I believe that the Church is made up of as many “stones” as there are people who believe in you. I believe the Church is a body where each member can contribute. I believe the Church is a vineyard where all the branches are joined to the vine and bear fruit; it is a flock where all walk together, a family where we learn to love one another well.
We may think of “church” as a word for a building. The ancient Greek term for church, though, is ekklesia, which means assembly. A Hebrew word with the same meaning is used in the Bible to indicate the religious assemblies of peoples. The first Christians called their first community “church” exactly because God calls his people together in it. The word catholic means universal. The Church is catholic because it is sent by Jesus to bring the Good News of the Gospel to all, “to the ends of the earth.” The word Church embraces the believing community of every time and every place.
Saint Augustine wrote, “We are the holy Church. . . . How many of us here, from this city . . . how many from this region . . . how many more are beyond the sea, and still how many are there on the face of the earth.”
Before giving his life on the cross, Jesus prayed to the Father, asking that his disciples “be one.” The unity of the Church that Jesus wants is expressed in certain symbols:
The vineyard. “I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit” (Jn 15:5). The love of God passes from Jesus to his disciples and gives them the strength to bear fruit.
The spiritual building made of “living stones” centered on Jesus, the cornerstone on which everything else depends and rests.
The body. The Church, writes Saint Paul, is like a body, and Jesus is the head.
The flock. In the Gospel of John, Jesus presents himself as the Good Shepherd who gives his life not only for the sheep of the flock (God’s chosen people Israel) but also for those in other flocks (people from other nations who would come to believe). As the Good Shepherd, Jesus formed one people from all whom he would save.
Since all believers form one body, the good of one is communicated to the others. In the same way it is necessary to believe that a communion of goods exists in the Church. But the most important member [of the body] is Christ, since he is the head. Therefore, the good of Christ is communicated to all the members; this comes through the sacraments of the Church.
Saint Thomas Aquinas, thirteenth-century Dominican scholar and Doctor of the Church
The communion of saints is a deep union that comes from faith in Jesus and through the sacraments. The communion of saints unites the Church on earth (formed by those living their lives in faith), the Church in purgatory (those who have died in the peace of Jesus, but are being purified of their sins), and the Church in heaven (those who live in the blessed presence of God). It causes believers of every time and place to be united in a way that cannot be broken.
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Read a short piece of the New Testament that tells how the first Christians lived. In these few lines you can recognize some characteristics of the Christian community throughout history: listening to the Gospel, loving communion, Eucharistic celebration, and unity in prayer. |
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“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” Acts of the Apostles 2:42 |
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Reflect on your experiences and on the fact that you too are called to active participation in the Church. Read the list below and ask yourself if you are on the right path. Use the boxes before each statement to help you review how you are doing, and commit yourself to participate in the life of the Church in deeper and more fruitful ways. |
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Love God and my neighbor |
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Welcome Jesus in my brothers and sisters in need |
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Pray for Christian unity |
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Discover my personal vocation and respond to it with joy |
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Listen to the Word of God |
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Attend events that will make my faith grow |
