The Eucharist in the Fathers of the Church

It is of particular importance to know the teachings of the Fathers on the Eucharist, “the source and summit of the whole Christian life” (“Lumen gentium”, 11), because they are very qualified witnesses of the doctrine concerning the Eucharistic mystery. “Is there one bread? We are many, yet we are one body, for we all eat the one bread” (1 Cor 10:17). Communion opens up for us broad horizons of fraternity and charity. Benedict XVI expresses this when he reminds us of the union that comes from the Eucharist: “We become one body, united in a single existence. Now, love of God and of neighbour are truly united: the incarnate God draws us all to himself. It is therefore understandable that agape has also become a name for the Eucharist: in it, God’s agape reaches us bodily in order to continue to act in us” (Deus caritas est, 14). In the writings of the Holy Fathers we can see the ancient roots of these teachings, coming from the very sources of faith. In this volume we present 112 texts of the Holy Fathers on the signs of bread and wine and the real presence of Christ in them, the fruits of communion, the relationship of the Eucharist with the Holy Spirit, with Mary, with martyrdom… To facilitate consultation, indexes of authors and works, thematic and biblical, are included.

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