Probably the most emphatic strength of the present study is that, on the basis of a thorough reading of primary text material, that is Thomas Aquinas’ Summa, the author succeeds in presenting a profound theological vision that is both refreshing and illuminating in the world of scholarship and highly pertinent in view of contemporary questions pertaining to sacraments and liturgy. Turnbloom audaciously chooses not to survey what other scholars in the past and present have done with Aquinas’ theory of the Eucharist. Although this possibly weakens the embedding of his book in a certain line of development, it's much more important that he self-confidently interprets the Summa in his own creative way and for his own purposes—an approach that definitely deserves imitation. For it shows that the best way to move forward difficult and thorny issues in the life of faith, the church and theology, is unlikely to happen if not by way of a profound confrontation with the best of what tradition has on offer.

Turnbloom's major argument is that the standard criticism on Aquinas’ theology of the sacraments, as exemplified by Louis-Marie Chauvet and Henri de Lubac, is in need of revision. It is not the case that it is only concerned about “me” and “my Jesus,” thereby overlooking the importance of the church as the Body of Christ. Moreover, a fresh look at how causality and signification cooperate (instead of establishing separate paradigms of thought) is needed. The weakness that Turnbloom diagnoses in these accounts of Aquinas is that they tend to base themselves on readings of the third part of the Summa only. To counter or, rather, to correct and complement them, Turnbloom cleverly proposes to integrate into Aquinas’ sacramental theology a reading of the second part of the Summa as well, where the angelic doctor develops an ingenious theory of divine grace, the cardinal and theological virtues, and the spiritual life. Turnbloom correspondingly holds that participation in the ongoing sanctifying dynamic toward the moral and religious perfection of the individual as well as the church is foundational for any correct understanding of what Aquinas says with respect to the sacraments in general and the Eucharist in particular. If this nuanced and encompassing theory of leading a good life led by God's grace and love is not properly taken into account, one misses crucial points of Aquinas’ sacramental theology and will, as a consequence, misrepresent it.

Of course, the scope of the book is much wider than just dealing with some interpretations of Thomism that have sadly overlooked or exaggerated certain elements. The book is a solid piece of sacramental theological reflection and research in its own right. Turnbloom greatly contributes to solving the eternal problem of how one can, could, or must hold together life and liturgy, to the search for a contemporary spirituality of the sacraments, to a “traditional” Christian anthropology for today, and to some much-debated issues in pastoral liturgy and the ars celebrandi. Sadly, however, the volume does not convincingly relate to contemporary scholarship in liturgical theology, even if the potential for that is not absent. So one will have to wait for the next book from this most promising theologian, who has found a unique voice by daringly delving into the work of one of the giants of theological thinking and by continuing one of the most important yet frequently neglected conversations in contemporary theology: the one about the Eucharist, the human person, and the life of the church.