Timothy R. GABRIELLI.  One in Christ:  Virgil Michel, Louis-Marie Chauvet, and Mystical Body Theology.  Collegeville:  The Liturgical Press, 2017.  Pp. 239 + xx.  $34.95 pb.  ISBN 978-0-8146-8397-2.  Reviewed by Stephen S. WILBRICHT, Stonehill College, Easton, MA  02357.

In the Vatican II Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, the Council Fathers offer many images to describe the mystery of the Church.  While they ultimately settled on the “People of God” as the guiding symbol for ecclesial renewal, equally important is their portrayal of the Church as the “Body of Christ” (see Lumen Gentium, 7).  In its simplest form, mystical body theology contends that the Church is one body, composed of the living and the dead, with each member contributing necessary gifts and talents for the good of the whole.  Such an understanding of the Church has historically challenged not only the institution of the hierarchy but secular institutions of power and authority as well. 

Tim Gabrielli, Associate Professor of Theology at Seton Hall University, masterfully portrays what he calls “streams” (German, Roman, and French) of mystical body theology throughout the late-nineteenth and twentieth centuries.  He writes:  “Streams flow.  Water streams connect to other bodies of water.  They are, by their nature, messy.  One stream moves in a common direction but is at times diverted around rocks and trees” (xviii).  Gabrielli artfully demonstrates the “messiness” of mystical body theology; while he provides solid evidence for why this theology had great appeal at some significant periods in history, he likewise demonstrates how it has struggled to win for itself a solid foundation among many contemporary theologians.  Thus, Gabrielli isolates the thought of Virgil Michel and Louis-Marie Chauvet in a fruitful dialogue that offers new hope for a resurgence of mystical body theology in the twenty-first century.

One in Christ is comprised of five chapters.  Chapter One introduces the reader to the three streams of mystical body theology.  Chapter Two examines the French stream as it developed in an American context under the direction of Virgil Michel.  Chapter Three studies the causes for the gradual fading of this theology on the doorstep of the Second Vatican Council.  Chapter Four and Chapter Five focus on the potential resurgence of the mystical body theme through the work of French theologians, particularly Chauvet.  Gabrielli’s overall conclusion is that, in a world dominated by a fragmented sense of the human person and its embodiment, the building of real relationships that are bonded by a sense of solidarity is necessary for our ultimate survival.  Gabrielli writes:  “That deep sense of bodiliness at its best pairs an attention to mediation with a sense of the corporate that is bounded but not in a strict fashion, in other words, a deep attention to solidarity” (198).

For those who have discovered inspiration in Michel’s launching of the liturgical movement with a focus on the regeneration of society, or for those who have been enlightened by Chauvet’s portrayal of the ethical challenge of sacraments, this book will have particular appeal.  By examining together these two theologians, who represent the “French stream” of mystical body theology, Gabrielli advances a theology based upon human interconnectedness.  At a point in history when technology threatens the construction and maintenance of human relationships, there is great need for theologies that substantiate a corporate outlook on life.  With extensive research and beautiful prose, Gabrielli offers substantial hope that mystical body theology might become popular once again.  For this reason alone, this is a very valuable book.