God Is Near Us: The Eucharist, the Heart of Life

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 160 pages
• Published by: Ignatius Press June 2003
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0898709628
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0898709629
• Book Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.5 inches
• Weighs: 7.5 ounces

Book Description
The Second Vatican Council says, "We ought to try to discover a new reverence for the Eucharistic mystery. Something is happening that is greater than anything we can do. The liturgy is the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed; it is the font from which all her power flows."

This profound statement about the Eucharist stands at the center of this book by Cardinal Ratzinger. He compellingly shows us the biblical, historical, and theological dimensions of the Eucharist. The Cardinal draws far-reaching conclusions, focusing on the importance of one's personal devotion to and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, for the personal reception of Communion by the individual Christian, as well as for the life of the Church. For Ratzinger, any transformation of the world on the social plane grows out of the celebration of the Eucharist. He gorgeously illustrates how the omnipotent God comes intimately close to us in the Holy Eucharist, the Heart of Life.

Publisher Description
Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, is one of the most renowned Catholic theological and spiritual writers of our times. His numerous books include God and the World, Salt of the Earth, and The Spirit of the Liturgy.

Reader Reviews
Cardinal Ratzinger never fails to satisfy the reader hungry for insight and depth. In this small book, which is a collection of past homilies and addresses on the Eucharist, Ratzinger discusses the Eucharist from many perspectives. For Catholics, the Eucharist is the "heart of life," as the book's subtitle states. So to deepen knowledge of the Eucharist is life-changing. For Protestants, there is no better way to see the Catholic difference, a Catholic difference shared with the Eastern Orthodox. You can see the Catholic difference in this excerpt: "The church is not just a space in which something sometimes happens early in the morning, while for the rest of the day it stands empty, 'unused'. There is always the 'Church' in the church building, because the Lord is always giving himself, because the eucharistic mystery remains present . . . ." (p. 89). This excerpt is from the address entitled "The Presence of the Lord in the Sacrament," which, in my view, is the most compelling of all the addresses in the book. Comment (1) | | (Report this)