For Further Reading

Eucharistic Liturgy

Adam, Adolf. The Eucharistic Celebration (Liturgical Press, 1994) explains the meaning and purpose of each of the parts of the mass.

Dallen, James. Gathering for Eucharist (Pastoral Arts Associates, 1983) is a basic and clear introduction to the meaning and purpose of the Sunday liturgy.

Keifer, Ralph. Blessed and Broken (Michael Glazier, 1982) develops a contemporary theology of the eucharist based on the experience of public worship.

Marrevee, William. The Popular Guide to the Mass (Pastoral Press, 1992) is actually a fairly sophisticated even if brief explanation of eucharistic worship.

Petit, Ian. This Is My Body (Liturgical Press, 1991) is an informational and devotional explanation of the principal parts of the eucharistic liturgy.

Ramshaw, Gail. Words Around the Table (Liturgy Training Publications, 1991) offers poetic yet scholarly reflections on various aspects of Sunday eucharist.

Smolarski, Dennis. How NOT to Say Mass (Paulist Press, 1985) tells liturgical planners and ministers what to do and what to avoid for good Sunday worship.

Eucharistic History

Cabié, Robert. History of the Mass (Pastoral Press, 1992) includes intriguing excerpts from writings contemporary with the developments being described.

Durkin, Mary. The Eucharist (Thomas More Press, 1990) reviews the contemporary understanding of sacraments and presents a history of the eucharist in nontechnical language.

Foley, Edward. From Age to Age (Liturgy Training Publications, 1991) is a very readable and richly illustrated history of the liturgy from the early to the contemporary church.

Guzie, Tad. Jesus and the Eucharist (Paulist Press, 1974) takes a look at Catholic beliefs in the light of history and comparative religions.

Lebon, Jean. How to Understand the Liturgy (Crossroad, 1988) offers a basic yet somewhat sophisticated introduction to the history, theology, and practical celebration of the eucharist.

Eucharistic Spirituality

Bernier, Paul. Bread Broken and Shared (Ave Maria Press, 1981) brings together traditional and contemporary theology to offer a broadened spirituality of the eucharist. Eucharist: Celebrating Its Rhythms in Our Lives (1993) moves through each of the parts of the mass, explaining how participants should prayerfully enter into it.

Cantalamessa, Raniero. The Eucharist, Our Sanctification (Liturgical Press, 1993) is a very traditional treatment, in terms of popular piety.

Dobson, Theodore. Say But the Word (Paulist Press, 1984) presents a spirituality of the eucharist based on Jungian psychology, suggesting how the mass can facilitate a process of transformation.

Fabing, Robert. Real Food (Paulist Press, 1994) attempts to develop a spirituality of the eucharist in contrast to the absence of meal experience and symbolism in today's society.

Kaczmarek, Louis. Hidden Treasure (Trinity Communications, 1990) is a devotional collection of stories about and quotations from saints and other sources of traditional Catholic eucharistic piety.

Pennington, M. Basil. The Eucharist Yesterday and Today (Crossroad, 1984) meditates on the meaning and implications of the various parts of the mass.

Stevenson, Kenneth. Accept This Offering (Liturgical Press, 1989) explains how the dynamics of the eucharist can be understood as an act of sacrificial worship.

For Further Study
Scripture and Theology

Barth, Markus. Rediscovering the Lord’s Supper (John Knox Press, 1988) uses insightful scholarship to reach some surprising liturgical conclusions.

Beckwith, Roger, and Martin Selsman, eds. Sacrifice in the Bible (Paternoster Press, 1995) reviews the practice, meaning and theology of sacrifice in the Old and New Testaments.

Chilton, Bruce. A Feast of Meanings (E. J. Brill, 1994) argues that within the New Testament there can be discerned six stages in the evolution of eucharistic practice.

Heron, Alasdair. Table and Tradition (Westminster Press, 1983) examines the New Testament data and contrasts the differing interpretations given by the medieval scholastics and the Protestant reformers.

Kilpatrick, G. D. The Eucharist in Bible and Liturgy (Cambridge University Press, 1983) sheds new light on Jesus’ last supper and early Christian communal meals.

Kodell, Jerome. The Eucharist in the New Testament (Michael Glazier, 1988) summarizes contemporary scripture scholarship about the texts relating to the last supper of Jesus, and other meals.

LaVerdiere, Eugene. Dining in the Kingdom of God (Liturgy Training Publications, 1994) explores the biblical meaning of the eucharist as presented in the Gospel According to Luke. The Eucharist in the New Testament and the Early Church (Liturgical Press, 1996) traces eucharistic practices and beliefs from their earliest mention to about A.D. 150

Léon-Dufour, Xavier. Sharing the Eucharistic Bread (Paulist Press, 1987) is a thorough exegetical examination of all the texts in the New Testament related to the eucharist.

Perry, John Michael. Exploring the Evolution of the Lord's Supper in the New Testament (Sheed and Ward, 1994) argues for a novel explanation of the early development of the eucharist.

History and Theology

Byron, Brian Francis. Sacrifice and Symbol (Catholic Institute of Sydney, 1991) defends the traditional interpretation of the eucharist is both sacrament and sacrifice.

Caspers, Charles, Gerard Lukken, and Gerard Rouwhorst, eds. Bread of Heaven (Kok Pharos, 1995) meticulously describes and documents practices and beliefs about holy communion through the ages.

Crockett, William. Eucharist: Symbol of Transformation (Pueblo, 1989) is a scholarly and ecumenical presentation of the history and theology of the change brought about in and through the eucharist.

Daly, Robert. The Origins of the Christian Doctrine of Sacrifice (Fortress Press, 1978) shows how the ancient notion of religious sacrifice became applied to Christian worship.

Deiss, Lucien. Early Sources of the Liturgy (Alba House, 1967) contains translations of texts dating from the second to the fifth century.

Dix, Gregory. The Shape of the Liturgy (Dacre Press, Adam and Charles Black, 1945) is a very thorough examination of the history and meaning of the eucharist, covering Anglican as well as Roman developments.

FitzPatrick, P. J. In Breaking of Bread (Cambridge University Press, 1993) argues that the eucharist today is best appreciated as a ritual rather than as an object, which is the focus of earlier theories of eucharistic change.

Gaudoin-Parker, Michael. The Real Presence Through the Ages (Alba House, 1993) collects and comments on citations from Christian writiers who have experienced Christ in the eucharist.

Groeschel, Benedict, and James Monti. In the Presence of Our Lord (Our Sunday Visitor, 1997) connects the history of eucharistic theology with the Catholic tradition of devotion to Christ in the sacrament.

Hay, Leo. Eucharist: A Thanksgiving Celebration (Michael Glazier, 1989) clearly summarizes much recent thinking about the mass, its origins, and its meaning for today.

Jones, Paul. Christ's Eucharistic Presence (Peter Lang, 1994) looks at Catholic and Protestant explanations of the real presence and locates them on various theoretical axes.

Jungmann, Josef. The Mass (Liturgical Press, 1976) is a historical, theological, liturgical, and pastoral treatment of the eucharistic liturgy which summarizes and updates his more detailed work, The Mass of the Roman Rite.

Kilmartin, Edward. The Eucharist in the Primitive Church (Prentice Hall, 1965) gives the historical background of later liturgical and theological developments. The Eucharist in the West (Liturgical Press, 1998) details the history of eucharistic theology, with particular attention to the theory that the eucharistic action is a sacrifice.

Klauser, Theodore. A Short History of the Western Liturgy (Oxford University Press, 1969) is an excellent one volume treatment of almost all aspects of church worship.

Loret, Pierre. The Story of the Mass (Liguori Publications, 1982) is a very schematic history that highlights interesting details about the liturgy as it evolved through the centuries.

Macy, Gary. The Theologies of the Eucharist in the Early Scholastic Period (Clarendon Press, 1984) documents a wide spectrum of interpretations and appreciations in the Middle Ages. The Banquet's Wisdom (Paulist Press, 1992) offers a highly readable account of how the eucharistic liturgy has been understood by Christians through the centuries. Treasures from the Storeroom (Liturgical Press, 1993) showcases the author's best articles on eucharistic practice and theology in the Middle Ages.

Mazza, Enrico. The Celebration of the Eucharist (Liturgical Press, 1999) comments on the origins of the rite and on Christian interpretations given to it through the centuries.

McGowan, Andrew. Ascetic Eucharists (Oxford University Press, 1999) is based on the premise that there was much diversity in the foods of early Christian ritual meals, including meals of bread and water alone.

McPartlan, Paul. The Eucharist Makes the Church (T. Clark, 1993) compares the eucharistic theologies of a Catholic and an Orthodox theologian. Sacrament of Salvation (1995) argues that the life of the church radiates from the eucharist, drawing ideas of traditional Catholic teaching and Vatican II.

Mitchell, Nathan. Cult and Controversy (Pueblo, 1982) is a detailed study of the emergence and decline of devotion to the Blessed Sacrament.

O’Carroll, Michael. Corpus Christi: An Encyclopedia of the Eucharist (Michael Glazier, 1988) contains entries providing a wealth of historical and theological information related to the sacrament.

Power, David. The Sacrifice We Offer (Crossroad, 1987) argues that the scholastic theology of the eucharist, dogmatically affirmed by the Council of Trent, can and should be reinterpreted today. The Eucharistic Mystery (1992) critiques traditional eucharistic theologies and suggests that participants in liturgical worship play an important role in constituting its meaning.

Powers, Joseph. Eucharistic Theology (Seabury Press, 1967) summarizes the biblical background, liturgical and doctrinal history, and recent theology up to Vatican II.

Rodorf, Willy, and others. The Eucharist of the Early Christians (Pueblo, 1978) collects articles by French scholars on the eucharistic writings of the first three centuries.

Rubin, Miri. Corpus Christi (Cambridge University Press, 1991) narrates and documents popular beliefs about the eucharist in the late Middle Ages, focusing on the development of devotion to the Blessed Sacrament.

Schillebeeckx, Edward. The Eucharist (Sheed and Ward, 1968) examines the Council of Trent’s decrees on the eucharist and gives an interpretation of the doctrine of real presence in terms of transignification.

Smolarski, Dennis. Eucharistia: A Study of the Eucharistic Prayer (Paulist Press, 1982) investigates the origins and meaning of the Liturgy of the Eucharist in the mass.

Sokolowski, Robert. Eucharistic Presence (Catholic University of America Press, 1994) develops a theology of divine presence and eucharistic action based on phenomenological analysis.

Stevenson, Kenneth. Eucharist and Offering (Pueblo, 1986) shows how the language of sacrifice was used quite early to describe the eucharist, but that the understanding of sacrifice shifted over the course of centuries.

Liturgy and Theology

Crichton, J. D. Christian Celebration: Understanding the Mass (Geoffrey Chapman, 1993) is a classic on the history and meaning on the parts of the liturgy, originally published shortly after the revisions of Vatican II.

Emminghaus, Johannes. The Eucharist: Essence, Form, Celebration (Liturgical Press, 1997) is a historical and liturgical introduction to the meaning, structure, and celebration of the mass.

Huels, John. One Table, Many Laws (Liturgical Press, 1986) comments on canon laws relating to mass and communion.

Keifer, Ralph. The Mass in Time of Doubt (Pastoral Press, 1983) offers a commentary on the revised rite, bringing in many contemporary issues.

Kilmartin, Edward. Church, Eucharist and Priesthood (Paulist Press, 1981) is a commentary on Pope John Paul II’s theology of eucharistic celebration and ministry.

Lee, Bernard, ed. Alternative Futures for Worship, Volume 3: The Eucharist (Liturgical Press, 1987) explores what eucharistic worship might be like if celebrated in an intentional Christian community unlike the average parish.

Mazza, Enrico. The Eucharistic Prayers of the Roman Rite (Pueblo, 1986) presents a detailed commentary on the four eucharistic prayers used in the Catholic Church today.

Mitchell, Nathan. Eucharist as Sacrament of Initiation (Liturgy Training Publications, 1995) grounds the practice of eucharistic meals in Jesus' practice of eating with sinners and his proclamation of the kingdom of God.

O’Connor, James. The Hidden Manna (Ignatius Press, 1988) defends the traditional Catholic theology of the eucharist against Protestant and liberal Catholic views.

Seasoltz, Kevin. Living Bread, Saving Cup (Liturgical Press, 1982) is a helpful collection of articles published in Worship from 1965 to 1980.

Ethical Dimensions

Avila, Rafael. Worship and Politics (Orbis Books, 1977) argues that the Lord’s Supper of the early Christians had social and political implications that were lost as the liturgy became theologized and spiritualized.

Balasuriya, Tissa. The Eucharist and Human Liberation (Orbis Books, 1977) examines the liturgy from a third-world perspective and finds in it a spiritual force for social reform.

Cavanagh, William. Torture and Eucharist (Blackwell Publishers, 1998) points out connections between historical developments in eucharistic worship and the rise of the Catholic Church as an authoritarian institution.

Grassi, Joseph. Broken Bread and Broken Bodies (Orbis Books, 1985) argues that authentically celebrating the eucharist entails ministry to the hungry and oppressed.

Hellwig, Monika. The Eucharist and the Hunger of the World (Sheed and Ward, 1992) examines traditional ideas such as sacrifice, blessing, and sacrament to explain the social dimensions of the mass.

Moloney, Francis. A Body Broken for a Broken People (Collins Dove, 1990) argues that, since Jesus broke bread with sinful people, canonical requirements for receiving communion are unscriptural distortions.

Primavesi, Anne, and Jennifer Henderson. Our God Has No Favorites (Resource Publications, 1989) develops a feminist liberation theology of the eucharist based on Jesus' table fellowship with the marginalized.

Stromberg, Jean, ed. Sharing One Bread, Sharing One Mission (World Council of Churches, 1983) presents articles that draw attention to the meaning of eucharist for Christian ministry to others.

Ecumenical Dimensions

Dalmais, Irenée-Henri. Eastern Liturgies (Hawthorn Books, 1960) offers a survey of the history and variety of liturgical and sacramental practices in the eastern churches.

Davies, Horton. Bread of Life and Cup of Joy (William B. Eerdmans, 1993) compares eucharistic prayers of different church traditions.

Davis, Thomas. The Clearest Promises of God (AMS Press, 1995) shows how Calvin's thoughts about the Lord's supper developed over more than thirty years of writing.

Falardeau, Ernest. One Bread and Cup (Michael Glazier, 1987) points out similarities and differences in churches' spiritualities and theologies of the eucharist.

Freeman, Elmer. The Lord's Supper in Protestantism (Macmillan, 1945) is a dated but straightforward account of historical development, liturgical variety and theological diversity in the main line churches.

Gerrish, B. A. Grace and Gratitude: The Eucharistic Theology of John Calvin (Fortress Press, 1993) thoroughly examines what the reformer said about the eucharist in the broader context of his understanding of grace.

Jasper, R. C. D., and G. J. Cuming. Prayers of the Eucharist: Early and Reformed (Pueblo, 1987) contains the central prayers themselves, with introductions and commentaries, from the Didiche to the Book of Common Prayer.

Larere, Philippe. The Lord's Supper (Liturgical Press, 1993) summarizes the history and theology of the eucharist so that Catholics, Orthodox and Protestants can discuss it together.

McDonnell, Kilian. John Calvin, the Church, and the Eucharist (Princeton University Press, 1967) is a sympathetic Catholic examination of the reformer's teachings on matters related to this chapter.

Reuman, John. The Supper of the Lord (Fortress Press, 1985) describes the way many Protestants arrived at an ecumenical convergence in their understanding of the eucharist.

Schmemann, Alexander. The Eucharist (St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1988) presents an Orthodox understanding of the eucharist through an extended commentary on the traditional liturgy.

Smith, Dennis, and Hal Taussig. Many Tables (Trinity Press International, 1990) uses variety in first century worship to argue for diversity and creativity in eucharistic practice today.

Stookey, Laurence Hull. Eucharist: Christ's Feast With the Church (Abingdon Press, 1993) is a lucid historical and liturgical introduction, written from a Methodist perspective.

Thurian, Max. The Mystery of the Eucharist (William B. Eerdmans, 1984) tries to develop an ecumenical theology of the eucharist based on what is central to Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant faith.

Vander Wilt, Jeffrey. A Church Without Borders (Liturgical Press, 1998) correlates inclusivistic and exclusivistic eucharistic policies with differing understandings of church.