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This page gives references to books
and articles for those making studies
on the Eucharist
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The Eucharist Seen From Various Contexts The Eucharist is such a rich sacramental reality that it can be seen in various contexts. This page will give references to books and articles where the Eucharist can be studied in its different contexts: from the general context of spirituality and theology, with a special focus on scripture. The books listed on the left column focus more on the spirituality of the Eucharist, while the articles that are listed below it, deal more with the many scriptural and theological meanings that can be derived from the Eucharist. The encyclical of John Paul II, Ecclesia de Eucharistia, sees the Eucharist in its many meanings. However, the unique contribution of this encyclical to the rich sacramental meaning of the Eucharist, is in its ecumenical aspect. This is dealt with in paragraphs #43-46. John Paul relates this to his ecumenical encyclical, Ut Unum Sit. |
The articles that are referred to in the list below the
books are more theologically laden with the scriptural
study method called exegesis and hermeneutics. As such,
the studies are much more technical, compared to the
ones given in the three books mentioned. For those
who have some background on exegesis and hermeneutics,
these are very good sources of studies on the Eucharist.
These materials are indeed excellent, and can serve
as a good starter list for those who are undertaking formal
studies in the Eucharist.
The articles that specifically focus on studying the scriptural references to the Eucharist are the ones written by Dequeker and Zuidema, Countryman, and Giblet. They approach the study of the Eucharist by looking at the scriptural texts themselves and studying the meaning intended as originally close to the way they were perceived to be, by the early Christian communities, especially the Corinthian, Markan and Johannine communities. |
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For those who wish to learn how to see the Eucharist in
its relation to daily life, Bernard Häring's book and
Paul Bernier's book are excellent sources. Häring focuses
on the Eucharist as our source of making praise and
thanksgiving to God, while Bernier focuses on what the
present liturgy on the Eucharist is, and how we can improve
it to be, as close to the reality originally intended by Christ,
as expressed by St. Paul in his letters and epistles. For those who wish to see the Eucharist in terms of how the Church sees it in a ministerial context, Bernard Häring's work is superb in this endeavour. In fact, at the back cover of the book published by St. Paul Publications, Makati, Philippines, he states, "This little book is an act of thanksgiving for the gift of faith and the priestly vocation." In many parts of the book, he gives references to parts of the liturgy of the Eucharist. Paul Bernier, SSS, sees the Eucharist more in its pastoral context: how the people can find meaning in their celebration of the Eucharist. He states the purpose of the book: "...the purpose of this book: to try to bridge the gap between liturgy and daily life, so that the inner reality and dynamism of the Eucharist itself begin to inspire the self-understanding of the Christian." |
The other articles that dwell on the sacramental reality
of the Eucharist study it in many different contexts.
Enrique Dussel makes a good study of how we can make
a link between bread as the fruit of man's labor
and bread as the substance of offering in the Eucharist.
O'Toole studies the implication of the Eucharist
to the life of religious. Laurance studies the
Eucharist in its expression of the imitation of
Christ. He sees it especially in the scriptural
reference, "Do this in remembrance of me" (Lk 22:19;
1 Cor 11:24, 25). Ernst, on the other hand, studies
the Eucharist as a means towards unity. Falardeau
studies the Eucharist as the greatest source
of communion with God through Christ. Leon-Dufour
studies the Eucharist in its being originally
a meal. Jegen studies the Eucharist in terms
of its being a source of peacemaking. The list of books and articles on the Eucharist in this page are not all inclusive. There are much more to be found in other authors as well. However, this is a good starter list for those who want to take more advanced studies on the subject of Eucharist. |
