Loving the Church [Paperback]

Christoph Cardinal Schonborn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1998

Retreat to John Paul II and the Papal Household Cardinal Christoph Schönborn In this series of retreat meditations preached to Pope John Paul II and the papal household during a Lenten retreat, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn uses the Catechism of the Catholic Church (of which he was the general editor) and Sacred Scripture to lead us to a deeper union with Christ by helping us to understand and love the Church, His bride. To love the Church, which the Catechism calls "a living communion with Jesus Christ", we must see her with the eyes of Jesus, who "loved the Church and gave Himself up for her." As he draws us into a deeper understanding of the Church, who she is and where the deepest wellsprings of her being lie are the theme of his meditations. He also illustrates many points by using the thoughts of the new doctor of the Church, St. Thérèse of Lisieux. She found her vocation to be "love in the heart of the Church" and can offer us a renewed and vital vision of the Church. "It is an awesome task to preach a retreat in the presence of the Pope. Cardinal Schönborn does it successfully by presenting the methods of St. Ignatius Loyola's famous retreat in a fresh way using the new Catechism, the Bible, and St. Thérèse of Lisieux." - Fr. Ken Baker, S.J., Editor, Homiletic and Pastoral Review Cardinal Christoph Schönborn is the Archbishop of Vienna, Austria. He was the general editor of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and is the author of God's Human Face and Living the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: German

Product Details

• Paperback: 218 pages
• Publisher: Ignatius Press (February 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0898706769
• ISBN-13: 978-0898706765
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #696,181 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars our next pope?, March 5, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Loving the Church (Paperback)

One delightful tip is to read these exercises and then read the catechism sections they refer to. Christoph Cardinal Schonborn is the general editor of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and might possibly become our next Pope. These reflections were actually preached for Pope John Paul II; you can't get more orthodox or reliable than that.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church can be a heady book, very long, a bit technical for the layman. But it will spring to life for you in reading these spiritual exercises. This book taught me not just how to read the Catechism, but how to pray it.

Cardinal Schonborn's great gift is the intense spirituality of his writing, which is deeply rooted in traditional Catholic theology and ancient Catholic scriptural exigesis. Christoph Schonborn will teach you to see the Church as she sees herself, as Bride, as victim, as the great cloud of witnesses which is the mystical Body of her Divine Spouse; in short you will see the Church as the communion of saints in Holy communion with the Lord. You will see the Church as Christ sees her--and if you're a convert, as I am, you will fall in love with her all over again.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars To Know, to Love, to Serve(Share), April 17, 2001

By 

Deacon William C. Wagner, MA - See all my reviews

This review is from: Loving the Church (Paperback)

Knowledge makes love fruitful in service. God calls us to be the instruments of salvation for others(evangelization). That is the work of the Church. Far too many of us find ourselves involved in church work and not in the work of the Church. This little book will help straighten out the misunderstanding.

"Loving the Church" is a series of meditations on the Church given as a Lenten retreat(1966) to the Holy Father and his staff. The aim of the book(retreat) is to instill a more profound sense of Church(that's our reason for reading the book). I can imagine the difficulty of retaining a sense of mystery in the Church when such as a papal staff is unceasingly confronted with the practical, day to day, sometimes mundane requirements of a visibile and functioning organization. Yet the Church is fundamentally a mystery, founded in the mystery of Christ himself, human and divine. We are put into communion with this mystery through communion with Christ. I believe this to be a fundamental point for our author, Christoph Cardinal Schonborn.

Although the whole is always the sum of all its parts, two "chapters" alone are worth the price of the book. In "The Mysteries of the Life of Christ," Schonborn anchors us in God's plan for us; to be united to himself in the Son's humanity. That humanity, in Schonborn's view is "radically filial" not "sevile". By God's design we are to become "sons(daughters) in the Son". In the words of the Fathers of the Church, "divinized". For Schonborn becoming Church means, at its deepest level, this very participation in the Sonship of Jesus.

The other "chapter" which excels is "The Communion of Saints". Its key understanding is that "the Church does not come to an end at the threshold of death." In Christoph Schonborn's words, "She(the Church) is the communion of ALL who live in Christ." A more compelling explanation on the communion of saints than in this meditation will be hard to find anywhere.

A repeated emphasis found in "Loving the Church" is that our participation in the Mystery of the Church is reality and not theological theory. It is based on fact, the fact of the Incarnation of the very Son of God in the real womb of a very real woman approximately two thousand years ago, Mary.

Though I found the first part of the book a little slow. That may just be me or the fact that the Cardinal was preparing the ground, tilling the soil as it were. However, no one will come away from this book without having been abundantly enriched.

A must read!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars theology set to music, March 23, 2000

By 

George (Chattanooga, TN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Loving the Church (Paperback)

This is a man who talks about the Catechism and Scared Scripture in such a way that the reader almost hears a kind of heavenly music in which the heart wants to sing! Beautifully written, the book offers insight to scripture par excellance! The author sees all of creation and salvation history as a prefiguring of the "Church" as only Catholics can understand that term. Compelling, I could not put the book down until I finished it and then couldn't wait to give it to my parish priest. A true treasure to read for Lent! Cardinal Schonborn may indeed be our next Pope.