There are many ways of understanding the reality of the world we live in and experience. Science, philosophy, art all offer us ample descriptions, explanations and intuitions. But Christian believers go beyond all that, for they attempt to understand the origins of the universe in terms of the creation of the world by God. Revelation tells us what God had in mind when he made the world ex nihilo, without presuppositions of any kind. God's Gift of the Universe attempts to present the principal elements and stages of creation theology. The doctrine is to be found fundamentally, of course, in Scripture, both Old and New Testament, which describes the world in the light of God's word. Yet since God actually gave existence to the world, down to the last detail, our reflection on God's word not only explains the reality of creation, how it works, its nature, as science does. It also explains how creation came into being in the mind and heart of the Triune God, and, ultimately, why God created the world. In God's Gift of the Universe, a considerable effort has been spent throughout the book on the Christological and Trinitarian aspects of creation, particularly in the theology of Church Fathers. Creation is presented besides in a deeply eschatological key, for God created the world for purpose of making his glory eternally manifest. The book also considers the way God 'intervenes' in the life of the created world, through conservation in being and providence. The meaning of time, matter and spirit are considered. The need for ecological awareness is central. One aspect of the mystery of creation that receives special attention is the presence of evil in the world. This is of particular importance once we accept that God made the world, whole and entire, thus assuming responsibility for the world as it is. The origin of evil through the sin of spiritual creatures provides the ultimate though not the only explanation of the mystery of evil. Particular consideration is given to the reality of 'original sin'.

The modern culture we live off and take for granted is an elevated, sophisticated one, containing a great variety of precious anthropological insights and strengths, with a surprising adaptability and openness to absorb, to clarify and to unite. However, in the present moment it comes across, in many cases, as a culture detached from the faith that gave life to it in the first place, and without which it may simply not survive. In fact it has become, of late, a fragile culture, a culture less and less capable of adapting and absorbing and uniting. This may be seen in the way many aspects of modern culture and public life have fallen into a pathology of rationalism, individualism, inequality, discord, ingratitude. This may be seen in our attempt to live in isolation from our fellow humans, unwilling to recognize the world we live in and the privileges we enjoy as God's gifts. Faith Challenges Culture: A Reflection of the Dynamics of Modernity describes the process in two directions: how culture challenges faith to provide answers that have not been previously given, and how faith challenges culture not only by showing modern culture's fragility and ambivalence, but also by posing new questions.

Children of God in the World is a textbook of theological anthropology structured in four parts. The first attempts to clarify the relationship between theology, philosophy and science in their respective approaches to anthropology, and establishes the fundamental principle of the text, stated in Vatican II's Gaudium et spes, n. '', "Christ manifests man to man". The second part provides a historical overview of the doctrine of grace: in Scripture (especially the teaching of the book of Genesis on humans 'made in the image of God', as well as Paul and John), among the Fathers (in particular the oriental doctrine of 'divinization' and Augustine), during the Middle Ages (especially Thomas Aquinas) and the Reformation period (centered particularly on Luther and the Council of Trent), right up to modern times. The third part of the text, the central one, provides a systematic understanding of Christian grace in terms of the God's life present in human believers by which they become children of God, disciples, friends and brothers of Christ, temples of the Holy Spirit. This section also provides a reflection on the theological virtues (faith, hope and charity), on the relationship between grace and human freedom, on the role of the Church and Christian apostolate in the communication of grace, and on the need humans have for divine grace. AftYer considering the relationship between the natural and the supernatural order, the fourth and last part deals with di erent philosophical aspects of the human condition, in the light of Christian faith: the union between body and soul, humans as free, historical, social, sexual and working beings. The last chapter concludes with a consideration of the human person, Christianity's greatest and most enduring contribution to human thought.

Christ Our Hope is a masterful reflection on Christian eschatology, in a textbook of twelve accessible chapters. Paul O'Callaghan considers the return of Christ in glory at the end of time, final resurrection, the renewal of the cosmos, and general judgment. An extensive chapter explores eternal life, perpetual communion with God in heaven, as well as perpetual condemnation, the possibility of forever losing what God has promised to those who are faithful to him. The guiding principle of the work is the theological virtue of hope, in keeping with Benedict XVI's 2007 encyclical, Spe Salvi. The book also considers the impact of hope on the earthly life of the believer, and especially the process of the purification of hope through death and purgatory. O'Callaghan highlights two significant developments of twentieth century eschatology. First, the ecumenical challenge, mainly deriving from Protestant and Eastern theology, and centred on what is often called "intermediate eschatology." And second, an awareness of the presence of eschatology at the very heart of Christian theology as a whole: Christology, ecclesiology and sacraments, anthropology, ethics, and spirituality. Several interesting features inform the work. The discussion of each topic is rooted in Scripture. The author uses New Testament eschatology to re-work Old Testament apocalyptic material in light of Christ. He also considers the principal elements of eschatological fulfilment in light of the doctrine of the Trinity, and especially of the Holy Spirit. Christ Our Hope includes extensive references to the Fathers of the Church and to the history of theology. Especially important is the author's effort to inform the discussion with a contemporary focus on the person, taking into account both human aspirations and the findings of various sciences.

Pope Francis has stated that his own vocation as a Christian came to him as an awareness that "God is ahead of us," that God thinks about us and looks after us before we even realize it. This is the essence of grace, a love story that begins with God. The present book is an introduction and exploration of that story-of the Christian life as not about humans looking for God, but God seeking us out. The story that unfolds demonstrates that grace is not something secondary or superficial but primary and constitutive, from crucial beginnings in election and creation to the divine actions of justification and renewal, fostering a life of virtue and obedience. Within this context, the book explores the issues of the relationship of grace and freedom, the dynamics of justification, the true meaning of merit, life as a son or daughter of God, the action of the Holy Spirit, the sacraments and the Church, the role of the ascetical life, and the eschatological horizon of the life of grace. In an accessible account, the author narrates the doctrine of grace as directed towards and explained by the fact that God has destined humans to spend eternity in communion with the Triune creator.