Eating the Sunrise: Meditations on the Liturgy and Our Hunger for Beauty

“What kind of creatures are we that we experience hunger not just for physical sustenance, but for beauty? Putting words to this profound cry of his heart, a student of mine once marvelled, “I don’t only want to behold the beauty of a sunrise. I want to eat it.” from Chapter 4 of Eating the Sunrise WHAT BRILLIANT LIGHT do redbud trees, your favourite dessert, the Mona Lisa, dew drops and flowers, The Sound of Music, beeswax, and passionate kissing shine on the liturgy? Christopher West weaves all these and many other seemingly disparate themes seamlessly together in this eye-opening and jaw-dropping mystical and liturgical tour de force. Prepare to be dazzled as a corner of the veil is lifted on the Mystery that unites all things in heaven and on earth. You will never see yourself, the Incarnation, the Mass, erotic love, and sun-bathing lizards the same way again! DRAWING EXTENSIVELY from the spousal symbolism of the Scriptures and from the mystical wisdom of the greatest saints of both East and West, these rich but accessible meditations take the reader on a journey from the insatiable hunger of the human heart for lasting beauty, through the pitfalls of both idolizing and despising the things of this world, to arrive at the one and only hope of fulfillment: liturgizing our yearning by opening it to the One who is Infinite Beauty revealed in the body and freely given up for us in the Eucharist. Along the way you’ll discover that in all the things you’ve always found exciting and attractive, God has been wooing you towards the unimaginable possibility of “eating the sunrise”. There is no more important book for the Eucharistic Revival! This book takes us away from the current "Liturgy Wars" and points us all to what we yearn for in our liturgies and in our relationship with Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist. Discover the path that leads to the fulfillment of your most passionate longings. Come to understand God’s eternal plan for your life and the universe like never before. Experience the Christian faith as an invitation to be seized and intoxicated by beauty. Move beyond today’s “liturgy wars” to discover the hidden beauty of the Mass. Understand the basic problem of human existence and its ultimate resolution. Have your eyes opened to the divine secrets revealed through your body. Discover the surprising roots of today’s gender confusion and the hope of overcoming it. Encounter the glorious love song at the base of all things. Be able to recognize the diabolic deception that is robbing humanity of all it longs for. Rejoice in a beauty-first – rather than sin-first – approach to growing in holiness. Unearth countless other treasures that illuminate your heart, its yearnings, and your destiny. "This book is not only inspired and inspiring but life-changing. West provides the 'big picture' in which the Christian faith is (1) concretely embodied, (2) passionately erotic, (3) joyfully Beautyfull, and (4) mystically Eucharistic. In the process he shatters the confining little categories we are used to and replaces them with the infinitely expansive Mind of Christ. Its style is clear, accessible, and full of striking images that are sure to open the reader to the Infinite treasures of Christian liturgy." Peter Kreeft, Professor of Philosophy, Boston College "In this marvelous book, full of passion and poetic richness, Christopher West draws us into the mystery of the God made flesh, who has given himself to us as food—the mystery that fulfills the deepest longings of the human heart. This book will further Eucharistic revival by enkindling 'Eucharistic amazement.'"Dr. Mary Healy, Professor of Scripture, Sacred Heart Major Seminary "Eating the Sunrise can bring about a needed Eucharistic Revival and along with it a revival of our humanity. By connecting the Supreme Mystery of our faith to the ache in our hearts, West helps us see how the liturgy responds to our deepest longings. Drawing extensively from the best of popes, saints, and mystics, his footnotes provide a teaching in themselves. At the same time, he warns us of other voices that have infiltrated our culture in order to corrupt our thinking and undermine our dignity. With questions for reflection and practical applications, West has provided a masterful pastoral tool that can facilitate a Eucharistic renewal in every heart and home." Fr. Boniface Hicks, OSB, Director of Spiritual Formation and Director of the Institute for Ministry Formation, Saint Vincent Seminary, Latrobe, PA. "For over two decades, the Church has been calling for a 'New Apologetics' that responds effectively to the secularism of the modern world. While many have simply made available in new ways the 'old apologetics,' this book presents what the Church has been calling for. Readers will discover the insights to revive their own faith and the language to share the faith as truly good news for the modern world." Fr. Ryan Mann, Diocese of Cleveland "In Eating the Sunrise, West’s beauty-forward approach explores our encounter with God in the physical world. In doing so, he offers spiritual, theological, and practical wisdom for entering the 'feast of body and soul' that marks our longing for communion with God and one another. This thought-provoking book is singularly poised to facilitate Eucharistic revival." Christine Falk Dalessio, Ph.D., Catholic Theology, Marquette University

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