There was a time when I left
my trans-parochial charismatic community to heed the call of God for me to
serve in a church ministry. One of my heads talked to me. As I explained to him
my discernment of God’s call, he asked me why I would serve in the church. The
service environment there was less conducive, anyway, we are the Church. I knew
he meant well but at that moment, I was tongue-tied. I knew in my heart I was
just obeying God, but I didn’t know how to respond to the latter part of what
he said.
After a year of getting to
know the Catholic Church and her teachings, I learned the following.
Jesus was the One who
instituted the Church when He said to Peter that He will build His Church upon
him (Matthew 16:18). When He resurrected with His physical Body and Soul, this
Church became His Mystical Body and the Holy Spirit her Soul (CCC 807, 809).
As described by Paul in 1
Corinthians 12:12-31, Jesus is the Head and the people the
body. Each has a role to play. He further affirmed this in Romans
12:4-5 (GNT)
“We have many
parts in the one body, and all these parts have different functions. In
the same way, though we are many, we are one body in union with Christ, and we
are all joined to each other as different parts of one body.”
Jesus
even indirectly referred to this oneness in John 17:22-23 (GNT)
“I
gave them the same glory you gave me, so that they may be one, just as you and
I are one: I in them and you in me, so that they may be completely one, in
order that the world may know that you sent me and that you love them as you
love me.”
When Paul persecuted the
Church, he had an encounter with Jesus on his way to Damascus (Acts 9:1-5).
Jesus asked him why he persecuted Him. To persecute the Church is to persecute
Jesus. To persecute the Mystical Body of Christ is to persecute the Head,
Jesus. If someone steps on your toe, isn’t it your body feels the pain and is
affected? In the same manner, it is so with the Jesus and the Church.
Archbishop Fulton Sheen, an
American archbishop known for his preaching and works on television and radio, had
a beautiful explanation on this, “As the human body is made up of millions of
cells and hundreds of organs; as one cell is not another cell, and yet all
constitute one body, because governed by one head and unified by one soul; so
in the Mystical Body of Christ there are millions and millions of members, and
hundreds of officers; and in it the layman is not the priest, as the foot is
not the hand, and the Cardinal is not the missionary, as one organ is not
another; yet they all coalesce into one living body, because governed by the
invisible head, Christ, and vivified by the one soul which is the Holy Spirit
of God.”
The soul is like a glue that holds the body together. The Holy Spirit’s presence in the Mystical Body of Christ has a similar effect. He is, as the archbishop said, the Spirit of Charity and Love. That charity and love existing among the members of the Church allows them to live and work in harmony together. Should charity and love no longer be present among the various members, the unity of the Church will suffer.
Secondly, when the soul is present, the body is able to carry on its natural life activities, such as working, recreating, eating, studying, and praying. Likewise, the eye sees, the heart beats, the brain reasons. However, when the soul is separated from the body by death, all life functions of the body cease. The person is considered dead. In a similar manner, the Holy Spirit’s presence within the Mystical Body of Christ gives life to all the various members of that Body, enabling each of them to carry out their proper functions. So, for example, priests will offer sacrifice, teachers will carry out their teaching ministry, religious will care for the sick and the suffering. As a result, the whole Mystical Body of Christ will be built up and brought to its fullness.”
During their time, the
Apostles became the core of the Church. Today, the Pope and the other Bishops
succeeded them as her nucleus. Yes, it is true, we, the believers of Christ born
into baptism to His Mystical Body, constitute the Church.
But this does not mean only
the living. There are three branches or states of the Church (CCC 954):
- The Militant Church which refers to us who are still living on earth, still struggling and fighting sin
- The Suffering Church which refers to souls in purgatory who still needs to be cleansed or purified before entering heaven
- The Triumphant Church which refers to souls in heaven who have been victorious and are now in heaven
Both the living (the Pope, bishops, priests,
religious, lay people) and the dead (souls in purgatory and in heaven), all of
us constitute the Church, the Mystical Body of Christ.
Let us keep in mind that we
are part of the whole Body of Christ, we are governed by Jesus, our Head and we
are unified by the Holy Spirit, our Soul who keeps us alive. Let us also
remember always that we have a role to fulfill for the love of Jesus as part of
this Body of Christ.
Sources:
- The Faith Explained by Fr. Leo
Trese, pp. 14, 178
- Catechism of the Catholic Church 954
http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p123a9p5.htm#II
- Catechism of the Catholic Church 807, 809 http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p123a9p2.htm#brief
- Catholic Encyclopedia http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04171a.htm
- Catholic Apologetics http://www.catholicapologetics.info/apologetics/general/mystica.htm
- Catholic Exchange http://catholicexchange.com/the-mystical-body-of-christ-the-wisdom-of-archbishop-fulton-sheen/
- Biblegateway.com http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/
You may also want to read:
- Who Founded What....the Catholic Church? http://iamacatholicbyheart.blogspot.com/2012/08/who-founded-catholic-church.html
