Seven Sacraments

by Anselm Grün

A sacrament according to St. Thomas Aquinas is "the sign of a sacred thing in so far as it sanctifies men." St Augustine called it "a visible form of an invisible grace."The sacraments are essential to the life of the Church in most traditions but they have received little attention from theologians of late and there is great misunderstanding about their nature and purpose.Fr. Anselm Grnn, the best-selling German Benedictine, has set about answering this need. This new book contains seven chapters, one for each sacrament. This is not a theological exposition though it is based on the soundest theology. Grnn is a spiritual writer who has learned much from his study of analytical psychology (the writings of C.G. Jung) and uses these insights to bring fresh understanding to the sacraments of the Church.His writing is orthodox but because of its psychological sophisitcation, Grnn once again manages to touch the hearts and minds of men and women of today. The sacraments, Grnn shows, are the free gift of God and are not dependent in any way upon the worthiness or unworthiness oif the Christiian believer.Grnn's new book will be welcomed by priests, ministers, teachers and countless people who are trying to make sense of being Christian in the turbulent modern world.

276 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Anselm Grün terminated his school years in 1964 with the A-level equivalent Abitur at the grammar school in Würzburg, Germany. In the same year he began as a novice at the nearby Benedictine Münsterschwarzach Abbey. From 1965 to 1971 he studied philosophy and theology at St. Ottilien Archabbey and in Rome. In 1974 he completed his PhD in theology on Karl Rahner. From 1974 to 1976 Anselm Grün studied Business in Nuremberg. Then he became the Cellerar of Münsterschwarzach Abbey and is thus responsible for the economic administration of the abbey with its over 280 employees and 20 businesses.