Opus Dei, Opus Hominum: The Trinity, the Four-Point Hypothesis, and the Eucharist

Abstract

This article draws upon the theology of Bernard Lonergan, particularly as expanded upon by Robert Doran in order to provide a theological basis for the claim that ‘the Eucharist makes the church.’ Doran’s use of the so-called ‘four-point hypothesis’ from Lonergan’s trinitarian theology provides the basis of a revised articulation of the psychological analogy for the Trinity, this one drawn from the supernatural order. A consideration of Lonergan’s theologies of eucharistic sacrifice and of the mystical body of Christ in concert with the revised psychological analogy affords a framework for understanding the Eucharist’s role in recruiting humanity into the mission of God and constituting the church as Christ’s body.