SOURCE AND SUMMIT
Six Great Spiritual Guides Talk About the Eucharist

The Second Vatican Council speaks of the Eucharist as “the source and summit of the Christian life” (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, 11). The significance of this succinct description is two-fold. First, it articulates the primary role of the Eucharist for uniting and nourishing the Christian community; and second, the Eucharist is also the source and summit of our individual lives as Christians. Our teachers and guides for these insightful reflections on this great mystery of our faith are six great saints, each of whom has been declared a Doctor of the Church. The six whom we will meet here, three women and three men, are: Saint Catherine of Siena, Saint Teresa of Avila, Saint John of the Cross, Saint Francis de Sales, Saint Alphonsus de Liguori, and Saint Thérèse of Lisieux. May we learn from their wisdom and their example so that our own daily life and work will reflect that Jesus alone is truly the source and summit of all that we are and of all that we hope to become. Biographical, historical, and doctrinal material is incorporated into each chapter insofar as it can assist us in understanding the message of that particular Doctor.

About the Author: An active member of Spiritual Directors International, the Religious Brothers Conference, and a member of the editorial board of Human Development, Brother Joel Giallanza, CSC, is a member of the Congregation of Holy Cross priests and brothers. Presently with the Institute for Spiritual Direction of the Diocese of Austin, Texas, he has long been a regular contributor to Review for Religious, The Priest, Carmel in the World and other periodicals. He is likewise the author of a popular little book of spiritual reflections entitled Question Jesus Asked (ST PAULS / Alba House, 2002).