Signs of new life : homilies on the Church's sacraments

At life’s many crossroads, the sacraments of the Church—Baptism, Confirmation, Confession, Holy Eucharist, Matrimony, Holy Orders, and Anointing of the Sick—bring people into contact with the saving work of God. In this collection of homilies, Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) explains these celebrations of the Church and shows how they always offer an opportunity to announce our faith in Christ and to deepen our understanding of it. Ratzinger endeavored as a theologian to develop an understanding of the sacraments that would help to make participation in them, and in the Paschal Mystery, more fruitful. Many of these homilies connect the sacraments with a profound interpretation of Scripture. The scriptural passages interpreted in each homily are listed at the beginning of the chapter, so that this volume can also be used for scriptural meditation. Since the Church herself is both a sacrament—that is, a sign of God’s saving action in the world—and the place where the sacraments take place, two of the chapters are about the Church, the body of believers where God dwells. At Life's Many Crossroads, The Sacraments Of The Church Continually Bring People Into Contact With The Saving Work Of God: Baptism, Confirmation, Confession, Holy Eucharist, Matrimony Holy Orders, Anointing Of The Sick. The Celebrations Of The Church Always Offer An Opportunity To Announce The Faith And Deepen Our Understanding Of It. Signs Of New Life Gathers A Selection Of Fourteen Homilies By Joseph Ratzinger (pope Benedict Xvi) On Each Of The Seven Sacraments, As Well As An Additional Two Texts On The Theme Of The Church More Broadly. Ratzinger Endeavored As A Theologian To Develop An Understanding Of The Sacraments In New Ways And To Make Fruitful The Participation Of Others In The Celebration Of Them. Many Of His Homilies Refer To Individual Sacraments And Connect Them With A Profound Interpretation Of Scripture And Of The Christ Event. The Scriptural Passages Interpreted In Each Homily Are Listed At The Start, So That This Volume Can Also Be Used For Scriptural Meditation And Spiritual Reading. This Book Is Intended To Help Us Grasp More Profoundly The Essence Of The Church And To Aid Us In Celebrating And Proclaiming The Sacraments As That Which They Truly Are: Signs Of The New Life In Christ.