This is the first volume published in English of a series of International Handbooks of Catholic Theology under the general editorship of Cardinal Christoph Schnborn, Archbishop of Vienna.The book is a comprehensive introduction to the liturgy of the Roman Rite, set within a broader consideration of Christian liturgies Eastern and Western (Byzantine, Mozarabic, Ambrosian, and Reformed). The central theme of the book is the life-creating communication between God and human beings. Part 1 deals with God's invitation to humanity to enter the divine fullness of life. This is God's descent or...