Who really celebrates the Eucharist?
The People’s Celebration of the Eucharist » by Benedictine Fintan Lyons OSB a monk in Glenstal Abbey is one of the recent titles from Messenger Publications.
The book revolves around two important questions regarding the Mass. Who celebrates the Eucharist?What are they celebrating? Elaborating on these questions the author asks, “who exactly are ‘the people’ who celebrate the Eucharist – are they a congregation with a presiding priest, or the people of God incorporating but ordained and non-ordained persons?” And regarding the Eucharist they are celebrating, “Is it a meal? Or a sacrifice? Or both?”
Fintan Lyons OSB says these are deceptively simple questions, but our initial responses to them can reveal our perception of the Church as a hierarchical structure whose sacramental role regarding the Mass is to provide a ‘passive’ congregation, that looks on, and responds to, an active presider. The author sees this as an impoverished view of the Eucharist.
This book addresses the celebration of the Eucharist from the perspective of the people’s participation, using the Constitution on the Liturgy of Vatican II in an attempt to give a more profound and comprehensive account than might usually be presented.
The author discusses how the Mass may be seen as both a sacrifice and a shared meal, and explores the practical arrangements that are needed in today’s world for an authentic celebration. He notes that concentration on this broader perception of participation has ecumenical implications that resonate with the Orthodox Church’s theology of the Eucharist.
About the author
Fintan Lyons OSB is a monk of Glenstal Abbey. He has a doctorate in Reformed Theology. His publications include Martin Luther: His Challenge Then and Now, Food, Feast and Fast: From Ancient World to Environmental Crisis, and The Persistence of Evil: A Cultural, Literary and Theological Analysis.
