Book Review: The Sacred Meal

May 10, 2011

The Sacred Meal by Nora Gallagher

I grew up as a Catholic and can remember the priest sitting me down and explaining to me at seven years old about the body and blood of Christ. I remember that it was something holy that you are do every time you go to church. I remember the ceremony behind the sacrament. I knew that it was very special, but, I wasn't sure why. Later, I converted to a religion that does not celebrate communion weekly, but, a few times a year instead. Then, still, there was no deeper explanation of this practice other than the basic "Do this in memory of Me." 

This book was not necessarily easy for me to get through, but, I don't know why. The information is not presented in a way that is not easily understood, nor is it is filled with boring facts. Once I convinced myself to open the pages of the book and read, I did find it interesting, and in many cases, enlightening. The author presents compelling points of view and biblical tidbits that apply to communion that I had never thought about before.  There is a lot of food for thought and an elaboration of communion, beyond the body and blood of Christ. Nora Gallagher shares her intimate experiences of The Sacred Meal with the reader, and challenges you to move past the moment of communion and bring it into the world with you into your daily life. Her point of view of communion moves past just the remembrance of The Last Supper and what it meant then and now. It goes deeper and challenges you to search for the bigger picture. 

I was really excited to see the Study Guide at the end of the book. I think that it would make an excellent small group study book. The Sacred Meal is not a gripping page turner, but, it is, in my opinion, a really good tool for those who are sincerely interested in spiritual growth.