THE SACRAMENTS are part of everyday Christian life, and in this book Fr Francis Selman looks beyond the signs and symbols to reveal the underlying theology of the sacraments as an encounter with Christ. He shows how the sacraments are the means by which a Christian is incorporated into the life of the Church and ultimately into the life of the Trinity itself. Fully up to date with recent insights, it is nonetheless rooted in the thought of St Thomas Aquinas and the Fathers of the Church. 'The Church receives and at the same time expresses what she herself is in the seven sacraments, thanks to which God's grace concretely influences the lives of the faithful, so that their whole existence, redeemed by Christ, can become an act of worship pleasing to God.' - Pope Benedict XVI, Sacramentum Caritatis Fr Francis Selman is a lecturer, course book writer and tutor at Maryvale Institute in Birmingham. He is also Dean of Philosophy at Allen Hall Seminary, and Director of Studies at the School of Evangelisation at St Patrick's, Soho Square in London. Fr Selman has published widely on subjects in theology and philosophy, including A Guide to the Eucharist also available from Gracewing.