The Eucharist and the Hunger of the World

by Monika K. Hellwig

The central action of the Eucharist--sharing of food, not only eating--underscores the interdependence of all people and the sharing of resources.

Genres: Theology

90 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1976

Reviews

[Gregory · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hellwig makes a lot of good points, but writes from a liberal Catholic perspective, so take it with a tablespoon of salt.

[Shaunda Penny · Rating 2 out of 5]

While there are sections of this book that are excellent: theologically rich and personally challenging, it does not have a nihil obstat, and why is clear. The author frequently toes the line of heresy towards unitarianism and relativism, and in her writing about transubstantiation, I believe she crosses it.
However, if a person has a firm understanding of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist (which the author does not dispute, just presents poorly), the message of the Eucharist needing to change those who receive It, and the mandate that they then work to change their world, is an important one.

[Richard Fitzgerald · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is not devoid of ideas worthy for engagement. However, it is devoid of any support for its arguments other than the author’s opinions. There are no citations. There are not even biblical citations. Numerous biblical stories are incorrectly exegeted and portray the opposite of what the text actually says. The tone of the prose is somewhat superior looking down on us poor lower thinking animals.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was not convinced at first, but have gradually been won over by (chapters of) this book - a Catholic, liberationist intepretation of the eucharist. Sometimes the prose is overly dense, but overall worth the effort of attention required.

[BJ Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

A classic that has stood the test of time.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

A most moving lecture, this wee book packs a powerful punch to the brain. How can you truly help a starving person if you yourself are well fed? Is it possible to even come close to achieving empathy? All it takes is effort, active participation, intimate participation. Ms Hellwig relates this concept to the Passion of Christ: how can we truly live through the Passion if we didn't experience crucifixion ourselves? One didn't have to have done so. All it takes is the act of allegiance, commitment, and the effort to include one's self in participating. Don't experience the Eucharist because you have to, do it because you want to. If you ask me (and Monika Hellwig, for that matter...well, in order to ask her, you'd need a ouija board), passivity is far too widespread in church-goers these days. Aside from having memorized all the replies and lyrics to the hymns, how many devotees really listen to the words anymore? Next time you enter church, vow to not sing, only listen...I mean really listen to the words. I promise you, you'll learn something new (and you didn't have to memorize it). If only I could have met Monika Hellwig. She is such an inspiring author. I envy my professor of theology for having been friends with her.

[Adam Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a really nice little book on the Eucharist as the center of Christian life. Hellwig might be a Roman Catholic, but what she says is very much in line with Calvin and Nevin regarding what happens in the Eucharist. Gone are the arguments that the elements themselves become something else or something more and now it is in the act of eating that Christ is made known by the Spirit. Also, she has a lengthy exposition of the Eucharist as a covenant renewal rite, and yes, she even used the words "covenant renewal" and "renewal of covenant."

Her central thesis, though, is that the Eucharist is not meant to be an end, but a beginning. Gift does not flow from God to us and then stop, but a new cycle of gifting and receiving is to begin, gift, grace and food flowing out of us and our lives into the lives of one another and then to the whole world. Her prose is dense and opaque at times, which I found caused my mind to wander. It was an act of concentration to really pay attention to each word sometimes, but the effort was worth it.

[Padraic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reason number 37 Why I Still Call Myself A Catholic.

Years later (I read this in its first edition), I married a wonderful girl from Texas who taught me the intimate connection between food, cooking, meals, and communion. Coming as I did from the "stand in the kitchen and eat from the bag" school of nutrition, I suddenly remembered this book. When that dinner bell rings, children, it's the Lord calling us all to share a meal. And, yes, there's enough for all.