Handbooks of Catholic Theology – serie

A comprehensive introduction to the liturgy of the Roman Rite, set within a broader consideration of Christian liturgies Eastern and Western (Byzantine, Mozarabic, Ambrosian, and Reformed). The central theme of the book is the life-creating, even deifying, communication between God and human beings. Part 1 deals with God's invitation to humanity to enter the divine fullness of life. This is God's descent or "katabasis." Part 2 concerned with humanity's acceptance of the invitation-the human ascent to God or "anabasis." Following this extensive treatment of the general nature of Christian liturgy are four sections devoted to particular subjects: the celebration of the Eucharist, the celebration of the sacraments, the liturgy of the hours and other services of the Word, and, finally, the liturgical year.

The chief characteristic of Christian morality is its being linked to the person of Jesus Christ who is himself the universal, personal, and concrete norm of moral action. This book is about the virtues of the Christian life--both the theological virtues (faith, hope, and charity) and the cardinal virtues (prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance)--and it deals particularly with the question, how it is possible for believers to decide for the morally good and to live accordingly. Reflecting on the basic questions of Christian morality, the book offers a commentary on the corresponding sections of The Catechism of the Catholic Church.

This volume offers a comprehensive and consistently theological interpretation of Canon Law. It is inspired by the key conciliar notion of "communio ecclesiarum", implying a structural and human reality in which is embodied a theological dimension, namely, the grace conceded by means of word and sacrament and guaranteed by apostolic succession, for which Canon Law is founded, not only anthropologically and sociologically, but also theologically. The whole of Canon Law, in this perspective, conforms to and clarifies the original elements of the church: word, sacrament, apostolic succession and charism. It also agrees with Hans Urs von Balthasar's notion that Canon Law has the function of guaranteeing that the church as "communio" is and continues to be a community in love: in that love whose origin is Jesus Christ and which is given to humanity by the Holy Spirit.