The Political Limits and Possibilities of the Eucharist: A Theatrical Intervention.

This article critically examines recent theological claims that the Eucharist inherently forms a Christian ethic and alternative political community, arguing that such accounts often idealize the practice and overlook its historical and material limitations. Drawing on critiques by theologians like Lauren F. Winner and others, it highlights the Eucharist’s complex history, including instances where it has contributed to harm, and stresses the need to distinguish between the Eucharist’s capacity to raise political consciousness and the necessity of separate, concrete political action. The author develops this reconfiguration through the lens of contemporary German theatre director Thomas Ostermeier’s work, particularly his production of Henrik Ibsen’s *An Enemy of the People*, which illustrates how theatre can provoke political awareness without itself enacting material political change. The article proposes three themes for rethinking Eucharistic practice—depristinising (acknowledging its historical damage), disrupting catharsis (preventing premature closure of ethical reflection), and being sent (emphasizing the call to active political engagement beyond the table)—thereby situating the Eucharist as a site of divine realisation that inspires but does not replace material political responsibility.