7 Secrets of the Eucharist
by Vinny Flynn
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Book Summary Information
Author: Vinny FlynnEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2007-01-10
ISBN: 1884479316
Number of pages: 130
Publisher: MercySong / Ignatius Press
Book Reviews of 7 Secrets of the Eucharist
Book Review: My Father Vinny
Summary: 5 Stars
At the Last Supper, steamed mutton was served, along with bread and wine; during which time, Jesus of Nazareth delivered his well-known "Eat My Flesh" sermon, which begins, "Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink his blood, you have no life in you..." (John 6:51-56). Here, then, is the single most famous metaphysical conundrum in all of Christian theology: When the Twelve ate the flesh of Jesus that night, and drank his blood, was that literal? or only figurative?
Protestants say it was just a metaphor. Catholics say no, they really did it, the Twelve really did drink Jesus' blood and eat his flesh.
Since the fifteenth century, millions of Christians have been killed by their brothers in Christ in the endless quest to discover which answer - literal? or figurative? - is the correct one.
Jesus said: "My flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed" (John 6:56). If his meaning were perfectly clear from the outset, and not ambiguous, Christians would not have had to kill one another over it. Some readers suppose that Jesus was just kidding: it has been noted that this is the same fellow who said, "Zeal, for the House of God, hath eaten me up" (John 2:17) - which sounds like something that could only happen in a novel by Stephen King; and it could not have been literal, or Jesus could not have said it, because by that time he would already have been bitten off, chewed up, and swallowed by Mr. Zeal.
Turning to the Old Testament, we find that whenever Yahveh forced His chosen people to eat the "meat" or "flesh" of human children, which was quite often, whether they liked it or not, He never allowed them to drink the children's blood (Deut. 28:53-57, Lev. 26:29, 2 Kings 6:26-29, Jer. 19:9, Ezek. 5:10, Lam, 4:10). So the Protestants, who usually have a batting average of about 50% on theological issues, may seem, once again, be half-right on the transubstantiation controversy: the Eucharist may be the literal meat of Jesus' flesh, but not his literal blood. And yet, if I had to place a bet after reading Vinny Flynn's book, I'd go with the Catholics. History has shown that the Catholics usually have better arguments, and the Protestants, better weapons. Flynn's book is a case in point.
Indeed, in this amazing Tell-All book about the Eucharist, Vinny Flynn not only settles the debate, he reveals things I never knew before, and things that most Protestants never even imagined possible. "Secret #1: The Eucharist is alive" (p.7 ff.). You'll never hear THAT from a Protestant pulpit! And when your average Protestant finds out the truth, he will be shocked, I guarantee it--not unlike some rock star (Marilyn Manson is a case in point) who believes he's been eating a chicken sandwich, or KFC original recipe, only to discover he has just bitten off the head from a live chicken.
Flynn saves the most startling disclosure for last. "Secret #7: There's no limit!" (p. 81). When you attend Catholic Mass or Protestant communion, you are allowed to eat as many bites of the body of Christ, and to take as many swigs of his blood, as you can eat and drink, until you feel stuffed. Flynn writes: "When I announce this secret during a talk, I usually pause and look around to see how people are reacting. I get some strange looks. Some people even shake their heads as if to say, 'That's not true!'" (pp. 81-2).
A bonus secret appears in the Afterword, which is something that you almost never hear spoken from either Protestants OR Catholics: the Eucharist can be tasty as well: Vinny Flynn refers to the bread and wine of the Mass as "Father Hal's Grits!" (p. 103). (Father Hal was "a wonderful Jesuit priest from New Orleans," albeit with the suspiciously Jewish-sounding name, "Harold Cohen," and yet he walked to church every morning for his "Jesus Grits" (p. 104). "Once greedy for grits, Fr. Hal now became greedy for grace, and the prayer most often on his lips was 'More, Lord, more!" (p. 104).
There is an important lesson to be learned from these secrets: Church attendance by professed Catholics has dropped from 40% a quarter-century ago, to 15% today. That's a catastrophic decline. In March 2006, the Vatican disclosed the secret that Muslims now outnumber Catholics worldwide. This loss in the membership rolls has made it increasingly difficult for the Church to compensate victims of clerical sex abuse. Flynn's book therefore drives home an important point: if the Church wants to meet its financial obligations, we had better find new ways to make people cry out, with Father Hal, "More Lord, more!"
What the world needs today--in Protestant no less than in Catholic churches--is a better recipe for the Eucharist. The Protestants on this score do no better than the Catholics. In America's evangelical Protestant churches, which is most of them, they don't even give you bread and wine, they give you fragments of Saltine crackers, or diced white Wonder Bread, along with a shot-glass of Welch's Grape Juice.
Last Saturday, at St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church in Martinsville, Indiana, I attended a pancake breakfast. The food was heavenly. Those folks have the right idea! If the Pope is serious about catching up with the Muslims, he should stop quoting John 6:51-56. The church marquee should read: MORNING MASS! TRUE GRITS!
- L.
Summary of 7 Secrets of the Eucharist
Pope John Paul II referred to the Holy Eucharist as "the greatest treasure of the Church," and yet even many devoted Catholics have a very limited understanding of this powerful sacrament. This book will change all that. The reader will come away with a completely new awareness that the Eucharist is not just about receiving Communion; it's about transforming your daily life.Deeply based on the Scriptures, the writings of the Saints, and the teachings of our two most recent Popes, this profound and remarkably readable book will introduce you to some of the "hidden" truths of the Eucharist truths that have always been embraced by theologians, saints, and mystics, but have rarely been passed on to the average person in a meaningful way. In 7 Secrets of the Eucharist, these truths are finally made accessible to all, as author Vinny Flynn shows how each reception of Holy Communion can be a life-changing experience.
No matter how much or how little you already know about the Eucharist, the "secrets" revealed here will bring you to a new, personal "Emmaus" experience, again and again. Perfect for personal devotion, catechesis, study groups, book clubs, and theological studies, 7 Secrets of the Eucharist will rekindle the "Eucharistic amazement" called for by Pope John Paul II.
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