As Catholics, we draw meaning and purpose from the celebration of the Mass each Sunday. But what if we could enhance our experience of the Mass with a better grasp on the readings we hear?

In Breaking the Bread, a beautiful, full-color, clothbound companion for the Sunday Mass, beloved Scripture scholar Scott Hahn reflects on the Sunday Mass readings, providing insightful context for all Catholics to better understand what we hear—and why we hear it—on any given Sunday.

This easy-to-use devotional also includes carefully selected passages from the Catechism that provide an overview of the Church’s basic doctrinal and moral teaching and challenge each of us to greater fidelity to Christ.

Breaking the Bread will help all Catholics make the most of Sunday Mass through reflections on Scripture, the Catechism, and short prayers to help one deepen their personal relationship with the living Word of God: Jesus Christ.

This edition of Breaking the Bread highlights the lectionary readings for Year B. Additional volumes for Year A and Year C are forthcoming.

Scott Hahn is the Fr. Michael Scanlan Professor of Biblical Theology at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, where he has taught since 1990. Founder and President of the St. Paul Center, Dr. Hahn has been married to Kimberly since 1979; they have six children and twenty-one grandchildren. The author or editor of over forty popular and academic books, Dr. Hahn’s works include best-selling titles Rome Sweet Home, The Lamb’s Supper, and Hope to Die.

Ken Ogorek has served in catechetical and evangelization leadership for over thirty years. Ogorek’s service as a diocesan staff member—along with his involvement in national leadership initiatives—have made him a dependable, effective proponent of authentically Catholic evangelization and catechesis. He earned an MA in religious education from a Pontifical Center for Catechetical Studies and has authored two catechisms, one for youth and another for adults. Ken and his bride are parents to three adult children and currently live in Indiana where he serves on the pastoral staff for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis.

“Never before has our Catholic Church had more resources or means to proclaim the Gospel or for us individually to live out our faith. Yet, with such an abundance of gifts we can sometimes feel overwhelmed in our efforts to absorb it all. Breaking the Bread instead chooses one ‘pearl’ among the many—the passages of Scripture entrusted to us each week in the cycle of lectionary readings—and unfolds and applies them using the Catechism of the Catholic Church. We should not be surprised that, thus saturated and shining with God’s Word, this devotional manages to inspire and comfort, teach and clarify, call and concretize, all while preparing us to approach our Eucharistic King.”

—Most Reverend Thomas John Paprocki
Bishop of Springfield, Illinois

“In Breaking the Bread, Scott Hahn and Ken Ogorek have produced a readable, digestible, and thoroughly enjoyable work with reflections on the lectionary cycle for Year B. The work helps capture the spirituality of the liturgical year and the short questions at the end of each reflection invite the reader to deeper interior reflection and prayer. The work is not to be missed!”

—Most Reverend Earl K. Fernandes
Bishop of Columbus, Ohio

“What a good idea: integrating the Sunday readings with excerpts from the Catechism and questions for prayer and personal reflection. With Dr. Hahn’s customary profound and refreshing insight into Scripture and how it relates to us personally, this is a very useful resource.”

—Ralph Martin
President of Renewal Ministries and Author of A Church in Crisis

“Breaking the Bread is an ideal resource for families who want to incorporate the Mass and Scripture mindfully into their practice of liturgical living in the home. Good for individual study for grownups or older kids, or perfect to use together as a family after Mass on Sundays and important feast days throughout the year, the brief but comprehensive reflections will help everyone better understand the readings we hear each week. What a blessing for all ages!”

—Kendra Tierney
Mother of Ten and Author of The Catholic All Year Compendium: Liturgical Living for Real Life

“In this magnificent book, Scott Hahn and Ken Ogorek show through the lens of Mark’s Gospel how God invites us into loving relationship with His Word. These rich and powerful reflections on the Sunday Mass readings help us to truly encounter, fall more deeply in love with, and give ourselves completely to Jesus. Breaking the Bread helps readers recapture a renewed sense of awe and wonder in listening to and appreciating the depth of God’s word in their everyday lives.”

—Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers
Author of Building a Civilization of Love: A Catholic Response to Racism

“Breaking the Bread will be helpful not only for lay readers but especially for young priests trying to understand how to proclaim the combined message of the Sunday readings. Beautiful, well written, and easy to follow.”

—Marcus Grodi
Founder and President of the Coming Home Network

“This book provides a beautiful way for Catholics to prepare for Sunday Mass. It offers a brief, expert guide to the lectionary texts for every Sunday of Year B through points of reflection presented with the help of beautiful graphics and great works of art. Our prayerful reflection is further enriched by texts from the Catechism that deepen our understanding of some aspect of the Scripture. With this prayer and study we can regularly engage the focus of the Sunday liturgy and allow it to enter our lives more deeply and fruitfully.”

—Lawrence Feingold
Professor of Theology, Kenrick-Glennon Seminary, and Author of Faith Comes from What Is Heard

“This gorgeous book is a gem to be treasured. It masterfully brings each Sunday’s Scripture alive with clarity and depth, revealing the wise design of the lectionary. A valuable resource for generations, this volume will offer fresh insight every time the Church contemplates these readings.”

—Elizabeth Foss
Founder of Take Up and Read

“Breaking the Bread provides an excellent template for praying with the Sunday Mass readings. Scott Hahn’s exegesis gives us the context we need for understanding the Word of the Lord and Ken Ogorek’s catechesis helps us apply it to our lives.”

—Matt Fradd
Host of Pints with Aquinas