Details

Abstract / Summary

The saints are good company. They are the heroes of the faith who blazed new and creative paths to holiness; they are the witnesses whose testimonies echo throughout the ages in the memory of the Church. Most Christians, and particularly Catholics, are likely to have their own favorite saints, those who inspire and 'speak' to believers as they pray and struggle through the challenges of their own lives. Leonard DeLorenzo's book addresses the idea of the communion of saints, rather than individual saints, with the conviction that what makes the saints holy and what forms them into a communion is one and the same. Work of Love investigates the issue of communication within the communio sanctorum and the fullness of Christian hope in the face of the meaning -- or meaninglessness -- of death. In an effort to revitalize a theological topic that for much of Catholic history has been an indelible part of the Catholic imaginary, DeLorenzo invokes the ideas of not only many theological figures (Rahner, Ratzinger, Balthasar, and de Lubac, among others) but also historians, philosophers (notably Heidegger and Nietzsche), and literary figures (Rilke and Dante) to create a rich tableau. By working across several disciplines, DeLorenzo argues for a vigorous renewal in the Christian imagination of the theological concept of the communion of saints. He concludes that the embodied witness of the saints themselves, as well as the liturgical and devotional movements of the Church at prayer, testifies to the central importance of the communion of saints as the eschatological hope and fulfillment of the promises of Christ.

Field of Interest

Religion & Thought

Author

Leonard J. DeLorenzo, fl. 2017

Copyright Message

Copyright © 2016 by the University of Notre Dame

Content Type

General reference book

Duration

0 sec

Format

Text

Original Publication Date

2017

Page Count

363

Publication Year

2017

Publisher

University of Notre Dame Press

Place Published / Released

Notre Dame, IN

Subject

Religion & Thought, Social Sciences, Central Myths, Community, الأساطيرالأساسية, Mythes centrale, Mythes fondateurs, Zentral Mythen, Gründungsmythen, מיתוסים מרכזיים, Mitos Centrais, Mitos Fundamentales, المجتمع, Umma, Jama'a, Communauté, Gemeinde, קְהִלָה, Comunidade, Comunidad, Christian, Roman Catholic, Holiness, Veneration of the Saints

Keywords and Translated Subjects

الأساطيرالأساسية, Mythes centrale, Mythes fondateurs, Zentral Mythen, Gründungsmythen, מיתוסים מרכזיים, Mitos Centrais, Mitos Fundamentales, المجتمع, Umma, Jama'a, Communauté, Gemeinde, קְהִלָה, Comunidade, Comunidad