Eucharist as the Gift of Political Language

Reimagines the mystery of the presence of Christ in the Eucharist, allowing fresh insight into key concepts of political theology.

In a time of intractable political division, what resources can theology provide to bridge seemingly unbridgeable gaps? Jason Smith proposes that the Eucharist can serve as a potent common symbol for mutual political reflection and action. He demonstrates how God's presence in material things calls us to new ways of sharing the world together.In a time of intractable political division, what resources can theology provide to bridge seemingly unbridgeable gaps? Jason M. Smith here proposes that one of the foundational acts of the Christianity-the Eucharist-can serve as a potent common symbol for mutual political reflection and action. Exploring new ways of thinking about the mystery of the presence of Christ in the Eucharist, notably 'transdonation' and 'transcorporation,' he demonstrates how God's presence in material things calls us to new ways of sharing our world together. Smith links eucharistic theology to political theology by treating the rite as a source for political reflection and judgment. He demonstrates how, in the bread and wine, we find the gift of a new common language by which we might seek a true common good. His study makes the traditional language of Eucharistic theology accessible and invites new theological responses to universal questions.