The Beauty of the Eucharist: Voices from the Church Fathers

A title for the Year of the Priest This book examines what some of the most prominent voices of Christianitys distant past have taught about the Eucharist. The authors goal is to look at how the proponents of an emerging Christian orthodoxy understood, celebrated and presented the Eucharist in the centuries immediately following the end of the apostolic era. Father Billy has made a monumental contribution to the popularization of the Church Fathers at a time in the life of the religious community when being reminded of tradition is vital for the perpetuity of the faith. By a careful, sensitive and thoroughly readable exposure to the original texts of the Fathers, this book provides the faith community and the individual with a resource of equalized utility in both a delineation and explication of the Churchs teaching about and the meaning of the Eucharist. If ever a time was right for such a reintroduction of the Fathers teachings, now is unquestionably the time. John H. Morgan, Ph.D. President, Graduate Theological Foundation Dennis Billy has done a masterful job of exposing us to almost 600 years of Christian belief on the Eucharist as reflected in the Fathers of the Church. He reminds us that this living faith of the dead is part of our heritage, something that we ignore only at our peril and loss. His writing is clear, practical and his treatment of each Father consistent. He helps us to see how each writer adds to the mosaic and richness of our Eucharistic faith. Especially helpful are the reflection questions that end each chapter, as these force readers to plumb the depth of their own understanding and faith and to examine how the Eucharist affects the whole of their Christian lives. I recommend it highly. Paul Bernier, SSS Editor, Emmanuel Magazine