and to have the eternal life of which he speaks. But what can it possibly mean to say that we are united to the One whom we confess as God himself? What are we to make of the assertion that eternal life comes only through partaking of his flesh and blood? We know that we are to believe and confess it, but how do we understand and embrace it? The words of the great fourth-century theologian Hilary of Poitiers seem especially appropriate at times like these: We are compelled to attempt what is unattainable,