Hans Urs von Balthasar once said that theology should be done on one's knees, suggesting that the attitude it should create in the reader or hearer is one of adoration and praise for the divine mystery. Few contemporary theologians achieve this effect, but here Kevin Seasoltz comes close. This book is a profound but simply written mediation on the central mysteries of the Christian faith - the trinity, redemption, the eucharist, human participation in the divine life and solidarity with one another - in a contemporary idiom. It begins with the notion of gift giving, which ever since Marcel Mauss' Essai sur le don has been the subject of intense discussion among ethicists, cultural anthropologists, and political scientists, as well as among philosophers like Jacques Derrida and theologians like Jean-Luc Marion. Seasoltz takes up these contemporary notions of gift giving and teases out various facets of the divine gifts of word and sacrament, of the Spirit, of communion and community. As Seasoltz says in one summary sentence: "The mystery of the Trinity is made accessible to us above all in the eucharist, for it is there in a special and ongoing way that we are drawn into the very life of God and into the lives of each other."

Liturgiam Authenticam, issued by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments in 2001 has resulted in wide coverage in the Catholic press, largely lamenting its lack of historical accuracy and clarity in legislating the use of liturgical texts. Translating Tradition includes four essays by Peter Jeffery, Obl.S.B., that appeared in Worship in 2004. The articles comment on Liturgiam Authenticam, point out its inconsistencies, lack of being mindful of church tradition, and problematic directives. Essays are "A Chant Historian Reads Liturgiam Authenticam 1: The Latin Liturgical Traditions," "A Chant Historian Reads Liturgiam Authenticam 2: The Bible in the Roman Rite," "A Chant Historian Reads Liturgiam Authenticam 3: Languages and Cultures," and "A Chant Historian Reads Liturgiam Authenticam 4: Human and Angelic Tongues." The English translation text of Liturgiam Authenticam is published as an appendice to the book.

The articles on Eucharistic liturgy given here are reprinted from the pages of Worship magazine. This expanded edition of the 1982 printing includes three additional essays: Justice and the Eucharist" by R. Kevin Seasoltz, O.S.B.; "Stipends and Eucharistic Praxis" by M. Francis Mannion; and "Stipends in the New Code of Canon Law" by John M. Huels, O.S.M.

Hans Urs von Balthasar once said that theology should be done on one's knees, suggesting that the attitude it should create in the reader or hearer is one of adoration and praise for the divine mystery. Few contemporary theologians achieve this effect, but here Kevin Seasoltz comes close. This book is a profound but simply written mediation on the central mysteries of the Christian faith - the trinity, redemption, the eucharist, human participation in the divine life and solidarity with one another - in a contemporary idiom. It begins with the notion of gift giving, which ever since Marcel Mauss' Essai sur le don has been the subject of intense discussion among ethicists, cultural anthropologists, and political scientists, as well as among philosophers like Jacques Derrida and theologians like Jean-Luc Marion. Seasoltz takes up these contemporary notions of gift giving and teases out various facets of the divine gifts of word and sacrament, of the Spirit, of communion and community. As Seasoltz says in one summary sentence: "The mystery of the Trinity is made accessible to us above all in the eucharist, for it is there in a special and ongoing way that we are drawn into the very life of God and into the lives of each other."