Over 3 million copies sold! Essential reading for Catholics of all walks of life. Here it is - the first new Catechism of the Catholic Church in more than 400 years, a complete summary of what Catholics around the world commonly believe. The Catechism draws on the Bible, the Mass, the Sacraments, Church tradition and teaching, and the lives of saints. It comes with a complete index, footnotes and cross-references for a fuller understanding of every subject. The word catechism means "instruction" - this book will serve as the standard for all future catechisms. Using the tradition of explaining what the Church believes (the Creed), what she celebrates (the Sacraments), what she lives (the Commandments), and what she prays (the Lord's Prayer), the Catechism of the Catholic Church offers challenges for believers and answers for all those interested in learning about the mystery of the Catholic faith. The Catechism of the Catholic Church is a positive, coherent and contemporary map for our spiritual journey toward transformation.

Cardinal Schönborn, the editor of the monumental Catechism of the Catholic Church, a worldwide best seller, provides a brief and profound commentary on the first part of the Catechism, the Creed. Schönborn gives an incisive, detailed analysis of the Creed, providing a specific meditation for each week of the year on how to better live the Catholic faith as expressed in the Creed and explained in the Catechism. Through these 52 meditations, Schönborn's hope is for the reader to not just have a better grasp of Catholic doctrine and belief, but especially to grow in a greater love of and devotion to the person of Jesus Christ. "Faith is whole. It has only one heart, one center: Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God. Christ must therefore also be the center of catechesis whose object is 'putting people...in communion...with Jesus Christ: only he can lead us to the love of the Father in the Spirit and make us share in the life of the Holy Trinity' (CCC 426), for 'in him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge' (Col 2:3). In a certain sense, the 'essential elements of the faith' have their origin in a treasury of the heart of Jesus." -Cardinal Christoph Schönborn

Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, the editor of the monumental Catechism of the Catholic Church, a worldwide best seller, provides a brief and profound commentary on the second part of the Catechism, the sacraments. Schönborn gives an incisive, detailed analysis of the sacraments, providing a specific meditation for each week of the year on how to better live the Catholic faith with the aid of the sacraments and the Mass, and explained in the Catechism. Through these 52 meditations, Schönborn's hope is for the reader to not just have a better grasp of the Catholic doctrine and belief, but especially to grow in a greater love of and devotion to the person of Jesus Christ. "Faith is a whole. It has only one heart, one center, Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God. Christ must therefore also be the center of catechesis whose object is 'putting people...in communion...with Jesus Christ; only He can lead us to the love of the Father in the Spirit". -Cardinal Christoph Schönborn

Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, the editor of the monumental Catechism of the Catholic Church, a worldwide best seller, provides a brief and profound commentary on the third part of the Catechism, Life in Christ. Schönborn gives an incisive, detailed analysis of living the Christian life, providing a specific meditation for each week of the year on how to better live the Catholic faith as presented in the Catechism. Through these 52 meditations, Schönborn's hope is for the reader to not just have a better grasp of the Catholic doctrine and belief, but especially to grow in a greater love of and devotion to the person of Jesus Christ.

Cardinal Schönborn, the editor of the monumental Catechism of the Catholic Church, a worldwide best seller, provides a brief and profound commentary on the first part of the Catechism, the Creed. Schönborn gives an incisive, detailed analysis of the Creed, providing a specific meditation for each week of the year on how to better live the Catholic faith as expressed in the Creed and explained in the Catechism. Through these 52 meditations, Schönborn's hope is for the reader to not just have a better grasp of Catholic doctrine and belief, but especially to grow in a greater love of and devotion to the person of Jesus Christ. "Faith is whole. It has only one heart, one center: Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God. Christ must therefore also be the center of catechesis whose object is 'putting people...in communion...with Jesus Christ: only he can lead us to the love of the Father in the Spirit and make us share in the life of the Holy Trinity' (CCC 426), for 'in him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge' (Col 2:3). In a certain sense, the 'essential elements of the faith' have their origin in a treasury of the heart of Jesus." -Cardinal Christoph Schönborn

Cardinal Schönborn, the editor of the monumental Catechism of the Catholic Church, a worldwide best seller, provides a brief and profound commentary on the fourth part of the Catechism, the Paths of Prayer. Schönborn gives an incisive, detailed analysis of the Paths of Prayer, providing a specific meditation for each week of the year on how to develop a deeper life of prayer, as explained in the Catechism. Through these 52 meditations, Schönborn helps the reader to have a better grasp of Catholic prayer in its various forms, with a special emphasis on the Lord's Prayer. This book will aid one's growth in a greater love of and devotion to the Person of Jesus Christ. "In prayer there are joys that cannot be compared with any other joy, and at the same time prayer is a constant struggle. But in either case we do not do it alone: we pray as members of a great praying community-and it is much larger than we can suspect-and we do not struggle alone to pray. Many invisible helpers-in heaven and here on earth-are with us and assist us." -Christoph Cardinal Schönborn

As hunger for the faith continues to grow, Pope Benedict XVI gives the Catholic Church the food it seeks with 598 questions and answers in the