by Mary E McGann. Published by Liturgical Press, 2020. Reviewed by Neil Darragh

Corporate industrial agriculture has made food more widely available in the world, but the larger impact of the industrial food complex is over consumption, waste and the destruction of Earth's basic life systems. Eucharist, in contrast, holds out another paradigm. It invites communities into an economy of gift and grace, of gratitude and reciprocity. 

In Eucharist, communities are invited into something larger than themselves, to reposition themselves in relation to others: the Earth community, other persons and especially those who hunger and suffer deprivation. The same person who said “This is my body” also said “I was hungry and you gave me food”.

Anyone who hasn’t quite worked out yet (but has long suspected) how Eucharist, a sacrament centred on food (fruit of the earth and work of human hands) and food justice (seed, soil, hunger and farm workers) are interconnected, needs to read this book. It is well researched and carefully argued. How can eucharistic practice strengthen relationships of justice, solidarity and reciprocity between human communities and the rest of the web of life?

Tui Motu Magazine. Issue 267 February 2022: 27