[.ca] The Weight of a Mass: A Tale of Faith (ISBN 081462930X)

Delightful! Ten stars!:
'The Weight of a Mass' might well have been the title of a dry and dusty tome of physics, something that lists values in tables how much certain things weigh. This is at the heart of the deliberate pun in the title - weight can indeed be a physical attribute (the pull of gravity on an object, being weighed on a scale, as the metaphor is embodied in this text) but also the moral, ethical and spiritual weight we give to things that matter in our lives. This is a fable in the true sense of the word - it is a story that stands by itself as a good tale, but the meanings throughout add depth and breadth, and, appropriately this case, weight. It is ostensibly a book for children, but will also delight adults who have a care for the meaning found in sacraments, liturgy, parables and narratives. Narrative theology, the understanding of God and our relationship with God inherent and expressed in story form, has long been a favourite of mine. Parables of Jesus are a key example of this, but children's stories and fairy tales of many cultures have also carried the burden of conveying meaning through accessible and memorable situations and images. Few who read or hear the story of the Good Samaritan forget it, as the images transcend the simple plot into much more meaningful applications across time and cultures. The same is true for this story. The idea in Josephine Nobisso's story is simple at first glance - there is a prominent baker in the town who is rather stingy. A widow comes, seeking a few scraps of bread, and gets rebuffed by the baker. She promises to dedicate her hearing of the mass to him, at which point he mocks her belief and decides to put this to the test, literally testing the weight of 'one mass', written on a small piece of paper, against the goods in his shop. The imagery is readily accessible - bread is used in communion service, and this is what the baker makes. However, the bread the baker makes somehow becomes something different weighed against the paper; it literally changes into something unexpected, and indeed, the weight of 'one mass' is something that cannot be calculated by the baker's scale, efficient and official though it might be. There are various characters in the story who symbolise different people in our regular lives. The baker-shop story is actually a story within a story (another well-established biblical tradition), the larger story being the preparation for a royal wedding, in which the baker features as the provider of the wedding cake. The baker's son represents a person with vocation to service, charity, and possibly priesthood. The book is available in both hardback, paperback, and in Spanish. In each case, the printing and production values are very high; the colours are deep and rich without being overpowering, with wonderful graphics by Katalin Szegedi, whose work has won her native Hungary's 'Most Beautiful Children's Book' prize. Nobisso has been awarded the Delta Kappa Gamma 'Friend of Education Award', and is a distinguished graduate of the National Catholic Educational Association. Perhaps most remarkable is the real-life connection that Josephine Nobisso explains in the postscript (which reminded me somewhat of Jesus' needing to tell the disciples what the elements of the parables meant). While the story is original, Nobisso credits the story of Father Stanislaus of Luxembourg, where a conversation between a butcher and a captain of the guard was interrupted by a poor woman making the same offer with regard to the mass for a morsel of meat. A similar miracle occurred there that inspired the captain of the guard to lifelong faithfulness in attending the mass, such that his own son became a priest - that son being the same Fr. Stansilaus. This is a simply wonderful and remarkable book, the weight of which will remain with me for a long time to come.

Thank you:
Thank you very much for the kind words! I'm the illustrator of this book, and I was very happy and touched when I observed the exhaustive reviews above. I absolutely agree with them, the story is really wonderful. I especially admire its polished style, it is really carefully-chosen. I remember when I red it the first time, it was a special experience for me to read the story. It is so touching, beautiful and amazing. I warmly recommend this book for everybody, who loves the classical values.

Exquisite, beautiful, luminous story and illustrations!:
Want to give your children or other children whom you love a precious gift? Give them this book! It's one they'll read as children and they'll read 40 years from now to their own children. It's not only a beautiful story, but one that will strengthen their faith. Wonderfully written by Josephine Nobisso and luminously illustrated by Katalin Szegedi, The Weight of a Mass, is an original cultural folk tale based upon a true story. The story reads and looks like a fairy tale. A ragged, destitute widow arrives at the kingdom's prosperous bakery and begs only a crust of bread in exchange for offering a royal wedding Mass for the baker. The baker scoffs and tears off a tiny piece of tissue paper on which he writes the words: One Mass, intending to place them it on the scale to find out the value of a Mass. Much to his surprise, when he drops a piece of old bread on the other side of the scale, it does not tip. So, he enlists his son to stack more and more baked goods on top of the scale. Out come cherry topped cupcakes, marzipan apple, filled chocolates, poppy seed cakes, rolls, donuts, fruitcakes, cream cakes, berry tarts, poached pears, plum pudding, candied fruits, almond confetti, crsuhed walnuts, and eventually the royal wedding cake. The father, his son, the old woman, and others in the kingdom come to learn the weight of a Mass. The story includes an author's postscript recounting the original story as told by Father Stanislaus from Luxembourg who tells of a conversation between a butcher and a Captain of the Forest Guards that was interrupted by an old woman begging a morsel of meat in exchange for a Holy Mass intention. As a result of the miracle, the Captian began attending Mass daily and one of his sons later received a calling to the priesthood. I cannot say praise this book enough. It's a genre that is sorely needed in children's literature. Not only is it a beautiful book, but it teaches about the richness of the Mass and the priceless presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. The paintings are wonderful, particularly those of an arched interior of the Cathedral and the bishop holding up the Eucharist at the wedding Mass. Do yourself a favor. Purchase this book for your children, your grandchildren, and any other children whom you love.

Awesome book!:
What a wonderful way to explain the importance and power of a single Mass! And the illustrations are BEAUTIFUL! We read this book today and are definitely going to be adding it to our library.

An enthusiastically recommended tale of human spirit:
The Weight Of A Mass: A Tale Of Faith by Josephine Nobisso is an enhanting children's fairy tale picturebook based on a true event, about a widow who brings about change in the formerly cold hearts of a kingdom when she begs for stale bread in exchange for participating in the royal wedding Mass. Gentle color illustrations by Katalin Szegedi enrich this heartwarming and enthusiastically recommended tale of human spirit and faith in God.