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- Title
Christ's Eucharist and the Nature of Love: The Contribution of Hans Urs von Balthasar.
- Authors
Healy, Jr., Nicholas J.
- Abstract
At the heart of the Church's faith in the real presence of Christ in the Sacrament of the Eucharist is a grateful acknowledgment that Christ has communicated the very substance of his life to the Church. The consecrated host and the chalice of blood contain in truth the totality of Christ's life, death, and Resurrection and the drama of our salvation. This article presents Hans Urs von Balthasar's theology of the Eucharist, with a particular focus on the ecclesial and eschatological dimensions of the Sacrament. The unifying theme is an understanding of love as a total-gift-of-self whose innermost form and fruit is reciprocal communion. The mid-point and heart of von Balthasar's eucharistic theology is the idea of a personal and free exchange of life-a Holy Communion or covenant constituted by Christ giving himself to the Father and to the Church. Through the mediation of the Holy Spirit, the Church participates inwardly in this sacrificial communion by receiving this gift and offering herself and all of creation back to the Father in thanksgiving and adoration.
- Subjects
LORD'S Supper; EMOTIONS; FRIENDSHIP; INTERPERSONAL attraction; NATURAL resources
- Publication
Saint Anselm Journal, 2015, Vol 10, Issue 2, p1
- ISSN
2689-6230
- Publication type
Article