Some time ago a priest friend in England sent me the little book, The Mystery of Faith by a Polish priest named Tadeusz Dajczer. A book of meditations on the Eucharist by a priest, it is written in a very personal style with much of the content a conversation between the individual and Christ, present in the Eucharist. The book is written in the first person because the author wants to avoid lecturing or instructing the reader as a ‘know it all’. While this is admirable, it does give the book a very subjective feel which locks us into the authors inner dialogue.

I have to admit, I am not much attracted to this particular style of devotional writing, but despite my own inability to engage with the style, I can still see that there is much to recommend in the book. The personal style takes us into a personal experience of Christ in the Eucharist and helps to connect the reality of Christ present with us to our everyday lives. As Stanislaw Cardinal Dsiwisz (former secretary to JP2) says in his foreword, “The Eucharist operates by God’s action (ex opera operato) and also through our co operation with that action (ex opere operantis).” Therefore a book sparking a new devotion and co operation with the divine mystery can be a help.

I probably haven’t connected with the book because I’m reading it in my armchair as a critic. I need to take it with me and use it as a devotional aid to my preparation to celebrate the Eucharist. I’m going to try this and see if I ‘connect’ with it a bit better.

Certainly the book has proved popular: since it’s publication in 2007 its been through six editions and been published in five or six languages. It is available through Eucharistic Renewal Books.