Reconciliation and Justification: The Sacrament and its Theology

Reconciliation and Justification offers a thorough historical and theological background on reconciliation and justification. It is an excellent textbook for theology, a good stimulus for discussion, and a significant contribution to all theological libraries. Since Vatican II the sacrament of reconciliation has met with both successes and difficulties. Author Kenan B. Osborne, O.F.M., contends that one of the main reasons for difficulty with the renewal of this sacrament is that it lacks the integration of justification theology. He outlines key issues on justification within the biblical theology of St. Paul and traces the historical, theological, and liturgical developments from the first century to the present. Thus, Fr. Osborne enriches our conception of reconciliation through these reflective christological and ecclesiological dimensions.