Fr. Robert Barron is a well-known author, speaker, and theologian. He is also the founder of the site Word on Fire, on which one can access a number of his sermons, lectures and writings. Fr. Barron offers a CD study on the Eucharist, which is accompanied by a written study guide and additional on-line resources.
The CD offers some really wonderful insights into the Eucharist. Particularly powerful for me was the discussion of Eucharist as sacrifice, in particular the reminder that “in a world gone wrong, there is no communion without sacrifice.” Defining sacrifice as “taking an aspect of creation and returning it go God in order to restore communion,” he offers numerous biblical examples that aid in a more meaningful understanding of sacrifice, and one that dispels some of the misconceptions that tend to accompany that word. (I previously talked about Barron’s discussion of Eucharist as sacrifice here.)
A second aspect I found very powerful, part of Barron’s discussion of Eucharist as sacred meal, was the emphasis on the cycle of giving and receiving. The natural order, if you will, the flow of grace, is: God gives, we receive with gratitude, we give back with praise, and God gives back…God always giving us what we need and more. Whatever words one wants to use to explain the “fall” – what the Genesis story of the eating the forbidden fruit signifies is a disruption, an interruption of the flow of grace. A grasping for self rather than receiving and returning in praise. That is an explanation that explains both sin and the path to holiness (and it was for me very much reminiscent of the Buddhist explanation of clinging and grasping as a root source of our problems).
While I found the CD great fruit for reflection, I thought the accompanying study guide was more of a mixed bag. Many of the “questions for understanding,” are pretty basic “reading comprehension” type questions (essentially: read this section of the catechism and answer a basic question about it) that I did not find particularly inspiring. However, I thought a number of the “questions for reflection” to be very thought-provoking. I was particularly pleased to see the suggestion that one pray the Anima Christi prayer after receiving the Eucharist; that is one of my favorite prayers and one I recite every day.
This review is part of the Catholic Company reviewer program. (If you are looking for gifts for baptism, First Holy Communion or Confirmation, you’ll find some lovely gifts at the Catholic Company.
