No Trifling Matter

Taking the Sacraments Seriously Again

In No Trifling Matter, Monsignor Nicola Bux, a well-respected Italian professor of sacramental and liturgical theology, offers us a modern primer on the sacraments of the Catholic Church. Bux clarifies the purpose, significance, history, and spirituality of each of the seven “efficacious signs” by which, until the end of time, the Church diffuses the conditions of holiness to receptive people. To this positive exposition Bux adds a warning call regarding the deformations, equivocations, additions, and omissions threatening the primal symbolism of the sacraments in the postconciliar world. In a style at once learned and popular, Bux provides a user’s guide to the sacraments that will help Christians rediscover the mystery, beauty, and power of these immensely precious gifts of Christ, through which he renews his personal presence in every age.

“This timely and invigorating book offers an excellent introduction to the theology of the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church. The author sees clearly how sacramental theology and liturgical practice have lost their bearings and proposes fundamental principles from the Fathers and Doctors of the Church for charting a wiser course. He pleads the cause of continuity between the Church’s great tradition and her contemporary worship. He is above all a pastor who cares about the sanctification of souls and their unhindered access to the riches of grace provided by the sacred rites.” — ARCHBISHOP J. AUGUSTINE DI NOIA, OP, adjunct secretary for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith