The Sacraments are at the very centre of the Christian life, yet many today receive them without a clear understanding of what the graces they signify and contain. This document from the International Theological Commission explores the relationship between the faith of the recipient and the power and grace conferred by the sacrament looking at what is needed for the fruitful reception of the sacraments in order for them to help the receiver grow in faith. There is "a profound unity between the act by which we believe and the contents to which we give our assent.... In the Christian conception it is not possible to think of a faith without sacramental expression, nor a sacramental practice in the absence of ecclesial faith" [51] The document treats each sacrament but gives saves its most comprehensive treatment for marriage exploring the challenges posed by the increasing number of marriages where the spouses have an incomplete understanding of marriage as a sacrament.

The document intends to highlight the relationship between faith and sacraments. It can contribute to overcoming the fracture between faith and sacraments in the Christian existence of believers, if it occurs.

In September of 2014 thirty new members were appointed for a five-year term to the Vatican's International Theological Commission. These theologians, clerical and lay, were chosen from twenty-six different countries and from five continents. The commission was charged with composing three documents of contemporary theological importance, one of which was that of the relationship between faith and the sacraments. This finished document was published, with the approval of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and by Pope Francis in Spanish in early 2020 under the title: La Reciprocidad entre Fe y Sacramentos en la Economía Sacramental. A subsequent English translation was published thereafter under the title The Reciprocity Between Faith and Sacraments in the Sacramental Economy. This present volume contains the text of the English translation. There follows an introduction by a member of the ITC, Thomas G. Weinandy, OFM, Cap., and subsequently followed by six explanatory and interpretive commentaries on various chapters of the document. Dr. John Yocum considers the contemporary relevance of the topic. Dr. Christopher Ruddy examines the dialogical nature of the sacramental economy of salvation. Dr. Jennifer Holmes Martin discusses the relationship between faith and the sacraments of initiation. There are two commentaries for section four concerning faith and the sacrament of marriage. Professor John Grabowski treats the strictly theological issues relating to faith and marriage. Canonist Timothy Cavanaugh takes up the canonical issues regarding faith and its relationship to enacting a valid sacramental marriage. Dr. Daniel Keating rounds off the commentaries by surveying the conclusion of the document, that is, the present need for evangelization so as to enliven the faith of the faithful, and the present relevance of the new ecclesial movements within the Church today. These commentaries are aimed at aiding priests and seminarians as they address or prepare to address the pastoral and theological concerns they encounter or will encounter on a daily basis. This volume could also be used in parish adult education groups as well, wherein the laity could better understand the relationship between faith and the sacraments.

A pastoral outline for preparing engaged couples for the Sacrament of Matrimony and the great mission of family life In every age, the Church is called to proclaim anew the beauty and abundance of grace contained in the Sacrament of Matrimony and the family life which flows from it, especially to young people. Building upon Pope Francis’ call in Amoris Laetitia for a deeper formation of engaged couples, the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life has prepared the document Catechumenal Pathways for Married Life, which offers pastors, married couples, and all those who work in family pastoral care a renewed vision and methodology of preparation for the Sacrament of Matrimony and for all married life. This new, comprehensive proposal helps parishes: Facilitate a personal encounter with Jesus Christ for the engaged couple Support the couple as they build a solid foundation for a future vocation and discipleship Communicate the meaning of spousal love and the sacredness of marriage to those in preparation for the sacrament Effectively accompany the couple’s first years of married life within the parish community Minister to couples “in crisis” and going through moments of discouragement Catechumenal Pathways for Married Life supports the development of marriage preparation programs that encourage couples to build the foundation for strong, faith-filled marriages that blossom into faithful families. This new edition of Catechumenal Pathways for Married Life features: A newly designed cover with beautiful sacred art Colored tabs with paragraph numbers at the top of each page for easy navigation Carefully designed pages to make each page readable, organized, and inviting A document summary explaining the intended audience, the document’s origin, and the purpose it seeks to serve within the mission of the Church The official text of this work written by the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Laity, Family, and Life This new edition is the first in The Vatican Collection published by Ascension, which features official documents from the Vatican previously published by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

Engaging Ecclesiology presents eight challenging and thought-provoking essays from the 2021 Edinburgh Dogmatics Conference (EDC), which is a biennial event led by the Rutherford Centre for Reformed Theology. Considering the pressing reality of the decline of the church, particularly in Europe, the essays question the nature and purpose of the church in society today. Using rigorous biblical and theological examination, the contributors provide solutions and clarity to the ecclesiastical quandaries that have arisen over recent times. The EDC creates a positive forum for the constructive discussion of Reformed Theology. The essays represent a unified front in the face of the growing disunity and schisms found in the church.

The sacramental economy was instituted by Christ and entrusted to His Church in order to build up the Body of Christ in a twofold communion: binding the members together with God and one another. Touched by Christ: The Sacramental Economy is an introductory course on Sacramental Theology suitable for all who seek a deeper understanding of how the Church’s sacraments constitute channels of grace, nurture supernatural life, and heal us from our sins. Lawrence Feingold expertly describes the nature of the sacraments; their purpose, fittingness, and relationship with Christ and the New Covenant; their relationship with the Old Covenant rites that prefigured them; the character and grace that they communicate; and the nature of their causality. Touched by Christ shows that the sacraments of the New Covenant should be understood as instruments of Christ’s humanity that are used as words of power to communicate the sanctification that they signify, infuse grace, communicate the Holy Spirit, and build up ecclesial communion in those who receive them with the right dispositions.

The period of the catechumenate is focused on helping new disciples understand the doctrines and precepts of the Church in a way that flows from the liturgy. This period imbues catechumens with a spirit of prayer and service as catechists guide them to a deeper relationship with Christ. Catechetical Sessions for the Catechumenate provides models and suggestions for leading catechumens through the many aspects of the Catholic faith, including fifty prayerful and theologically sound sessions to use when catechizing the unbaptized and the uncatechized. The sessions are organized in five categories: Beliefs, Catholic Living, Holy People, Prayer and Liturgy, and Sacraments, allowing the catechist to integrate doctrinal teachings into sessions in a prayerful and formative way that reflects the vision of the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults. This material can also be adapted to your parish’s unique needs, including to a year-round catechumenate model. The sessions include: Theological backgrounds for each session topic Engaging and interactive catechetical scripts Liturgical recommendations for the Celebrations of the Word Opportunities for catechumens to live their faith Summary statements for wrapping up each session Organizational chart for scheduling the sessions according to the liturgical year Also included in this book is an organizational chart for scheduling the sessions according to the liturgical year. With a helpful overview of the period of the catechumenate, and guidance for forming catechumens, this resource will help catechists and initiation team members share their faith, teach Catholic beliefs, and help catechumens live their developing faith as disciples of Christ.

In every age, the Church must proclaim anew the beauty and abundance of grace contained in the Sacrament of Marriage. Married couples constitute the majority of the faithful, and they are often pillars of support in parishes, schools, apostolates, volunteer groups, and almost every other Catholic institution. Beginning with his apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia, Pope Francis has expressed his desire for the Church to offer a better and more thorough preparation of engaged couples for marriage. The Holy Father has called for a relatively broad approach, inspired by the baptismal catechumenate, that would enable couples to celebrate the Sacrament of Marriage with greater awareness, beginning with an experience of faith and personal encounter with Jesus. Catechumenal Pathways for Married Life provides pastoral guidelines for dioceses and parishes in strengthening preparation for the Sacrament of Marriage. By investing renewed energy toward this effort, the Church can help couples understand the gift of the Sacrament of Marriage, the meaning of spousal love, and marriage as their authentic vocation.

As hunger for the faith continues to grow, Pope Benedict XVI gives the Catholic Church the food it seeks with 598 questions and answers in the

In this original book, Ormond Rush makes a significant contribution to the growing body of scholarship on Vatican II. He proposes that a comprehensive interpretation of Vatican II requires that the interpreter not only attempt a reconstruction of the "spirit" of the council emerging during the conciliar debates, but also take into account the various linguistic dimensions of the "letter" of the documents. Attention to genre, structure, rhetoric, intratextuality and intertextuality are all significant in reconstructing the "letter" of the council. In addition, he states that reconstruction of the "spirit" and "letter" must be supplemented by attention to another factor: the post-conciliar reception of the council from different contexts throughout the world over the last forty years. All three of these phases of interpretation must be kept in correlation. The book ends with a proposal for a reception pneumatology that calls for greater recognition of the work of reception as the work of the Holy Spirit of the council. Highlights: --fills a significant gap in the debate regarding Vatican II: clarity in the discussion regarding hermeneutical principles --no book in any language focuses specifically on the principles for interpreting Vatican II --calls for a more comprehensive approach that includes not only attention to the process of original formulation, but also to the texts in themselves --suggests a way through the current impasse in the interpretation of Vatican II +