The Weight of a Mass: A Tale of Faith (The Theological Virtues Trilogy)

My children's godparents gave us this book years ago and we all, parents and kids, love it. This Easter, we ordered copies for our godchildren and their families. The story and illustrations are excellent depictions of the importance of the Mass and humble bravery in the face of ridicule for Catholic children. The author and illustrator duo has at least one other book, "Take it to the Queen," which we plan to order for Christmas, as giving great books is a tradition we wish to continue. As an aside, I am asked below this review, "How old was the person you got this book for?" We got it for families. Our godchildren are toddlers and below, but as parents we enjoy reading it, the youths and teens appreciate the story, moral and artwork, and the little kids love to hear the story and view the illustrations. It is one we get out and read a few times in a liturgical season or holiday a couple of times a year.

This book caught me off guard because I was expecting just a standard children's book, but it made myself and those I read it with really think a lot about what a gift Mass is and to not take that for granted. I enjoyed it so much that I have bought additional copies for others too, adults and children. I recommend this book for anyone to enjoy and worth discussing together as a family/group.

The story in this book literally compares the weight of the offering of a Catholic Mass on a piece of paper (and its importance) against a huge bunch of pastries. This is based on a true story of a miracle of a butcher in this situation. I’m sure changing the butcher shop to a bakery made the book much more fun to illustrate! It’s definitely more fun to read, especially with kids. I bought this for my own children and now give it as gifts because I love it so much. For a Catholic, it really has so much meaning, and the illustrations keep the younger kids’ attention. Great book for Catholic families and to give as a gift!

This is a lovely book with great artwork to enhance the story. The front and back covers have folds with extra info that explains details in the artwork too.

Actually, I don't know if the kids would get it or not, but the RI teachers will love it. In this book, the poor woman offers to pray for the baker in exchange for a crust of bread. He doesn't think a mass is worth anything, and tells her so. But he gets out his scales, and sure enough, the mass is so important that it outweighs everything he has for sale in his shop. The pictures are just beautiful with baked goods rambling all across the pages, and peoples' faces all looking on in wonder. It is repeated with different goods, but nothing else on earth equals the mass. In the end, the baker's son wants to become a priest. I thought that this book was actually good for all ages, not necessarily just for the First Communion types because of the lesson it taught. It is a simple lesson, and one which my child was taught in first grade in Catholic school for First Communion, but it is more than just RI.. It is also a beautiful tale, based on a real experience. I love it.

Beautifuly written and illustrated. My go to gift for First Communion.

I first found this book a few years ago on our communal book shelf in college (one of my roommates had received it as a gift when she came into the Church our sophomore year). Intrigued, I sat down to read it since it I had a few minutes and it wad short. 20 minutes later another of my roommates came home to find me sitting on the couch crying as I finished the last few pages (I am not a cryer, it was weird). This book is stunning in both it's message and illustration! It is absolutely touching, and even more remarkable when I read it was based off a true story. It gently and beautifully reveals the message of how priceless the Mass is in a way both children and adults can appreciate (I'm still not a cryer and I still cry when I read it). It's now our family's go-to gift for celebrating Sacraments regardless of the . . . Sacramentee?'s age.

If you buy one children’s book this year, make this the one. This book is truly worthy of the 5 star reviews. It is a courageous story, courageously told. There is a little something for everyone in this book - it has queens-to-be, hard working boys, and even skeptical adults. Most importantly of all, it reminds me of the “weight of a mass.” Finally, I want to address that the story does flow well, and (unlike one reviewer stated) it is well written. Pray for the people who give this book a bad review. ;)

De très belles illustrations et une belle histoire pour faire comprendre toute l’importance de la messe...

This book is by a Hungarian illustrator introduced to me by a student, and I had to search for some of her work in English. It was WELL WORTH the search. This is SUCH a beautiful story and is matched by it's beautiful pictures. A very sweet moral is revealed at the end and its not overly preachy. I will treasure this book!

The story is wonderful and the artwork is beautiful.

A very small book..and mammoth price..really killing the buyer..

Nice pamphlet for children.