One Body in Christ: COMMUNION OF SAINTS

The Catholic Church is called the Mystical Body of Christ, because

its members are united by supernatural bonds with one another and with Christ, their

Head, thus resembling the members

and head of the living human body.

The term "Mystical Body of Christ" is derived from St. Paul's metaphor:

"He is the head of his body, the Church" (Col. 1:18) .

"You are the body of Christ, member for member"

(1 Cor. 12:27).

"We, the many, are one body in Christ"

(Rom. 12:5).

Jesus Himself used a similar symbol:"I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for without me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me, he shall be cast outside as the branch and wither" (Jn 15:5-6).

In the Mystical Body, Christ as Head wills to be helped by His Body. Thus He rules the Church, but does so indirectly, through the hierarchy, human authority.

1 Cor 16:15 Paul calls all his fellow

believers "saints," and not just the

notably holy ones.

Paul also uses the term for both those

who are living and for those who are dead.

ONE BODY, THE CHURCH

•There is only one body, the Church.

•The church is not one church in heaven as opposed

to one church on earth. The one church is intimately connected with each other

•Vine and the branches in John 15. And those in heaven are just men made perfect.

This practice of Paul corresponds to one of the

earliest creedal statements of Christian

faith: The Apostles Creed:

"I believe in the communion of saints."

Communion of saints refers to the bond of unity among all

believers, both living and dead, who are or have been committed

followers of Jesus Christ. In the eyes of God, in eternity,

the distinction between His People who are

"living" or who are "dead"

is not at all important.

At the present time some of (Jesus') disciples are

pilgrims on earth (journey). Others have died and are

being purified, while still others are in glory

beholding "clearly God himself, three in one,

as He is.“-On the Church, No. 49, Vatican II

The life of each of God's children is joined in Christ and through

Christ in a wonderful way to the life of all the other

Christian brethren in the supernatural unity of the

Mystical Body of Christ, as in a single mystical person.

-- Catechism of the Catholic Church, Section 1474

THE CHURCH MILITANT (ECCLESIA MILITANS),

comprising Christians on earth who are living;

Christian militia, who struggle against sin, the devil and

"..the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in

high places" (Ephesians 6:12).

In Christian theology, the Christian Church, or Church Universal, is traditionally divided into:

THE CHURCH TRIUMPHANT (ECCLESIA TRIUMPHANS), comprising those who are

in Heaven, and

In Christian theology, the Christian Church, or Church Universal, is traditionally divided into:

THE CHURCH SUFFERING,  CHURCH PADECENT  OR CHURCH PENITENT (ECCLESIA PENITENS)

or CHURCH EXPECTANT(ECCLESIA EXPECTANS),

comprising those Christians presently in Purgatory.

This latter term is only applicable to Roman Catholic theology.

In Christian theology, the Christian Church, or Church Universal, is traditionally divided into:

There is a continuous communication in the three portions (states) of the

Church spiritually united in Jesus Christ.

The members on earth send up prayers to the angels and saints for themselves

and for the poor souls in purgatory.

They in turn are helped by the intercession of the saints and angels, and by the graces obtained thereby. The poor souls pray for the members

on earth.

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“Trials and doubts are part of everyone's faith journey,

even mine, but Christians know

they can get throughthe hard times

with help from God, other Christians and those in heaven.

POPE FRANCIS: “IN TIMES OF TROUBLE, CALL ON THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS” (I)

“Who hasn't experienced

insecurities, losses and even doubts in the

journey of faith? It's part of life.

It should not shock us because we are human

beings, marked by fragility and limits.

POPE FRANCIS: “IN TIMES OF TROUBLE, CALL ON THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS” (II)

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POPE FRANCIS: “IN TIMES OF TROUBLE, CALL ON THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS” (III)

"Don't be frightened, but ask

for help. In times of difficulty,

it is necessary to trust in God through prayer and, at the

same time, it's important to find the

courage and humility to open

yourself to others in order to

ask for help.”

“We are a great big family through baptism.

The communion of saints, refers not only to those

who have been canonized by the Catholic Church but

to all the baptized.

“The communion of saints goes beyond earthly life. It extends beyond death

and lasts forever, to find its fullest expression when all

believers are reunited in heaven.”

POPE FRANCIS: “IN TIMES OF TROUBLE, CALL ON THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS” (IV)

POPE FRANCIS: “IN TIMES OF TROUBLE, CALL ON THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS” (V)

“This communion between heaven and earth

is expressed particularly in prayers of intercession, which are the greatest

form of solidarity.”

“The communion of saints is the deepest reality of the Church,

because in Christ, through Baptism, we are made sharers in the communion of life and love which is the Blessed Trinity. 

“Every Christian, has an obligation to

be a responsible part of the

communion of aints, supporting other

Christians in their faith.

Pope Francis: “Be a responsible part of the communion of saints”

“A believer's communion with God and with Jesus must find expression

in communion with all those who also believe.”

November 1st is the Solemnity of All Saints. This feast day is kind of a catch-all for the Church’s saints:-- from the first martyrs in Jerusalem and Rome to those newly canonized last month at St. Peter’s; -- from St. Stephen in the book of Acts, the very first Christian martyr, to St. Kateri Tekakwitha, and everyone in between.

This feast day spans 2,000 glorious years of the Catholic Church’s history.

According to the Roman Missal, this feast day celebrates all the saints, especially those unknown to us by name, who are now in heaven.

All of these saints are in heaven enjoying the same thing, beholding God face to face, also known as the ‘beatific vision’. The beatific vision–the blissful union with God–is our true end and our true happiness.

Beatific means, ‘exalted joy’, ‘holy bliss’, ‘blissfully happy’, or ‘making happy’. St. John the Evangelist captures the happy scene the saints enjoy in heaven in a vision he relates in the book of Revelation 7:9-12:

The Church Triumphant! Nov. 1, The Solemnity of

All Saints

HAPPY & BLESSED ALL SAINTS DAY, 1st November

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Painting: Christ Glorified in the Court of Heaven; By: Fra Angelico ; In: National Gallery, London

"The glorious company of the apostles praise Thee. The godly fellowship of the prophets praise Thee.

The white-robed army of martyrs praise Thee. All Thy saints and elect with one voice do acknowledge Thee,

O Blessed Trinity, one God!"

Antiphon at Lauds, from the Te Deum

HAPPY & BLESSED ALL SAINTS DAY, 1st November

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“Therefore, since we are surrounded

by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside

every weight, and sin which clings so

closely, and let us run with

perseverance the race that is set

before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and

perfecter of our faith.” -- Hebrews

12:1-2

HAPPY & BLESSED ALL SAINTS DAY, 1st Nov.

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“For centuries the church has confronted the human community with role models of greatness.

“We call them saints when what we really often mean to say is 'icon,' 'star,' 'hero,' ones so possessed by an internal vision of divine goodness that they give us a glimpse of the face of God in the center of the human.

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They give us a taste of the possibilities of greatness in ourselves.”

— Joan D. Chittister in A Passion for Life

A CLOUD OF WITNESSES AT EVERY EUCHARIST!

A priest was asked, 'How many people were at the early celebration of the Eucharist last Wednesday morning?'

He replied, 'There were three old ladies, the janitor, several thousand archangels, a large number of seraphim, and several million of the triumphant saints of God.'

Such a 'cloud of witnesses' answers a deep human urge to be part of something larger, to not stand alone, to give our little lives meaning.

One drop of water, left alone, evaporates quickly. But one drop of water in the immense sea endures. -- Geddes MacGregor in The Rhythm of God

martinjallehHAPPY & BLESSED ALL SAINTS DAY

Revelation 7:9-12:

“After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’ And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, ‘Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.’ “

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.”Hebrews 12:1-2"For centuries the church has confronted the human community with role models of greatness.

We call them saints when what we really often mean to say is 'icon,' 'star,' 'hero,' ones so possessed by an internal vision of divine goodness that they give us a glimpse of the face of God in the center of the human.

They give us a taste of the possibilities of greatness in ourselves.“— Joan D. Chittister in A Passion for Life

Congregation of All the Saints of the Pechersk Lavra.Icon Painting Workshop of Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, Kyiv.

POPE FRANCIS: “IN TIMES OF TROUBLE, CALL ON THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS”

“Trials and doubts are part of everyone's faith journey, even mine, but Christians know they can get through the hard times with help from God, other Christians and those in heaven.

"Who hasn't experienced insecurities, losses and even doubts in the journey of faith? It's part of life. It should not shock us because we are human beings, marked by fragility and limits. "Don't be frightened, but ask for help. In times of difficulty, it is necessary to trust in God through prayer and, at the same time, it's important to find the courage and humility to open yourself to others in order to ask for help."We are a great big family through baptism, The communion of saints, refers not only to those who have been canonized by the Catholic Church but to all the baptized."The communion of saints goes beyond earthly life. It extends beyond death and lasts forever, to find its fullest expression when all believers are reunited in heaven."All the baptized here on earth, the souls in purgatory and the blessed souls in heaven form one big family. This communion between heaven and earth is expressed particularly in prayers of intercession, which are the greatest form of solidarity, and is also the basis of the liturgical celebrations of the feasts of All Saints and All Souls."

Every Christian, the pope said, has an obligation to be a responsible part of the communion of saints, supporting other Christians in their faith A believer's communion with God and with Jesus must find expression in communion with all those who also believe. Those who truly enter the glowing furnace of the love of God, love others because God's love "burns away our selfishness, our prejudices, our internal and external divisions," he said. "The love of God also burns away our sins."

POPE FRANCIS: “IN TIMES OF TROUBLE, CALL ON THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS”

The Canon of HolinessOur words "holy" and "holiness"

come from the Hebrew (qadosh and qodesh) the Greek (hagios, hagiosyne) and

the Latin (sanctitas, sacer, sanctus).

Essentially holy means what is divine and pertains to God.

It is His most intimate essence in which He radically transcends all that is

created; totally Other. Holiness extends to whatever is in relationship with the

divine; it includes the idea of separation and

opposition to what is profane and common;

it expresses the idea of belonging to or being possessed by God.

Refer to Scripture Verses

As Paul writes, in each individual, sanctification takes place through faith and baptism.

Rom 15:16 ... to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in performing the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering up of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the holy Spirit.

1 Cor 6:11 That is what some of you used to be; but now you have had yourselves washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.Paul continues ... sanctification through faith and baptism makes one belong to God.

Rom 6:19,22 I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your nature. For just as you presented the parts of your bodies as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness for lawlessness, so now present them as slaves to righteousness for sanctification. ... But now that you have been freed from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit that you have leads to sanctification, and its end is eternal life.

THE ROLE OF THE SAINTS

The saints are presented to believers as role models whose lives are worthy to be imitated.Heb 6:12 ... so that you may not become sluggish, but imitators of those who, through faith and patience, are inheriting the promises.

Heb 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us

1 Cor 11:1 Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

Phil 3:17 Join with others in being imitators of me, brothers, and observe those who thus conduct themselves according to the model you have in us.

ouncil of Vatican II, On the Church, No. 50,For when we look at the lives of those who have faithfully followed Christ, we are inspired with a new reason for seeking the city which is to come (Heb 13:14; 11:10). At the same time we are shown a most safe path by which ... we will be able to arrive at perfect union with Christ, that is holiness.

In the lives of those who shared in our humanity and yet were transformed into especially successfully images of Christ (2 Cor 3:18), God vividly manifests to men his presence and his face. He speaks to us in them, and gives us a sign of his kingdom, to which we are powerfully drawn, surrounded as we are by so many witnesses (Heb 12:1), and having such an argument for the truth of the gospel.

The Canonization of SaintsThe word "canon" comes from the Greek word kanon meaning a standard or measuring rod.The custom of canonization began in the early church by popular acclamation. Hence the custom of calling all the apostles "Saint."The Roman Catholic Church since the 10th century has officially applied the standard of holiness of life to certain individuals who lived exemplary Christian lives and through a lengthy process of prayer and study have declared that the individual is in heaven.Contrary to the belief of some, the Church does not "create" saints, but simply applies the standard of gospel holiness to those God permits the Church to know are in heaven with Him. One principle way for God to affirm the presence of an individual in heaven with Him is through the performance of miracles through the intercession of that person

The three states of the Church. "When the Lord comes in glory, and all his angels with him, death will be no more and all things will be subject to him. But at the present time some of his disciples are pilgrims on earth. Others have died and are being purified, while still others are in glory, contemplating 'in full light, God himself triune and one, exactly as he is"'(CCC 954)