Ekklesia, Part IV Continued

This important theme of the priesthood of all the faithful is further developed in the fifth chapter of the Constitution, which expounds the call to holiness. The Constitution tells us that “all Christians in any state or walk of life are called to that fullness of Christian life and to the perfection of love, and by this holiness a more human manner of life is fostered in society” (n. 40). As we profess each Sunday in the Creed, the Church is holy. It is holy not primarily because believers always lead exemplary lives but because Christ gave himself up for the Church and sanctified the Church. The holiness of the Church is a gift of God in Christ; it is a grace. The abiding presence and action of the Holy Spirit in the Church produces fruits of grace in the faithful. Each Catholic Christian, too, is called to live his or her life out of this sense of belonging to Christ. The Constitution proceeds to discuss distinct vocations within the Church and the way in which every kind of calling can lead to a life of holiness. It stresses that charity is at the very heart of the Christian understanding of holiness. As God has revealed himself to be love (1 John 4:16), so “the first and most necessary gift is charity, by which we love God above all things and our neighbor because of him” (n. 42).

In 1985, twenty years after the close of the Second Vatican Council, there was a special synod of bishops in Rome that met to reflect on the teaching of the council. In their final report, the bishops said that “the ecclesiology of communion is the central and fundamental idea of the council’s documents.” Underneath all that the Council says about what it means to be Church is this notion of communion. This theme is found in the New Testament, where the Church is referred to many times with the Greek word koin?nia – “fellowship” or “communion.” There is a vertical and a horizontal dimension to this understanding of the Christian community. First, the community of disciples shares in the very life of God, the life of the Trinity. God in Christ has revealed himself as one to be known and loved and has called us to share in his own life. This is the deepest meaning of salvation: sharing in the very life of God. The primary means of this participation is through the sacraments, especially baptism and the eucharist. This is expressed eloquently in Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians: “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?” (10:16). Wedded to this vertical dimension of communion is the horizontal aspect. Communion with God in Christ means that Christians are also brought into fellowship with one another and called to strengthen that fellowship. The next verse in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, right after the one quoted above, makes that clear: “Because the love of bread is one, we, though many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf” (10:17). Each diocese, each parish community, is called to embody this communion with God and with one another. The universal Church, then, is really a communion of communions. It is a communion of local churches – the church of Chicago, Los Angeles, Nairobi, Hong Kong, Manila, Vienna, etc.

I have just presented a few of the ideas about the Church that are offered in the very rich Dogmatic Constitution on the Church that was promulgated at the Second Vatican Council. What are the implications of this vision of Church for the everyday lives of Catholic Christians? There are many; here are just a few that come to mind:

• The Holy Spirit was at work during this pivotal moment of the Council to move the bishops to reflect more deeply on the Church’s tradition and to offer a new statement on the Church that would speak to people today. In our personal lives, too, the Spirit is present and active, calling us to listen to the voice of God as God continues to speak to us through the Scriptures, other people, and the events of our lives. Do I make time to listen to the voice of God?
• The Church’s teaching on the priesthood of the faithful means that there are no passive Catholics in the community of faith. Each of us is a “missionary” in some sense. Each one of us is called to share in the mission of Christ in the world today. In what ways has Christ called me to share in his mission?
• The universal call to holiness summons us to reflect on the different aspects of our lives and relationships and to view them in light of the Gospel. How do I reflect my “belongingness to Christ” in the various dimensions of my life?
• The rich notion of the Church as communion calls us to examine the ways in which we participate in the life of our parish and diocese. Is my Christianity just a “me and Jesus thing”? Do I make an effort to participate actively in the life of my parish and diocese and, in so doing, to build Christian community? Do I take advantage of opportunities to become more “connected” to other Catholic Christians?

These implications suggested by Lumen Gentium might be food for reflection and prayer as we begin the season of Lent. Next time, we will discuss another key document of the Second Vatican Council – the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World.

Previous page

Part I - Ekklesiology and Christology

Part II - The Church in the New Testament

Part III - Highlights Through the Ages

Part IV - Vatican II - First Part

Part V - Vatican II - Second Part