2025-01-05 Eucharistic Devotion

For the next two months, I will take as a theme for my homilies, The Eucharist. In today’s homily, I will preface this theme by looking at the many ways in which human societies have created Altered States of Consciousness as a prelude to sacred ritual. Then, I will trace the history and anthropology of ‘sacred meals’ in many traditions including Shamanic, Greek, Jewish, and Christian. Finally, today, I will examine the history of the Christian Eucharist from the early Jewish church, St. Paul’s teaching on Eucharist, the early Church Fathers, the Council of Trent, right down to Vatican II – and the differing views of Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis on the Latin (Tridentine) mass.

About Fr. Seán ÓLaoire, PhD
Fr. Seán ÓLaoire, PhD, was ordained a Catholic Priest in 1972 and is Spiritual Director of Companions on the Journey, a community which seeks to recognize the God / divinity within each and all of us. Through homilies and lectures, Fr.Seán inspires and empowers us to develop our own personal cosmology where each individual’s spirituality is seen as derived from his / her experiences of God, immanent and transcendent, and illuminated by the teachings of Christ and the wisdom of other spiritual traditions. People of all faiths are welcome to liturgical services Sunday, 9:30 AM, in person at the Seventh Day Adventist Church, 786 Channing Avenue, Palo Alto CA 94301 or via Zoom. To contact Fr. Seán directly, please visit https://www.SpiritsInSpacesuits.com/c...