Theology began with the appearances of the risen Jesus. That is, theology began when persons were confronted with a presence that could only be realized by the act of God. In The Eucharistic Faith , the first of a significant new systematic theology of the Eucharist, Ralph N. McMichael weaves liturgy and theology together to understand the ways in which theology and Christian faith are, at heart, about the receiving of the gift of Jesus' life in Communion.