God Is Near Us: The Eucharist, the Heart of Life

This book by Pope Benedict XVI (though written while he was Cardinal Ratzinger) is excellent! As a Catholic who goes to Mass and receives the Eucharist almost daily, I found this book very helpful in helping me to have a proper devotion to the Eucharist. Pope Benedict XVI starts out by discussing God becoming man ("By the power of the Holy Spirit He Was Born of the Virgin Mary, and Became Man".-the Nicene Creed). He continues with chapters on God's Love for us, and the origin of the Eucharist in the Paschal Mystery. He makes the point about how the Eucharist is the Heart of the Church, and the Wellspring of Life from the Lord. He then follows with chapters about the proper celebration of the Eucharist, that it is a banquet of those who are reconciled to God. He follows with chapters on the Real Presence of Christ, and Adoration of the Eucharist, and the Lord's Personal Presence in the Eucharist. He discussing our standing before the Lord, and the Eucharist and the Church, how we who are many, are one body. He discusses Peace as one name for the Eucharistic Sacrament, how the Church is for all times and places, and its subsistence in the Liturgy. He concludes with a chapter on the Christian belief in Eternal Life, how our joy is to be in the Presence of the Lord, and also makes reference to the Resurrection of the Lord, and of the body. Throughout the book he uses biblical and historical references to make his points. He helps us understand the theology regarding the Eucharist. I highly recommend this book especially for Catholics, in order to have a better understanding of, and stronger devotion to, the Eucharist. I would also recommend it to non-Catholics who are interested in the Catholic Church, and our belief in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.

I was unprepared for the breadth and beauty of Cardinal Ratzinger's sermons (homilies?) and essays concerning the Eucharist. This book wonderfully summarizes Catholic teaching and tradition, particularly by tackling modernist and traditionalist approaches to the sacrament. The first article, "God with Us and God among Us" serves as a nice introduction to the other "chapters" in this collection, meditating upon one line in the profession of faith, and speaking directly to the Incarnation. "God's Yes and His Love..." approaches the issue of the sacrifice Jesus made, and how it relates to the sacrificial character of the Mass. Cardinal Ratzinger addresses Christ's self-abasement for our salvation, and contrasts this against our false humility, self-limitation in freely offered grace, and suffering as a characteristic of the Church. "The Wellspring of Life..." explores the exegetic similarities between the opening of Christ's side at His crucifixion and the removal of flesh from Adam's side in Genesis. Along the way, Cardinal Ratzinger explores the unity of the Church, and the atemporal communion encapsulated in the Eucharist, and again touches upon the issues of sacrifice. In "Banquet of the Reconciled", the polar extremes in the discourse on liturgical evolution are examined, quite calmly and reasonably. Cardinal Ratzinger utilizes I Corinthians as the basis for a reasoned response to those who want to reduce the Mass to a simple meal of friendship and community, as well as to those who see any alteration of the form of the Mass as heretical and invalid. Along the way, he makes excellent points concerning the proper reception of communion (in the hand or on the tongue, kneeling or standing), the use of the vernacular and the origins of the Eucharistic prayers, and preparation of one's heart for receiving the sacrament. "The Presence of the Lord..." deals with transubstantiation, the Real Presence, the resurrection of the body, and the importance of Eucharistic Adoration. Similar themes are explored in "The Immediacy of the Presence of the Lord", and later in "Standing before the Lord" "The Lod is Near Us" is remarkable for insights into our relationship with the Law, in such writing as "The law became a burden the moment it was no longer being lived out from within but was broken down into a series of obligations external in their origin and their nature." A series of shorter articles follows, but the book is concluded by two profound chapters: "The Church Subsists as Liturgy..." treats the importance of the Eucharist and the liturgy to the very lives of man, arguing that life's meaning can only be found by seeking to live in God's community. The Cardinal emphasizes the modern mentality that subconsciously rejects the efficacy of faith and prayer, really believing only in our own power to affect our lives. The final chapter "My Joy is to Be in Thy Presence" is a worhty capstone to this remarkable book, addressing our modern disdain f

"God is Near Us - The Eucharist the Heart of Life" is a collection of numerous homilies given by Pope Benedict XVI when he was Archbishop of Freising and Munich. The separate entries contained within this remarkable book address various questions, problems and issues related to the origin, meaning and practice of the Eucharist in the life of Christians. The issues covered include, the birth of Christ, Easter, the Mass, Eucharistic adoration, the feast of Corpus Christi, communion, the liturgy, and eternal life. The understanding and insight demonstrated by this book is truly remarkable. With casual ease, Pope Benedict explains the Biblical and historical contexts and origins of Christian practices and doctrines. Beyond this, this book aims to identify and answer the most pressing contemporary concerns that people have about the Eucharist, the liturgy, God and the idea of an afterlife. Pope Benedict is not afraid to address very difficult religious and theological questions. But, as the Pope says in his own words (p.149-150) this book is intended to teach the faith and encourage reflection on one's personal faith, rather than be a scholarly treatment of the subjects. If you interested in a highly readable book on Catholic beliefs, written by a respected and learned author, then this book is for you. As well, if you are curious to know why Joseph Ratzinger was chosen to be Pope, read this book and learn how capable he is. All in all, one of the best books I have read.

Cardinal Ratzinger, the new Pope Benedict XVI, is a man whose devotion and spirituality is definitively focused upon the Eucharist. In this text, 'Gott ist uns nah: Euchariste: Mitte des Lebens', Ratzinger provides a series of essays reflecting on the importance, the mystery, and the spiritual aspects of the Eucharistic feast. 'God is with us and God is among us' is the title of the first essay, and sets the tone for Ratzinger's devotion in this regard. God in Jesus Christ took on human form to become for us a way and a light, and this same presence is available to us, not just on Sunday mornings and other times when we are in church, but throughout all our lives, according to Ratzinger. Church must mean more than simply that which happens in lofty and grand buildings a short while on a weekly basis - just as the Eucharist provides an Incarnational way for us to be in relationship with God, so too must we strive for ways to connecting our church life (ethically, spiritually, and practically) in our daily life and work. Ratzinger shows his education and breadth of knowledge on these theological matters by drawing on sermons and essays he's written in the past, as well as reflections on biblical texts, from the Torah to the Epistles to the Acts of the Apostles as lead inspirations, and further into the heart of the gospel itself, reflected through the Paschal mystery. Like his predecessor Pope John Paul II, Ratzinger also has a significant strand of Marian devotion - again, his first essay draws upon the incarnation as Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary. 'She has an indisputable place in our belief in the living and acting God.' The Incarnation required acceptance, first from Mary, and continues to require acceptance by those who attend mass regularly, and those who strive to live their lives in conformity with the creeds. Creedal history is a principle guideline in Ratzinger's development in much of his theology here - a very traditional theologian in method, he nonetheless can be surprising in the breadth of his interpretations. This is a good book from which to glean insight into the heart of theology of the Eucharist, the central rite of the church, of the new pope, Benedict XVI.

Cardinal Ratzinger never fails to satisfy the reader hungry for insight and depth. In this small book, which is a collection of past homilies and addresses on the Eucharist, Ratzinger discusses the Eucharist from many perspectives. For Catholics, the Eucharist is the "heart of life," as the book's subtitle states. So to deepen knowledge of the Eucharist is life-changing. For Protestants, there is no better way to see the Catholic difference, a Catholic difference shared with the Eastern Orthodox.You can see the Catholic difference in this excerpt: "The church is not just a space in which something sometimes happens early in the morning, while for the rest of the day it stands empty, 'unused'. There is always the 'Church' in the church building, because the Lord is always giving himself, because the eucharistic mystery remains present . . . ." (p. 89). This excerpt is from the address entitled "The Presence of the Lord in the Sacrament," which, in my view, is the most compelling of all the addresses in the book.