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Books on Christian Love and the Eucharist
Two of the most popular themes of the Catholic faith are Christian
love and the Eucharist. These are very basic and foundational topics
on Catholicism that the present pope, Benedict XVI, wrote about it
extensively in the documents
Deus Caritas Est, ("God is Love")
and
Sacramentum Caritatis, ("Sacrament of charity").
Aside from these two recently published Church documents on Christian
love and the Eucharist, there are also other books which treat of these
subjects in different contexts and perspectives. Below is a list of these
books with a short description detailing the content written in its
pages.
- No Greater Love
- This booklet contains brief paragraphs on prayers and meditations
written by Brother Roger of Taizé. Brother Roger is the founder of
the religious community in Taizé, France. This booklet is the fruit
of Christian love expressed in the contemplative experience of community
among the brothers of Taizé. (originally published as Amour de tout
amour, Ateliers et Presses de Taizé, 1991)
- The Loving Heart
- This book contains the prayers and encouraging statements of
the late John Paul II for the sick and suffering in the world.
His prayers and statements are borne by his own experience of
suffering when he went through a recovery period after the assassination
attempt on his life in 1981. These prayers and statements addressed
to different peoples and cultures all over the world are taken between
the years 1979 to 1992. (original Italian language edition published
in Italy in 1993 by Libreria Editrice Rogate as Il Vangelo della
Sofferenza)
-
In the Heart of the City, In the Heart of God
- Pierre-Marie Delfieux founded the Jerusalem Communities in Paris
in the 1970s as two communities of urban monks and nuns. This foundation
broadened to include solitaries, associate members and lay fraternities.
This book is an exposition of their monastic rule and begins its first
chapter on the topic of Love. Their religious family seeks to fulfill
the dream of quickening the modern city with the freshness of prayer
and charity in community. (first published in 1985 by Darton, Longman,
and Todd Ltd 89 Lillie Road, London SW6 IUD - originally published as
Jerusalem Livre de Vie, Les Editions du Cerf, 1981)
More
- The Friendship of God
- This book written by Segundo Galilea is produced on his personal
belief that the saints' friendship with God-in-Jesus would lead to
great human friendships. Author Galilea is a pastor who preaches
a lot of retreats to the poor and ordinary people. And since
he wanted to respond to these people's desire to put the fundamental
themes of Christian spirituality that he has been preaching to
them in writing, he chose the symbol of friendship - the universal
experience of love available to all.
- Spiritualities of the Heart
- The heart has always been a major symbol in Christian spirituality.
It is the place where we open or close ourselves to the mystery of
God's love. This book contains selected but popular authors, from
St. Irenaeus of Lyons to Henri Nouwen, and examines how they
perceive God as love in their religious experiences. For those
who want to advance in their knowledge of Catholic spirituality,
this book teaches well from a contemporary context and perspective
what was originally written since the 4th century A.D. (published
by Paulist Press 997 Macarthur Boulevard Mahwah, New Jersey 07430,
copyright 1990 by the Society of the Sacred Heart, United States
Province)
More
- Ecclesia de Eucharistia
- This encyclical produced by John Paul II is one that places
the Eucharist in the contexts he usually refers in many of his
writings: in relation to ecumenism, in relation to Mary; in
relation to saints and holiness; and in relation to the Church's
mission. Particularly outstanding in this document is his mention
of the Blessed Virgin Mary as the "Woman of the Eucharist". He
explains in the document that Mary is our support and guide in
acquiring the disposition necessary in obeying God's will. Just
as Mary said her "fiat" or "yes" to God to receive the Jesus in
her womb with a pure faith, so we too are taught that same
disposition when as believers we say "Amen" when receiving
Christ in the form of consecrated bread in the Eucharist.
- Celebrating the Eucharist
- This book presents the Eucharist from a specialized perspective:
reflecting on each part of the Mass - from the sign of the cross
to the final blessing - in the light of Holy Scriptures [alluding
mostly to the Old Testament]. The author, Luis Alonso Schökel,
is a professor of Old Testament studies in Rome. Though his
theological education is extensive, he writes this book in
a reflective way, without rigorous structure or system. The
biblical reflections on the Eucharist in this book can help
any Catholic understand better the Holy Mass and gain a deeper
appreciation of Christian life. (original title, Meditaciones
biblica sobre la Eucaristia, Editorial Sal Terrae, Santander
1986)
- Source and Summit
- This book on the Eucharist is unique. It gathers the writings
of six great spiritual masters who insightfully reflect on the
mystery of the Eucharist. The six authors featured in this book
are three men and three women - all
doctors of the Church
[
John of the Cross,
Francis de Sales, Alphonsus
Liguori,
Catherine of Siena,
Teresa of Avila, and Thérčse of Lisieux]. The spiritual wisdom contained
in their reflections help guide and teach us that Jesus is truly the "source
and summit" of our being Christian. Author Joel Giallanza of the Congregation
of the Holy Cross presents all this with biographical, historical, and doctrinal
material to assist us in understanding each message of the six saints featured.
(published by Alba House,
www.alba-house.com)
- Bread Broken and Shared
- This book offers a new look at the Eucharist - one that calls the
individual to community, and one that challenges us to be sensitive to the
needs of our less fortunate brothers and sisters. Author Paul Bernier, sss,
stresses that the Eucharist is not only the celebration of the Holy Mass.
Rather, it is our daily living of helping other people during the whole
week which we bring to Church on Sunday to offer to God, and also,
the source of strength that shall influence and inspire us to continue
on in helping them when we return back to our daily lives after the
Eucharistic celebration. This broader vision of the Eucharist opens our
eyes and makes us see that we live in a human community which is in
need of the Good News. (published by Darton, Longman and Todd Ltd.,
and Doubleday and Company Inc., N.Y., 1981)
- Eucharist: Celebrating its Rhythms in Our Lives
- This is another book of author Paul Bernier, sss. It is a book
filled with rich and vivid imagery. In this book, he again continues
to restate his exposition of the Eucharist as the central and essential
element that we take into the rhythms of daily life. He uses the
evocative image of the "Lord of the Dance" and illustrates that
the Eucharist's gathering, storytelling, prophetic, nurturing,
and missionary rhythms, lead us to respond with open hearts, hands,
eyes, minds, and doors. Celebrating the rhythms of the Eucharist
more and more in our daily life helps us to live its mystery more fully and
meaningfully. (published by Ave Maria Press, Notre Dame, IN 46556, 1993)
- The Eucharist and Our Everyday Life
- Author Bernard Häring stresses in his book the elements of
praise and thanksgiving of the Eucharist. In fact, he writes
this book as "an act of thanksgiving for the gift of faith
and the priestly vocation". He offers the book as a leitmotif
and norm for our everyday life - making praise and thanksgiving
central in our Christian life. The meditations contained in
his book were written in a hospital after a surgery on the
author's vocal chords. Worried that he may never be able to
sing again, he was inspired by his doctor's encouragement
when the doctor said: "Even if your voice may never sing again,
your life will praise the Lord." (first published in England
in 1978 by St. Paul Publications, Middlegreen, Slough SL3 6BT,
England)
- Loaves and Fish
- Some of the scriptural foundations of the sacrament of the
Eucharist are the feeding narratives in the four gospels
- gospel accounts of the multiplication of the loaves and
fish. This book mentions that the term food or bread is
cited some ninety times and that the term eating is mentioned
one hundred nine times in the gospels. This finding shows
that bread has a special meaning relative to the mission
of Jesus and His teaching. It is one of the keys to understanding
the New Testament. (published by the Liturgical Press Collegeville,
Minnesota 56321 USA, 1991)
Related pages:
Books and Articles on the Eucharist
Learning More about the Eucharist
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