The Eucharist and the first Christians (7)

Booklets from Taizé: 7

Brother Emile
The Eucharist and the first Christians

For the Christians of the first centuries, the Eucharist had an existential significance that we find difficult to imagine. The whole mystery of faith is present when they speak about the Eucharist. The Eucharist affirms that the visible world is good and that we are accepted with our human nature and our history - into God's eternity. To this end, from the beginning the Eucharist had a social dimension and sparked numerous initiatives for the poor. For their contemporaries, the first Christians, with their strong link between faith and life, were often an enigma.

Discovering how the first Christians approached the Eucharist can illuminate and enliven our faith. We, like them, are called to understand this: To receive the Body of Christ is to become what we receive.

The Taizé booklets seek to uncover paths to the essential sources of faith. Drawing on the experiences of the youth meetings around the community, they look at crucial questions for Christians today.

24 pages each - stitched - 13x21cm
(2008)