“Cantor of Eucharistic Christ” – St. Thomas Aquinas in the Preaching for Children on the Day of the First Holy Communion Cover Image

„Kantor Chrystusa eucharystycznego” – św. Tomasz z Akwinu w przepowiadaniu do dzieci z okazji uroczystości Pierwszej Komunii Świętej
“Cantor of Eucharistic Christ” – St. Thomas Aquinas in the Preaching for Children on the Day of the First Holy Communion

Author(s): Hubert Łysy
Subject(s): Christian Theology and Religion, Philosophy of Religion, 13th to 14th Centuries, Biblical studies
Published by: Uniwersytet Opolski
Keywords: St. Thomas Aquinas; Cantor of Eucharistic Christ; Treatise on the Eucharist; Eucharistic Hymns; Preaching for the First Communion;

Summary/Abstract: John Paul II in the encyclical Ecclesia de Eucharistia mentions St. Thomas Aquinas as an excellent theologian and at the same time zealous cantor of Christ in the Eucharist. This term “cantor” poetically and figuratively reflects the entire Eucharistic devotion of Thomas Aquinas. His Eucharistic devotion consists of: the testimony of the Eucharistic life contained in the Summa Theologiae; Treatise on the Eucharist, the words of Eucharistic songs and prayers related to the Eucharist. For many years the parish of Saint Joseph the Worker in Opole-Wrzoski has carried out a project in which the traditional First Holy Communion celebration is proposed in a new form. The theme of the celebration is primarily determined by the history of the Eucharist. Saint Thomas Aquinas occupies an important place in this history. In the Church in Poland, the following slogan was proposed for the pastoral year 2019/2020: The Great Mystery of Faith. Saint Thomas fits very well in getting to know this mystery as the cantor of Eucharistic Christ. This dissertation first presents the abovementioned components of Saint Thomas Aquinas’ Eucharistic piety and thus constitutes the theoretical part of the discussion. It is followed by the practical part in which the theoretical considerations are “transferred” to the First Communion celebration, which is one great proclamation of Jesus Christ. The art of effective First Communion proclamation is based on a pictorial, simple, and understandable message of what has been conveyed in theological and poetic language. The richness of the theological thought of Saint Thomas describing the Eucharist, could become an inspiration for many First Communion celebrations. In this article, on the example of one celebration, the attempt has been made to convey all this richness, with an emphasis on the words of a song by Saint Thomas “Sight, touch, taste are all deceived in their judgment of you, but hearing suffices firmly to believe”.

  • Issue Year: XXVII/2021
  • Issue No: 58
  • Page Range: 51-76
  • Page Count: 26
  • Language: Polish