The Splendor of the Church

Author: Henri de Lubac

Published by: Ignatius Press, 1986

Description: Drawing deeply from Scripture and Tradition, de Lubac provides readers with a spiritual and theological feast. His is a rich and profound meditation on the Church, revealing her multifaceted, mysterious reality as both a visible, hierarchical community and an invisible, spiritual communion. At the same time, de Lubac reflects on the Church as a community moving through history to its consummation in Christ, as well as her being the spotless and glorious Bride of Christ. Also treated is the mysterious relationship between the Church and the Eucharist, the "heart of the Church" (a relationship upon which Pope John Paul II's encyclical on the eucharist, Ecclesia de Eucharistia, drew). Other important themes include the Church as the Sacrament of Christ , as Mother of Christians, and as profoundly united to Mary, Virgin and Mother, the model of the Church.