Eucharist,Communion,and Orthopraxis in the Theology of Joseph Ratzinger

Abstract

In Joseph Ratzinger’s approach to the Eucharist, the Church as communion, and orthopraxis, there is a critique of horizontalizing trends. His solution is to stress what he calls the ‘vertical dimension’ of the Eucharist, the one Church’s participation in Trinitarian communion, and the transformation of praxis into Christian responsibility. This article argues that the reason for Ratzinger’s preference for the vertical over the horizontal is not his Platonism, but his theological idea of salvation as a gift received, not made, from the Logos sent from above.