Understanding the Eucharist With Special Attention to the Theology of St. Thomas Aquinas
The Church was born of the Paschal mystery and thus the Eucharist, the Sacrament of the Paschal mystery, stands at the centre of the Church’s life. ( Ecclesia De Eucharistia , n. 3) For St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274), The source and summit of the whole Christian life is Christ. So this Sacrament [the Eucharist] perfects the others by joining us to Christ. ( In Sent IV d.8 q.1 art.1.) The Second Vatican Council reiterates what St. Thomas says: that the Eucharist constitutes “the source and summit of the Christian life”. ( LG 11, c.f . Ecclesia De Eucharistia , n. 1. ) The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium, explained four ways in which we encounter Christ in His Church; through the actions of the priest, “His minister”, through the proclamation of His Word and when the Church prays and sings ( c.f. Matt 18:20), but special emphasis is placed on the fact that Christ is present “especially under the Eucharistic species.” ( SC 7, CCC 1373 )...