El Cristo Roto : The Inverse Mutuality of the Presence of Christ in the Eucharist and in the Poor and Afflicted

Abstract

Catholic Christian faith affirms that Christ is present both in the Eucharist and in the poor and afflicted. Yet theological reflection on the relation between these modes of presence remains considerably less developed than their prominence in the lived practice of the faithful would suggest. On an epistemic level, the same eyes of faith and love that recognize Christ in the Eucharist perceive Christ in the poor and afflicted, and vice versa. But this reciprocity issues in different, even contrary responses. Whereas the first mode of presence mediates the riches of participating in divine life and calls for worship and celebration, the second exhibits a privation that calls perceivers to unbind and repair the plight that provoked its appearance. As mutually entwined, both modes work in tandem to induce the church from inverse directions toward the just peace and reconciled love of the whole Christ.