian bishop, cardinal, theologian, and an influental figure of the Counter-Reformation. He was canonized a saint in 1930 by Pope Pius XI and named a Doctor of the Church in 1931. He is also known as Roberto Bellarmino.

Reviews

[Landon Sperduti · Rating 5 out of 5]

St Robert Bellarmine is the shining Jesuit star of the counter-reformation.

First I want to say, some parts of the book are so beautiful in discussing the Holy Mass that it at times felt like a devotional book. But of course even in these sweet passages it was still strong in defending the Biblical and patristic pillars of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

For anyone only familiar with contemporary discussions on the Mass and Catholicism in general, some of the reformer’s argument that St Bellarmine refutes seem completely alien, and some ideas and things they say would probably never be discussed by most reformed Christians today.

St. Bellarmine does an excellent job at displaying the scriptural support for the real sacrifice that takes place in the Mass. Not only this, but he also cites the words of the Church Fathers to prove the Roman Catholics did not just apply these verses retroactively to protect dogma.

One thing that may most surprise the modern reader is that not much of the book of about the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, because this was, mostly, conceded by the reformers, hence why the book focuses on the sacrificial nature of the Mass instead.

Not a book I would ever recommend to someone simply inquiring into Catholicism but it is a seriously good one if you can commit to it.

[Dawn Axelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. As it took me a year to get through it, it is not what one would call a page turner.

In the beginning, it was because his adversaries said things that Bellermine could hammer away at mercilessly with page after page of refutation. It was good to see the other side get obliterated, but it could be tedious in places.

Still, it could genuinely be a funny book. Sometimes the enemy would say things so lacking in basic reason or logic, and Bellermine was forced to simply report the gibberish and admit that there was nothing there for him to respond to.

Sometimes St. Robert would have a comeback that was all the funnier because one generally does not expect a saint to react that way.

Overall, I learned a great deal, especially how the original objections to the Holy Mass were not the same as one might expect from a modern Protestant. 500-year-old Protestants remind me a lot more of sedevacantists, and I was certainly not prepared for that comparison.

I would read it again. Probably slowly next time, too.

[Jack Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was a wonderfully written and argued book defending and explaining the Catholic position on the Mass. I thought this book was very methodical in its approach to tackling arguments. This was achieved both by its argumentative strategy and also the way in which the book was broken down. Furthermore, the way in which Bellarmine calls upon Patristics is truly admirable and has given me lots of further reading.

[Caleb Burdine · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first time reading an entire book by Bellarmine. A well-argued defense of the sacrificial nature of the Mass against the views of Luther, Chemnitz, Calvin, et al. Bellarmine relies on arguments from both Scripture and tradition to defend the traditional Catholic view, providing extensive citations from the Fathers in its support.

[Henry]

Definitely polemical, but also lots of good information.