This is a valuable introduction to the Catechism by the general editor of the Catechism (Schonborn) and the head of the Bishops Commission for the implementation of the Catechism (Ratzinger). Providing helpful insights on how to read and study the Catechism, this book includes a prehistory of the Catechism, an overview of its structure and contents, the major themes and methods in it, a special introduction to the four parts of the Catechism, and specific advice on how to use the Catechism. Ratzinger and Schonborn illuminate the Catechism's teaching on faith, morals, prayer and sacraments, and how a Catholic lives those teachings in today's world.

Introduction to the Catechism of the Catholic Church

Religion & Spirituality

Ratzinger, Cardinal Joseph

Schoenborn, Cardinal Christoph

Christian Books & Bibles

Ignatius Press

Bishop Christoph Schönborn Bishop Schönborn, editor of the monumental Catechism of the Catholic Church, presents profound reflections on the meaning of death, judgment and eternal life, and the Church's teachings on this eschatological dimension of our faith. Lamenting the absence today of sermons and writings on this important subject, Schönborn meets that need by delving deeply into the Church's rich tradition of thought on life beyond death. Today, language about man's pilgrim path, about his homeland in heaven, of earthly tribulation and hope for life beyond death, has become largely a foreign language in the Christian churches. It is only seldom that a sermon dares to look out on the vista of eternal life. It seems that fear of being accused of dispensing a consolation in a life after death and of fleeing from the world has become to a large extent a self-censorship. Bishop Schönborn says that this "eschatological amnesia" is one reason why many people no longer turn to the Church when they want information about the "last things." In this book, Schönborn shows that Jesus Christ is the focal point of the Christian vision of life on earth and life after death. Christ is the Alpha and the Omega, the one who discloses to us what "existence in transition" means.

From Death to Life: The Christian Journey

Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, the editor of the monumental Catechism of the Catholic Church, a worldwide best seller, provides a brief and profound commentary on the second part of the Catechism, the sacraments. Schönborn gives an incisive, detailed analysis of the sacraments, providing a specific meditation for each week of the year on how to better live the Catholic faith with the aid of the sacraments and the Mass, and explained in the Catechism. Through these 52 meditations, Schönborn's hope is for the reader to not just have a better grasp of the Catholic doctrine and belief, but especially to grow in a greater love of and devotion to the person of Jesus Christ.
"Faith is a whole. It has only one heart, one center, Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God. Christ must therefore also be the center of catechesis whose object is 'putting people…in communion…with Jesus Christ; only He can lead us to the love of the Father in the Spirit". ?Cardinal Christoph Schönborn

Living the Catechism of the Catholic Church: A Brief Commentary on the Catechism for Every Week of the Year: The Sacraments (Volume 2)

Living the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Vol. III: Life in Christ (Volume 3)

Cardinal Schönborn, the editor of the monumental Catechism of the Catholic Church, a worldwide best seller, provides a brief and profound commentary on the fourth part of the Catechism, the Paths of Prayer. Schönborn gives an incisive, detailed analysis of the Paths of Prayer, providing a specific meditation for each week of the year on how to develop a deeper life of prayer, as explained in the Catechism. Through these 52 meditations, Schönborn helps the reader to have a better grasp of Catholic prayer in its various forms, with a special emphasis on the Lord s Prayer. This book will aid one s growth in a greater love of and devotion to the Person of Jesus Christ.
 In prayer there are joys that cannot be compared with any other joy, and at the same time prayer is a constant struggle. But in either case we do not do it alone: we pray as members of a great praying community—and it is much larger than we can suspect—and we do not struggle alone to pray. Many invisible helpers—in heaven and here on earth—are with us and assist us.
 —Christoph Cardinal Schönborn

Living the Catechism of the Catholic Church: Paths of Prayer (Volume 4)

Who is Jesus Christ? People have been asking this question for 2000 years. The search for the answer begins with the four Gospels, but how are they to be understood? Sunday after Sunday, Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn, one of the leading candidates in the recent papal election, explains the Gospel in understandable words. By following the Gospel of Matthew over the course of a year, there emerges a comprehensive picture of Jesus presented in this book. Includes beautiful illustrations from various epochs of Christian art history.

My Jesus: Encountering Christ in the Gospel

We are experiencing a dramatic social upheaval in today's world, a breakdown of our living conditions and values. A non-stop world: No one can stop it, and we find no place to stop in it. Political boundaries become less important; social structures seem to disintegrate?all is subordinated to cash flow and profit maximization. With growing individualism, the concept of the good and proper life has been lost. Whether one is faithful or unfaithful, fair or unfair, honest or dishonest seems to have less importance. Freedom and prosperity are the magic words. We live flexibly and without commitment, go where we wish, when we wish. This does not produce living conditions that facilitate belief in God and contact with God, as one perhaps had during childhood. The longing for old values such as faith and deeper spiritual meaning has consequently been reawakened.
What repercussions does this development have on society, children, the elderly, the ill? Whom do people allow first to be God? Who is our pilot? Is it the coach, the psychologist, the investment counselor? Who is supposed to support man in the future through his crisis, whether public or private? Who needs God? What does God provide? Can we truly live without faith or the Church? Why does the Church so often seem not to understand us and our needs?
These and many other questions posed to Christoph Cardinal Sch?nborn in this book are the questions asked today by many people who are searching for God and want to live the experience of faith.

Who Needs God?

All human beings want to be happy. The longing for happiness does not have to be learned, it is innate. And it can hardly be unlearned. For we never simply acquiesce in unhappiness. Christian faith, the Christian way of life, and the imitation of Christ are understood to be signposts pointing the way to happiness. Upon this depends their credibility and their attractiveness.
The highly regarded teacher, writer and pastoral churchman, Cardinal Schonborn, talks about man's happiness, small and great, about happiness as it is supposed to be and as it is discovered. He explains what it means to say that all human beings are created for happiness. His insightful writings are centered on meditations about happiness and also about the deeper meaning of love and friendship.
Yet the Archbishop of Vienna also discusses the essential questions of faith, including reflections on the Name of God as seen in Scripture, on dealing with the tragedies of modern times, consolation for the sorrowful and on the spiritual roots of western civilization.
In addition he discusses the importance of literature, and how it addresses the deeper questions about life, as demonstrated in his literary discussions of the works by C. S. Lewis, Gertrud von Le Fort and William Shakespeare. He shows how their works give witness to a happiness that overcomes all darkness through suffering, trials and especially forgiveness.

Happiness, God and Man: We were created to be happy

Sister Faustina Kowalska, the Polish nun who had mystical encounters with the merciful Christ in the early 20th century, was canonized a saint by Pope John Paul II. The Pope also declared the first Sunday after Easter to be Divine Mercy Sunday, and it was during the vigil Mass of this feast that the Holy Father received his last Holy Communion and drew his last breath. The message of Divine Mercy as communicated through Sister Faustina is both a starting point and a recurring theme for Cardinal Schonborn's discussion of God's merciful love. The Archbishop of Vienna explores the presence of God's great mercy in the Scriptures, Tradition, the life of Christ, and the sacraments and works of the Church, while raising important questions along the way, such as, What is the relationship between mercy and justice? Mercy is the central nucleus of the Gospel message. In our time humanity needs a strong proclamation and witness of God's mercy . . . Go forth and be witnesses of God's mercy, a source of hope for every person and for the whole world. -- Pope Benedict XVI

We Have Found Mercy: The Mystery of God's Merciful Love

God created man in his own image, and the profound implications of this assertion are the subject of this book. Drawing on philosophy, theology, science, Scripture and art, Cardinal Schonborn reflects on man as the greatest of God's creatures and on the Christian understanding of his incomparable dignity that flows from this truth.According to the Christian faith, all the works of God converge toward man, and find their goal in him. The world was made for man, and man was made for God. This anthropocentrism resounds like good news at a time when many find it hard to believe in God's special and personal providence for man. It is good news, indeed, that man has worth and his life has meaning because God bears an infinite love for him - a love which is the very origin of creation and is the reason for the work of redemption.Among the topics Cardinal Schonborn addresses are: Christ-the Loveliest of Men, The Exaltation of Man, The Basis of Man's Dignity, Faith in Art, God with a Human Face.

Man, The Image of God: The Creation of Man as Good News

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