Winner of a 2018 Catholic Press Association Award: Sacraments (First Place).
How can Christians grow spiritually in the midst of our sinfulness? How can we transform our lives in a way that allows us to share in the resurrection of Jesus?
God has already given us the perfect solution—the sacraments.
Whether it is the wound of past hurts, the strain in our relationships, or the stress of daily life, we all need to be comforted and made whole by Christ. In this follow-up to his bestselling Be Healed, Bob Schuchts explains how the sacraments can fuel your emotional and spiritual healing and bring you closer to God.
Based on more than thirty-five years of experience as a therapist and decades spent in parish ministry, Schuchts demonstrates how each of the seven sacraments can be a life-changing encounter with Christ, communicated through the power of the Holy Spirit. He pairs each healing sacrament with one of the seven deadly wounds that emanated from original sin in the Garden of Eden. We perpetuate and deepen those wounds each time we sin, but the sacraments are God’s remedy for sin. They give us a way to restore us to wholeness in Christ.
In Be Transformed, You’ll discover how each sacrament can help you heal from wounds that can impede your relationships and sense of self-worth. With Schuchts’s help, you’ll learn how:
- Baptism makes us beloved children of God, healing our wounds of rejection
- Holy Communion heals our wounds of abandonment by inviting us to share in Jesus’ abiding presence
- Confirmation overcomes our powerlessness through the power of the Holy Spirit
- Holy Orders heals wounds of confusion and disorder by re-establishing God’s authority in our lives
- In marriage, God’s faithful love heals wounds of fear and mistrust
- Reconciliation restores purity and releases us from shame
- Anointing of the Sick provides enduring hope to overcome our hopelessness
Be Transformed offers all of the tools you need for a fresh understanding of the sacraments, including reflection questions, scripture meditations, prayers, and inspiring stories. You’ll come away hungry for the sacraments in a way you never knew possible.
Review
"With the gentleness gained from years of ministering to the needs and wounds of others, Bob Schuchts introduces you to the healing power of the sacraments in a powerfully eye-opening way. Be Transformed explains how the graces from all seven sacraments impact your daily life and how they can heal deep wounds of rejection, confusion, and abandonment. In doing so, you come to understand your true identity in Christ. After reading this book, you will realize that your deepest longings are themselves a longing for the sacraments." --Christopher West, Founder and president of The Cor Project, Cofounder of the Theology of the Body Institute
"For many people, the sacraments stand at a distance as a formality to the Christian life. Not fully understanding the ministry of Christ, the apostles, and the Church over the past two thousand years, many are unaware of what and who the sacraments really are and the powerful role they play in the life God designed for each of us. In this book, Bob Schuchts has recaptured the meaning and beauty of the sacraments and the powerful work of Christ through them. Be Transformed is a book that will stand the test of time and truly transform people’s lives. This book has renewed my faith in Christ and the Church and instilled in me a new vigor for the sacraments, and I'm certain it will for you!" --Paul George, Founder of Adore Ministries
"What a beautifully simple and transforming book! Sadly, many Catholics don't understand and, more importantly, don't experience the full grace and power contained in the sacraments. God desires to transform, heal, and make holy his people, and he so often chooses to bring this about in the sacraments of the Church. With each sacrament, Bob Schuchts marvelously reveals the often-unseen healing grace contained within the sacraments. He goes on to show that this grace is present for all people who open their hearts to receive it." --Rev. Dave Pivonka, T.O.R., Author of Breath of God
"Be Transformed offers a fresh and original way of understanding the ancient Catholic tradition that the sacraments heal the wounds of fallen human nature. In a world where so many have experienced deep hurts, this book is exactly what is needed! Through personal testimonies and clear explanations, Schuchts shows how every one of the sacraments can be the means of a personal encounter with the Lord Jesus, the physician of our souls and bodies." --Mary Healy, Author of Men and Women Are from Eden
"Bob Schuchts has masterfully illumined the healing and restorative power of the sacraments--these transforming rivers of grace that bring us into the abundant life. For lifelong Catholics or anyone who has ever wondered, 'Does anything really happen to me when I receive the sacraments?' this book is for you!" --Sr. Miriam James Heidland, S.O.L.T., Catholic speaker and author of Loved As I Am
About the Author
Bob Schuchts is the bestselling author of Be Healed, Be Transformed, and Be Devoted. He is the founder of the John Paul II Healing Center in Tallahassee, Florida, and cohost of the Restore the Glory podcast with Jake Khym.
After receiving his doctorate in family relations from Florida State University in 1981, Schuchts became a teacher and counselor. While in private practice, he also taught graduate and undergraduate courses at Florida State and Tallahassee Community College. Schuchts later served on faculty at the Theology of the Body Institute and at the Center for Biblical Studies—where he taught courses on healing, sexuality, and marriage—and was a guest instructor for the Augustine Institute. He volunteered in parish ministry for more than thirty years.
He retired as a marriage and family therapist in December 2014.
Schuchts has two daughters and eight grandchildren. His wife, Margie, died in 2017.
