March 30, 2011

The Cross and Eucharistic Sacrifice: 

An Ecumenical Attempt

by Brett Salkeld, Thd student (Regis College)

Agreement regarding Christ's Eucharistic Presence has been one of the great victories of the ecumenical movement.  The idea of Eucharist as sacrifice, however, has proved much more intransigent.  The presentation plans to look at the cross, its relationship to the Old Testament cult and the Christian Eucharist, in the hope of finding new ways forward on this question.  Do certain soteriologies make the idea of Eucharistic sacrifice more or less accessible?  Do some distort its meaning, while other are more amenable?  What do the prophets critiques of temple worship tell us about Christ's sacrifice?  How does the understanding of the Church as Christ's body open up our understanding?  These and other questions will be investigated and input from various ecumenical partners sought.