Keeping an eye out...

[cathedral_life]

I like to keep an occasional eye open for what the Archbishop has to say at the events he attends. Today I found a fairly simple introduction to the Christian faith, given in 2005 in Pakistan to the international Islamic University. It's given, it seems with the anticipation of the interruption "but what about X?" by the Muslim audience and

Comments

[frsimon]

Unfortunately, however, that is not what the Church believes about the eucharist. The Blesssed sacrament is, in the everyday sense of the word 'is', the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus. It subsists in a unique mode of presence, but it is that all the same. The words 'bread' and 'wine' can be used of the consecrated elements only analogically. This is difficult to accept unless one experiences the Blessed Sacrament not as a substantial conjuring trick but as a gracious invitation to become what we eat. For reasons such as this verbal expositions of the faith divorced from liturgical and communal encounter, however good and well-meaning, will always be lacking.

[sashajwolf]

It's not a bad general summary - mildly heretical on the Trinity, I think, but then that's hard to avoid. I do think it would be better if he showed some awareness (a) that Islam also accords Jesus the title of Word of God, and (b) of the many passages of the Koran which indicate that it, too, was never intended to be taken literally. Ziauddin Sardar is good on this in his Desperately Seeking Paradise.

[cathedral_life]

I've got that book and thoroughly enjoyed it. I might have to revisit it for the bits you suggest.