"An informative book that raised some good issues." -Catholic Library World--Sanford Lakoff
"From his rich background in the field of liturgical studies and many years as editor of "Worship, " Kevin Seasoltz has drawn together multiple resources on a number of important theological, liturgical, and pastoral issues in a single volume. The book's focus on God's gift giving provides a valuble lens for reframing some of the major theological topics of our day, including what it means to speak of the Eucharist as sacrifice, how to speak of the cross in a world of violence, the relationship of word and sacrament, and the role of the Spirit throughout creation and within the liturgy." - Mary Catherine Hilkert, OP, Professor of Theology, University of Notre Dame --Sanford Lakoff
"If you are planning to read only one book on the theology of the Eucharist in the near future I would heartily recommend this book to your consideration...Seasoltz is wide-ranging in his reading. He is also extremely literate, making excellent use of literature, art and music along the way. I hope that this book is used widely in college and seminary courses." John F. Baldovin, Worship, May 2008, Vol. 83 No. 3--Sanford Lakoff
"In a book that will be accessible to Catholic and Christian believers with at least some theological background, Benedictine Kevin Seasoltz approaches the mystery of God and God's work in our world from the point of view of gift-giving...it is clear that the author is a liturgist who loves this aspect of Christian living and knows how to indicate its relevance in a general way to ethics and even politics. However, one misses the lack of real engagement with 'nitty-gritty'...This is a thoughtful book, fruit of much scholarship and wisdom." Gerry O'Hanlon, The Furrow, March 2008--Sanford Lakoff
"Kevin Seasoltz, OSB, who is one of the foremost American scholars on liturgy and worship and whose previous book A Sense of the Sacred: Theological Foundations of Christian Architecture and Art (Continuum, 2005) won First Place for liturgy in the Catholic Press Association's Awards in 2006, now 'gifts' us with another magnificent book, this time on God's Gift-Giving...God's Gift Giving is a deeply learned book. There is practically no significant theologian, past and present, whose insights have not been discussed and appropriated. Yet the book is highly readable and even spiritually edifying. But if you think you have not had sufficient theological background to fully understand the first five chapters, then by all means read the last one. There Seasoltz unfolds some implications of the theology of God's gift-giving for pastoral practice and spirituality. Your heart will be warmed by his wisdom, compassion, and inclusiveness." -Peter C. Phan, Catholic Books Review, 2009
"Seasoltz, the editor of Worship, offers the reader a wonderful example of an ecumenically minded Catholic theology against the backdrop of the contemporary debate over the nature of gift giving. Citing seminal thinkers such as Derrida and Marion, Seasoltz moves quickly to explore possible meanings of God's giving, in sacrifice and atonement word and sacrament, Spirit and church. He allows a range of theological excursions, on panentheism, the (im)possibility of violence and suffering on the part of God, to inform his inquiry into these particular gifts, and remains in dialogue throughout with theologians across a wide spectrum. In each chapter, Seasoltz returns to the Eucharist as a central activity embodying both the gifting of God and the gratitude of a church which appropriately responds in worship and fellowship (leading one to wish for a deeper investigation into the nature of giving as a debt to be repaid). Because of this focus, his work may be of greater value to those interested in sacramental theology (such as seminarians) than those concerned with the phenomenology of gift giving, although his point seems to be that the latter leads to the former within a Christian theology. A reader interested in any of the aforementioned gifts, however, will find something of worth in Seasoltz's offerings." -D. Allen Tennison, Religious Studies Review, September 2008
"Seasoltz, the longtime editor of Worship, is finely attuned to the problems the idea of sacrifice can present; in particular, he is familiar with the critique of certain crude understandings of the 'sacrifice of the Mass.' His book includes a wonderful chapter on the gift of the Holy Spirit, a subject now seriously considered in Catholic theology after a long period of Christomonism in the Western church, when the Third Person of the Trinity often seemed to figure only as an afterthought...Finally, Seasoltz provides a rich account of sacramental and liturgical theology. The book's footnotes are the product of a careful and exhaustive scholarship...and Seasoltz's exemplary exposition is clear and free of jargon...The author's success in bringing the concept of gift to bear on so many theological topics will make this book useful to any educated Catholic, but especially to those who preach, teach, or conduct spiritual exercises."-Lawarence S. Cunningham, Commonweal, January 18, 2008
--Sanford Lakoff
"Social scientists of all stripes, some philosophers (including deconstructionists), and an increasing number of theologians have become infatuated with 'gift-giving.' Gifts, they find, offer important clues into the character of the giver, the recipient, and the ties that bind them to each other and to their culture. Seen as a gift-giver, God's being and relationship to creation take on new meaning. Kevin Seasoltz rethinks the significance of sacrifice, Jesus as victim, word and sacrament, the gift of the Spirit, and sundry other gifts of which we are beneficiaries. Without mentioning the word, he has produced a fresh and engaging treatise on grace that will appeal to serious readers wanting to keep abreast of current developments in theology." - Berard L. Marthaler, OFMConv, Profesor Emeritus, Catholic University of America--Sanford Lakoff
"This highly regarded editor of Worship and Berakah award winner cogently makes the case that "God lives primarily for giving, giving to the extent of giving his only Son who in turns gives the fullness of his life for his people...Our response to that gift is meant to be eucharist" (235). To arrive at that conclusion, Seasoltz carefully examines the conceptual foundations behind it. In the process, her tackles many complex issues and refuses to sidestep thorny and contentious ones...Seasoltz' gift for historical insight is especially evident in his chapter on "God's Gift of Word and Sacrament." Dwight W. Vogel, Doxology, 2007 --Sanford Lakoff
