Catholics and the Eucharist: A Scriptural Introduction

This insightful, vivid book will help even ""cradle Catholics"" better understand and appreciate their faith. Clark, a member of the international ecumenical Sword of the Spirit community and author or coauthor of more than 30 books on Christian living, writes of the Eucharist in the context of the liturgy or worship service (what many Catholics still think of as the ""Mass""). He hopes that readers will view the liturgy, as the Church's Second Vatican Council affirmed, as the summit of Christian living. Clark explores Old and New Testament Scriptures to explain how the Catholic liturgy evolved into its current form: the liturgy of the reading and interpretation of the Word of God and the liturgy of the Eucharist as the celebration and re-presentation of Christ's death and resurrection. Christ, in Clark's view, is corporately present and renews the faith of the assembly through both the Word of God and the sacrificial offering of bread and wine. The book's central strength is its explanation of how an Old Testament understanding of sacrifice and the Passover feast has informed Catholics' New Testament interpretation of Christ's sacrifice, which is celebrated with a Passover meal each Sunday. Accessible without being condescending, rich in understanding and thorough in analysis, this book should be valued by all Catholics seeking spiritual renewal. (May)