If the Eucharist is, as the Church claims, the “fount, heart, and summit” of our Christian or Church life, why is it that despite the millions upon millions of masses, nay billions of commemorations of the Last Supper across the centuries, life on earth as brothers and sisters seems to be as elusive as ever? Is there a way of making the Eucharist an impactful Church action, truly exciting and relevant here and now, beyond what the Church is already doing?

Unbeknownst to many, our Eucharist had a twin, one where the fulcrum of Christian faith was not the death and resurrection of Jesus, but his life and words. The Sacrifice of the Mass we now have is the surviving twin, a combined product of Trent and Vatican II. The concept of Transubstantiation has made of it a self-referential Church action which basically short-circuits the dynamic of God’s saving action. Instead of leading to mission, it has been turned inward to promote adoration and devotions.

The book attempts to show how the Eucharist would look like in a Church that rediscovered its original vision and mission. In particular, it suggests that the Eucharist may well be conceived of and practiced as both liturgical action and pastoral action, as sacrament of unity that continually actualizes that unity, even as the Church seriously takes to heart its mandated engagement for God’s poor in the world.