Jörgen Vijgen

The Seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church

Theology

“The Catholic life is defined by the reception of the sacraments and their effects on the whole human person. This basic and foundational claim underscores the vital importance for every Catholic to acquire a correct and comprehensive account of the nature, goal, and effects of the sacramental life and of the individual sacraments. Such an account should also bring to light the fundamental continuity of the Catholic understanding of the sacraments throughout the vicissitudes of the two-thousand-year history of the Catholic tradition. It takes a seasoned theologian, preacher, and writer like Fr. Cessario to accomplish precisely this goal. Deeply steeped in the Thomist tradition and drawing on a rich and many-faceted life as a priest, a teacher, and a preacher, Fr. Cessario has written a remarkable book that aims to encourage the faithful to embrace, both intellectually and spiritually, the sacraments as ‘rhythms of salvation unto everlasting life.’ A broad audience of lay faithful and clerics will appreciate and profit from the vivid and engaging way in which Fr. Cessario presents the Catholic tradition and its intellectual and spiritual underpinnings. This book will undoubtedly deepen faith in and cultivate practice of the sacraments. For this accomplishment and service Fr. Cessario cannot be thanked enough.”

Thomas Aquinas

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“‘The Sacred Scriptures manifest the heart of Christ,’ St. Thomas writes in commenting on Psalm 21. Deeply formed by the religious and liturgical life of the Order of Preachers, Thomas taught this saving truth, these ‘words of eternal life’ to his students. Carefully selected from his Old Testament commentaries, this volume introduces the reader to the heart of God’s message as studied and meditated upon by a saintly theologian. Jason Paone is to be highly recommended for selecting and opening up to readers the immense wealth and depth of St. Thomas’s biblical commentaries. I hope these volumes find a place and use in every household.”