Christ in Our Midst: Daily Lenten Reflections Through Scripture and Gregorian Chant

In this book of Lenten devotions beginning on Ash Wednesday and concluding on the Saturday of Easter week, readers have the unique daily opportunity to listen to and engage in Gregorian chant by scanning a QR code along with meditating on a written devotion pertaining to the featured chant.

In introductory comments, the editors note that Gregorian chant is “a vibrant and living form of sung prayer.” They spell out a brief history of chant, note that chant is for everyone, and explain the nature of chant. Readers are also introduced to the cantors, The Gloriae Dei Cantores Schola. Their featured audio chants are taken from their following recordings: Gregorian Requiem: Chants of the Requiem Mass, The Chants of Transfiguration, The Beloved Son, I am With You, and The Chants of Easter.

Jesus-followers from the Reformed tradition will find common ground with the Benedictine community of Cape Cod, the Community of Jesus, whose publishing arm, Paraclete Press, reflects that community’s “dedication to sacred music, the fine arts, and the written word.”

Christ in Our Midst is an excellent resource to prepare Christians—and, possibly, people who might have questions about who Jesus is and why he is worshipped—to remember what Jesus suffered to accomplish our salvation and the redemption of the cosmos, and how he rose victorious from death, forever changing history. (Paraclete Press)