ARTICLE 9: "I
BELIEVE IN THE HOLY CATHOLIC CHURCH"
748
"Christ is the light of humanity; and it is, accordingly, the heart-felt
desire of this sacred Council, being gathered together in the Holy Spirit,
that, by proclaiming his Gospel to every creature, it may bring to all men that
light of Christ which shines out visibly from the Church."135 (LG 1; cf. ⇒ Mk 16:15. ) These words
open the Second Vatican Council's Dogmatic Constitution on the Church. By
choosing this starting point, the Council demonstrates that the article of
faith about the Church depends entirely on the articles concerning Christ
Jesus. the Church has no other light than Christ's; according to a favorite image
of the Church Fathers, the Church is like the moon, all its light reflected
from the sun.
749
The article concerning the Church also depends entirely on the article about
the Holy Spirit, which immediately precedes it. "Indeed, having shown that
the Spirit is the source and giver of all holiness, we now confess that it is
he who has endowed the Church with holiness."136 (Roman Catechism I, 10, 1.) The Church is, in a
phrase used by the Fathers, the place "where the Spirit
flourishes."137 (St. Hippolytus, Trad. Ap. 35: SCh 11, 118.)
750
To believe that the Church is "holy" and "catholic," and
that she is "one" and "apostolic" (as the Nicene Creed
adds), is inseparable from belief in God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Spirit. In the Apostles' Creed we profess "one Holy Church" (Credo .
. . Ecclesiam), and not to believe in the Church, so as not to confuse God with
his works and to attribute clearly to God's goodness all the gifts he has
bestowed on his Church.138 (
ARTICLE 9 PARAGRAPH:
PARAGRAPH 1 THE CHURCH IN GOD'S PLAN
PARAGRAPH 2.THE CHURCH - PEOPLE OF GOD, BODY OF CHRIST, TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
PARAGRAPH 3.THE CHURCH IS ONE, HOLY, CATHOLIC, AND APOSTOLIC
PARAGRAPH 6.MARY - MOTHER OF CHRIST, MOTHER OF THE CHURCH
PARAGRAPH 1. THE CHURCH IN GOD'S PLAN
I.
NAMES AND IMAGES OF THE CHURCH
751
The word "Church" (Latin ecclesia, from the Greek ek-ka-lein, to
"call out of") means a convocation or an assembly. It designates the
assemblies of the people, usually for a religious purpose.139 (Cf. ⇒ Acts 19:39. ) Ekklesia is used
frequently in the Greek Old Testament for the assembly of the Chosen People
before God, above all for their assembly on Mount Sinai where Israel received
the Law and was established by God as his holy people.140 (Cf. ⇒ Ex 19. ) By calling itself
"Church," the first community of Christian believers recognized
itself as heir to that assembly. In the Church, God is "calling
together" his people from all the ends of the earth. the equivalent Greek
term Kyriake, from which the English word Church and the German Kirche are
derived, means "what belongs to the Lord."
752
In Christian usage, the word "church" designates the liturgical
assembly,141(Cf. ⇒ 1 Cor 11:18; ⇒ 14:19, ⇒ 28, ⇒ 34, ⇒ 35.) but also the local community142 (Cf. ⇒ 1 Cor 1:2; ⇒ 16:1. ) or the whole universal community
of believers.143 (Cf. ⇒ 1 Cor 15:9; ⇒ Gal 1:13; ⇒ Phil 3:6.) These three meanings are inseparable. "The Church"
is the People that God gathers in the whole world. She exists in local
communities and is made real as a liturgical, above all a Eucharistic,
assembly. She draws her life from the word and the Body of Christ and so
herself becomes Christ's Body.
Symbols
of the Church
753
In Scripture, we find a host of interrelated images and figures through which
Revelation speaks of the inexhaustible mystery of the Church. the images taken
from the Old Testament are variations on a profound theme: the People of God.
In the New Testament, all these images find a new center because Christ has
become the head of this people, which henceforth is his Body.144 (Cf. ⇒ Eph 1:22; ⇒ Col 1:18; LG 9.) Around this
center are grouped images taken "from the life of the shepherd or from the cultivation of the land, from the art of building or from family life and
marriage."145
754
"The Church is, accordingly, a sheepfold, the sole and necessary gateway
to which is Christ. It is also the flock of which God himself foretold that he
would be the shepherd, and whose sheep, even though governed by human
shepherds, are unfailingly nourished and led by Christ himself, the Good
Shepherd and Prince of Shepherds, who gave his life for his sheep.146
755
"The Church is a cultivated field, the tillage of God. On that land, the
ancient olive tree grows whose holy roots were the prophets and in which the
reconciliation of Jews and Gentiles has been brought about and will be brought
about again. That land, like a choice vineyard, has been planted by the
heavenly cultivator. Yet the true vine is Christ who gives life and
fruitfulness to the branches, that is, to us, who through the Church remain in
Christ, without whom we can do nothing.147
756
"Often, too, the Church is called the building of God. the Lord compared
himself to the stone which the builders rejected, but which was made into the
comer-stone. On this foundation, the Church is built by the apostles and from it
the Church receives solidity and unity. This edifice has many names to describe
it: the house of God in which his family dwells; the household of God in the
Spirit; the dwelling-place of God among men; and, especially, the holy temple.
This temple, symbolized in places of worship built out of stone, is praised by
the Fathers and, not without reason, is compared in the liturgy to the Holy City the New Jerusalem. As living stones we here on earth are built into it. It is
this holy city that is seen by John as it comes down out of heaven from God
when the world is made anew, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband.148
757
"The Church, further, which is called 'that Jerusalem which is above' and
'our mother', is described as the spotless spouse of the spotless lamb. It is
she whom Christ 'loved and for whom he delivered himself up that he might
sanctify her.' It is she whom he unites to himself by an unbreakable alliance,
and whom he constantly 'nourishes and cherishes.'"149
II.
THE CHURCH'S ORIGIN, FOUNDATION, AND MISSION
758
We begin our investigation of the Church's mystery by meditating on her origin
in the Holy Trinity's plan and her progressive realization in history.
A
plan born in the Father's heart
759
"The eternal Father, in accordance with the utterly gratuitous and
mysterious design of his wisdom and goodness, created the whole universe and
chose to raise up men to share in his own divine life,"150 (LG 2.) to which he
calls all men in his Son. "The Father . . . determined to call together in
a holy Church those who should believe in Christ."151 (LG 2.) This "family of
God" is gradually formed and takes shape during the stages of human
history, in keeping with the Father's plan. In fact, "already present in
figure at the beginning of the world, this Church was prepared in marvelous
fashion in the history of the people of Israel and the old Advance. Established
in this last age of the world and made manifest in the outpouring of the
Spirit, it will be brought to glorious completion at the end of time."152 (LG 2.)
The
Church - foreshadowed from the world's beginning
760
Christians of the first centuries said, "The world was created for the
sake of the Church." 153 ( Pastor Hermae, Vision 2, 4, 1: PG 2,899; cf. Aristides, Apol. 16, 6; St. Justin, Apol. 2,7: PG 6, 456; Tertullian, Apol. 31, 3; 32, 1: PL 1, 508-509.) God created the world for the sake of communion
with his divine life, a communion brought about by the "convocation"
of men in Christ, and this "convocation" is the Church. the Church is
the goal of all things,154 (Cf. St. Epiphanius, Panarion 1, 1, 5: PG 41, 181C. ) and God permitted such painful upheavals as the
angels' fall and man's sin only as occasions and means for displaying all the
power of his arm and the whole measure of the love he wanted to give the world:
Just
as God's will is the creation and is called "the world," so his intention
is the salvation of men, and it is called "the Church."155
The
Church - prepared for in the Old Covenant
761
The gathering together of the People of God began at the moment when sin
destroyed the communion of men with God, and that of men among themselves. the gathering
together of the Church is, as it were, God's reaction to the chaos provoked by
sin. This reunification is achieved secretly in the heart of all peoples:
"In every nation, anyone who fears him and does what is right is
acceptable" to God.156
762
The remote preparation for this gathering together of the People of God begins
when he calls Abraham and promises that he will become the father of a great
people.157 (Cf. ⇒ Gen 12:2; ⇒ 15:5-6. ) Its immediate preparation begins with Israel's election as the
People of God. By this election, Israel is to be the sign of the future
gathering of All nations.158 (Cf. ⇒ Ex 19:5-6; ⇒ Deut 7:6; ⇒ Isa 2:2-5; ⇒ Mic 4:1-4.) But the prophets accuse Israel of breaking the
covenant and behaving like a prostitute. They announce a new and eternal
covenant. "Christ instituted this New Covenant."159
The
Church - instituted by Christ Jesus
763
It was the Son's task to accomplish the Father's plan of salvation in the
fullness of time. Its accomplishment was the reason for his being sent.160 (Cf. LG 3; AG 3.) "The Lord Jesus inaugurated his Church by preaching the Good News, that
is, the coming of the Reign of God, promised over the ages in the
scriptures."161 (LG 5.) To fulfill the Father's will, Christ ushered in the
Kingdom of heaven on earth. the Church "is the Reign of Christ already
present in mystery."162
764
"This Kingdom shines out before men in the world, in the works and in the
presence of Christ."163 (LG 5. ) To welcome Jesus' word is to welcome "the
Kingdom itself."164 (LG 5. ) The seed and beginning of the Kingdom are the
"little flock" of those whom Jesus came to gather around him, the flock
whose shepherd he is.165 (Lk 12:32; cf. ⇒ Mt 10:16; ⇒ 26:31; In 10:1-21.) They form Jesus' true family.166 (Cf. ⇒ Mt 12:49.) To those whom he thus
gathered around him, he taught a new "way of acting" and a prayer of
their own.167
765
The Lord Jesus endowed his community with a structure that will remain until
the Kingdom is fully achieved. Before all else, there is the choice of the
Twelve with Peter as their head.168 (Cf. ⇒ Mk 3:14-15.) Representing the twelve tribes of Israel,
they are the foundation stones of the new Jerusalem.169 (Cf. ⇒ Mt 19:28; ⇒ Lk 22:30; ⇒ Rev 21:12-14.) The Twelve and the
other disciples share in Christ's mission and his power, but also in his
lot.170 (Cf. ⇒ Mk 6:7; ⇒ Lk 10:1-2; ⇒ Mt 10:25; ⇒ Jn 15:20.) By all his actions, Christ prepares and builds his Church.
766
The Church is born primarily of Christ's total self-giving for our salvation,
anticipated in the institution of the Eucharist and fulfilled on the cross.
"The origin and growth of the Church are symbolized by the blood and water
which flowed from the open side of the crucified Jesus."171 (LG 3; cf. ⇒ Jn 19:34.) "For it
was from the side of Christ as he slept the sleep of death upon the cross that
there came forth the 'wondrous sacrament of the whole Church.'"172 (SC 5.) As Eve
was formed from the sleeping Adam's side, so the Church was born from the
pierced heart of Christ hanging dead on the cross.173
The
Church - revealed by the Holy Spirit
767
"When the work which the Father gave the Son to do on earth was
accomplished, the Holy Spirit was sent on the day of Pentecost in order that he
might continually sanctify the Church."174 (LG 4; Cf. ⇒ Jn 17:4.) Then "the Church was
openly displayed to the crowds and the spread of the Gospel among the nations,
through preaching, was begun."175 (AG 4.) As the "convocation" of all
men for salvation, the Church in her very nature is missionary, sent by Christ
to all the nations to make disciples of them.176
768
So that she can fulfill her mission, the Holy Spirit "bestows upon [the
Church] varied hierarchic and charismatic gifts, and in this way directs
her."177 (LG 4. ) "Henceforward the Church, endowed with the gifts of her
founder and faithfully observing his precepts of charity, humility and
self-denial receives the mission of proclaiming and establishing among all
peoples the Kingdom of Christ and of God, and she is on earth the seed and the
beginning of that kingdom."178
The
Church - perfected in glory
769
"The Church . . . will receive its perfection only in the glory of heaven,"179 (LG 48.) at the time of Christ's glorious return. Until that day, "the Church
progresses on her pilgrimage amidst this world's persecutions and God's
consolations."180 (St. Augustine, De civ. Dei, 18, 51: PL 41, 614; Cf. LG 8.) Here below she knows that she is in exile far from the
Lord, and longs for the full coming of the Kingdom, when she will "be
united in glory with her king."181 (LG 5; Cf. 6; ⇒ 2 Cor 5:6.) The Church, and through her the world,
will not be perfected in glory without great trials. Only then will "all
the just from the time of Adam, 'from Abel, the just one, to the last of the
elect,' . . . be gathered together in the universal Church in the Father's
presence."182
III.
THE MYSTERY OF THE CHURCH
770
The Church is in history, but at the same time she transcends it. It is only
"with the eyes of faith"183 (Roman Catechism 1, 10, 20.) that one can see her in her visible
reality and at the same time in her spiritual reality as bearer of divine life.
The
Church - both visible and spiritual
771
"The one mediator, Christ, established and ever sustains here on earth his
holy Church, the community of faith, hope, and charity, as a visible
organization through which he communicates truth and grace to all men."184 (LG 8 # 1.) The Church is at the same time:
-
a "society structured with hierarchical organs and the mystical body of
Christ;
-
the visible society and the spiritual community;
-
the earthly Church and the Church endowed with heavenly riches."185
These
dimensions together constitute "one complex reality which comes together
from a human and a divine element":186
The
Church is essentially both human and divine, visible but endowed with invisible
realities, zealous in action and dedicated to contemplation, present in the
world, but as a pilgrim, so constituted that in her the human is directed
toward and subordinated to the divine, the visible to the invisible, action to
contemplation, and this present world to that city yet to come, the object of
our quest.187
O
humility! O sublimity! Both tabernacle of cedar and sanctuary of God; earthly
dwelling and celestial palace; the house of clay and royal hall; the body of death and
temple of light; and at last both object of scorn to the proud and bride of
Christ! She is black but beautiful, O daughters of Jerusalem, for even if the
labor and pain of her long exile may have discolored her, yet heaven's beauty
has adorned her.188
The
Church - the mystery of men's union with God
772
It is in the Church that Christ fulfills and reveals his own mystery as the
purpose of God's plan: "to unite all things in him."189 ( Eph 1:10.) St. Paul
calls the nuptial union of Christ and the Church "a great mystery."
Because she is united to Christ as to her bridegroom, she becomes a mystery in
her turn.190 (Eph 5:32; ⇒ 3:9-11; ⇒ 5:25-27.) Contemplating this mystery in her, Paul exclaims: "Christ in
you, the hope of glory."191 (Col 1:27. )
773
In the Church this communion of men with God, in the "love [that] never
ends," is the purpose that governs everything in her that is a
sacramental means, tied to this passing world.192 (
The
universal Sacrament of Salvation
774
The Greek word mysterion was translated into Latin by two terms: mystenum and sacramentum.
In later usage the term sacramentum emphasizes the visible sign of the hidden
reality of salvation which was indicated by the term mystenum. In this sense,
Christ himself is the mystery of salvation: "For there is no other mystery
of God, except Christ."196 (St. Augustine, Ep. 187,11,34: PL 33, 846.) The saving work of his holy and sanctifying
humanity is the sacrament of salvation, which is revealed and active in the
Church's sacraments (which the Eastern Churches also call "the holy
mysteries"). the seven sacraments are the signs and instruments by which
the Holy Spirit spreads the grace of Christ the head throughout the Church
which is his Body. the Church, then, both contains and communicates the
invisible grace she signifies. It is in this analogical sense, that the Church
is called a "sacrament."
775
"The Church, in Christ, is like a sacrament - a sign and instrument, that
is, of communion with God and of unity among all men."197 (LG 1. ) The Church's
first purpose is to be the sacrament of the inner union of men with God.
Because men's communion with one another is rooted in that union with God, the
Church is also the sacrament of the unity of the human race. In her, this unity
is already begun, since she gathers men "from every nation, from all
tribes and peoples and tongues";198 (Rev 7:9.) at the same time, the Church is the
"sign and instrument" of the full realization of the unity yet to
come.
776
As sacrament, the Church is Christ's instrument. "She is taken up by him
also as the instrument for the salvation of all," "the universal
sacrament of salvation," by which Christ is "at once manifesting and
actualizing the mystery of God's love for men."199 (LG 9 # 2, 48 # 2; GS 45 # 1.) The Church "is the
visible plan of God's love for humanity," because God desires "that
the whole human race may become one People of God, form one Body of Christ, and
be built up into one temple of the Holy Spirit."200 (Paul VI, June 22, 1973; AG 7 # 2; cf. LG 17. )
IN
BRIEF
777
The word "Church" means "convocation." It designates the
assembly of those whom God's Word "convokes," i.e., gathers together
to form the People of God, and who themselves, nourished with the Body of
Christ, become the Body of Christ.
778
The Church is both the means and the goal of God's plan: prefigured in
creation, prepared for in the Old Covenant, founded by the words and actions of
Jesus Christ, fulfilled by his redeeming cross and his Resurrection, the Church
has been manifested as the mystery of salvation by the outpouring of the Holy
Spirit. She will be perfected in the glory of heaven as the assembly of all the
redeemed of the earth (cf ⇒
Rev 14:4).
779
The Church is both visible and spiritual, a hierarchical society and the Mystical
Body of Christ. She is one, yet formed of two components, human and divine.
That is her mystery, which only faith can accept.
780
The Church in this world is the sacrament of salvation, the sign and the
instrument of the communion of God and men.
GO TO:
ARTICLE 9
PARAGRAPH 1 THE CHURCH IN GOD'S PLAN
PARAGRAPH 2.THE CHURCH - PEOPLE OF GOD, BODY OF CHRIST, TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
PARAGRAPH 3.THE CHURCH IS ONE, HOLY, CATHOLIC, AND APOSTOLIC
PARAGRAPH 6.MARY - MOTHER OF CHRIST, MOTHER OF THE CHURCH
SECTION TWO: CREEDS
CHAPTER THREE:
CHAPTER THREE:
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