Treasure in the Field

Book excerpt: What does it mean to say that God offers salvation to humanity? What is this salvation, and how can we become more conscious of it in our lives? These are the questions that Robert Krieg faces in Treasure in the Field. While his intent is certainly to impart information and ideas found in Scripture, church teaching, and theology, it is also to illumine our own experiences. Krieg retrieves the Bible's teaching on salvation and expresses it in contemporary terms. Drawing deeply from Scripture, he defines salvation as God's gift of personal identity, of wholeness. In this perspective, God calls us not to invent ourselves but to discover ourselves as God intends us to be. Those who gradually make this discovery become grateful recipients who give themselves and their talents for the well-being of other people and creation. Robert A. Krieg is professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame. He is the editor and translator of Romano Guardini: Spiritual Writings, as well as the author of Romano Guardini: A Precursor of Vatican II; Karl Adam: Catholicism in German Culture; and Story-Shaped Christology. His work has also appeared in America, Theological Studies, Worship, and many other journals.