A contemporary theology of these three sacraments, surveying their historical development, their theology today, and liturgical and pastoral implications.

Becoming a vampire saved Alyssa from death, but the price was high: the loss of everything and everyone attached to her mortal life. She's still learning to cope when a surprise confrontation with Santino Vitale, the Acta Sanctorum's most fearsome hunter, sends her fleeing back to the world she once knew, and Fallon, the friend she's missed more than anything. Alyssa breaks vampire law by revealing her new, true self to her old friend, a fact which causes strong division in the group that should support her most: her clan. Worse yet, her revelation entangles Fallon in the struggle between vampires and hunters and The Acta Sanctorum is ready to attack again, with a new army of hybrid creations: the Frenzy Soldiers. If Alyssa hopes to survive and keep her mortal friend safe, she'll have to be willing to make a deal with the enemy, and regain her clan's support. It will take everyone working together in a precarious truce to fight against the Acta Sanctorum's new threat.

Firmly rooted in the tradition of the Church and some of the best scholarship of the past 40 years, Noll explores the sign, meaning, and experience of each of the seven sacraments in the church. Included is a CD-ROM containing articles and passages by some of today's key sacramental theologians.

Discusses the seven sacraments of the Catholic faith and how God communicates through the people, places, and experiences that shape a person's life.

Catechetical Sessions on Liturgy and the Sacraments begins by familiarizing participants with the nature of liturgy and the liturgical year. An introduction to the properties of signs, symbols, and rituals sets the groundwork for studying individual sacraments. Four sessions address the sacraments of initiation, two sessions cover the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick, and the final session covers the sacraments at the service of Communion. The sessions share some of the history of the sacraments, their meaning, the significance of symbols, and the nature of the rites. The participants are invited to actively study the sacraments, to make connections between the sacraments and their own lives, to reflect prayerfully on the meaning of the sacraments, and to take some sacrament-related actions.

Christian Sacraments in a Postmodern World offers a fresh perspective on the sacramental event by bringing together two generally unrelated subjects in a new way: sacramental theology and postmodern philosophical thought. Osborne shows, in an innovative way, how these two factors of third millennium life can be positively united to encourage powerful new thinking on the ways we Christians not only theorize about sacraments but also live sacraments. Using a key section on sacraments from the Catechism of the Catholic Church and by employing foundational concepts of postmodern philosophy and several issues from medieval Franciscan philosophy, the author develops a distinctly different approach to sacrament events. Here is a visionary, thoughtful work by a major theologian, writer and educator. It is sure to stir thinking and discussion among theologians, philosophers, liturgists and religious educators. +

A reprinting of Schillebeecks classic work. A standard in understanding the relationship between Christ, Sacrament and the Church. A positive and constructive ecclesial theology.

Delves into the ancient debate regarding the nature and purpose of the seven sacraments What are the sacraments? For centuries, this question has elicited a lively discussion and among theologians, and a variety of answers that do anything but outline a unified belief concerning these fundamental ritual structures. In this extremely cohesive and well-crafted volume, a group of renowned scholars map the theologies of sacraments offered by key Christian figures from the Early Church through the twenty-first century. Together, they provide a guide to the variety of views about sacraments found throughout Christianity, showcasing the variety of approaches to understanding the sacraments across the Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox faith traditions. Chapters explore the theologies of thinkers from Basil to Aquinas, Martin Luther to Gustavo Gutiérrez. Rather than attempting to distill their voices into a single view, the book addresses many of the questions that theologians have tackled over the two thousand year history of Christianity. In doing so, it paves the way for developing theologies of sacraments for present and future contexts. The text places each theology of the sacraments into its proper sociohistorical context, illuminating how the church has used the sacraments to define itself and its congregations over time. The definitive resource on theologies of the sacraments, this volume is a must-read for students, theologians, and spiritually interested readers alike.