Celebrating the Holy Eucharist

I have been a big Cardinal Arinze fan ever since I found his podcast. This no-nonsense Cardinal was one of the men favored to replace Pope John Paul II. He is testimony to the fact that Africa is the future of the Church. Although this reading may be a bit dry to some, it will give the lay Catholic a good working knowledge of how the liturgy is supposed to look, and will also let you know if your local bishop or parish priest if overstepping his authority. I look forward to reading more books from the Cardinal, and pray that he is chosen to be our next Pope.

This is quite easily one of the greatest books I have read on the Eucharist. What shines through is Cardinal Arinze's understanding of the Eucharist and it's place in the life of the Church, it is not simply a matter of dry doctrine, but of deep love, and that is found throughout this book. He covers a wide variety of topics, and while he does address some errors of practice and belief it is done in a great pastoral manner and with great love for the Eucharist and the Church. I highly recommend this book!

As we await Pope Benedict's Apostolic Exhortation following last year's Synod on the Holy Eucharist, this volume from the pen of the Cardinal Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship might well provide a taste of what is to come. For it was no coincidence that the experienced and straight-talking Cardinal Arinze was put in charge of Divine Worship in 2002, and it is no secret that he and Cardinal Ratzinger worked closely together since then attempting to bring some clarity and stability to the Church's liturgical life. Whilst our Holy Father's document may contain a few surprises of his own, he will almost certainly echo the themes enunciated in Cardinal Arinze's Celebrating the Holy Eucharist: that the Eucharist is indeed the Sacrifice of the Mass according to the teaching of the Council of Trent; that the Mass is not just a celebration of the local community but the worship of the whole Church in heaven and on earth; that reverence is required of all who worship and that different people have distinct roles in the Liturgy the limits of which must be respected; that active participation primarily means being and not doing; that adaptation and inculturation of the Liturgy is only possible in accordance with the clearly established norms; that liturgical norms and rubrics do still exist and that they are binding; that the Holy Eucharist is central to the Church's life and mission; that the worship of the Holy Eucharist outside of Mass (exposition and benediction) are to be encouraged once more; and that sound liturgical formation is essential in seminaries and in parishes. If one has followed Cardinal Arinze's various discourses over the past four years - including his address in Westminster last April 1st - there is nothing startling to be found here. However this volume provides all involved in the preparation, celebration and study of the modern Liturgy with a concise and up to date summary of the Church's thinking. It should be read by all clergy and by all laity involved in liturgical ministries as a guide and even as an examination of conscience. My only quibble - which does not take away from this book's value as a primer for reviving the liturgical spirit in the modern liturgy - is that Cardinal Arinze's discussion of liturgical changes doesn't seem to appreciate the significance of the debate about the legitimacy of the post-conciliar changes. But the Holy Father most certainly does appreciate this - and he may well indeed surprise us.