Devotio Deliciosa

Devotio Deliciosa takes its title from the words Denis the Carthusian used to describe the highest form of Eucharistic devotion to which all Christians are called. This volume gathers, in English translation, all of Denis the Carthusian's writings on the Mass and the Eucharist. Included is the Dialogue on the Sacrament of the Altar, an exchange between a priest-understood as an idealized "everyman"-and Jesus Christ, the eternal High Priest and sacrificial Victim. In this dialogue, the Eucharist is explored in a conversational yet theologically rich manner, touching on nearly every aspect of its mystery, meaning, and effects. Also contained in this volume is Denis's Exposition on the Mass, a step-by-step commentary on the rites and prayers of the Sacrifice of the Mass. In addition, a brief Treatise on Frequent Communion, written in response to a correspondent's request, and six Eucharistic "sermons" present a concise synthesis of Denis's teaching. Though these sermons may never have been preached, they were clearly intended for reading and meditation and offer a more rhetorically and pedagogically accessible presentation of the same doctrine found in his other Eucharistic works.

“The liturgical, sacramental, and theological Tradition of the Church, developed in organic continuity throughout the ages, has very deep roots. It remains alive and cannot be fixed at some favored moment in the recent past, however secure that may make us feel. If we are to be fit for the Kingdom of Heaven, we must draw from treasures ‘new and old’ (Mt 13:52)—just as Denis the Carthusian did in the fifteenth century, and just as Andrew Greenwell’s important translation now enables us to do with regard to the Blessed Eucharist and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. May our appreciation and celebration of this most wondrous gift be renewed by the riches of Tradition to which this volume so eloquently bears witness.”—DOM ALCUIN REID, Prior, Monastère Saint-Benoît