12. The Mystical Body

The institution of the Church as the Mystical Body of Christ originates with the sending of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. Similarly, when catechumens or children are baptized into this Body, again the Spirit is at work. Just as the Spirit inspired authors to compose the Word of God-- just as the Spirit transforms the gifts of bread and wine into Christ's sacramental flesh and blood-- so too, this Spirit makes us One Body, One Spirit in Christ. Since the time of Pentecost, the Church has revealed herself as a divine-human reality-- a union of the Spirit operating and the people working, in their human way, to cooperate with the gift of Christ's presence and Gospel.

St. Paul clearly emphasizes the Church as the Body of Christ. He reminds us that this unique unity emerges from the one cup of blessing and the bread which we break and share, the Eucharist (1 Cor. 1). Because this sacred bread is one, all of us, though many, are one. The Eucharist and the Church together resonate as the Lord's Mystical Body.

Ours is not simply a privatized faith or relationship to Jesus. Christ founds a a special people, a new nation or Israel. This corporate aspect of the Church is crucial to understanding the faith and liturgical practice. God has called us into a relationship of mutual dependence. We are to care for each other as members of one body (1 Cor. 12). When St. Paul wrote to the Ephesians and Colossians, he stressed Christ as the head of the body of the Church. God is working out his plan of salvation through Christ, reconciling us and uniting all things to himself. The process of restoring all things in Christ is, as St. Paul says in his letter to the Ephesians, the Mystery of Christ.

Pope Paul VI expressed this truth as follows: "The Church is a mystery. It is a reality imbued with the hidden presence of God." The word "mystery" here is understood in the same way as a sacrament-- a visible sign of God's invisible presence. Just as Christ is the sacrament of the living God; the Church is our visible sign of Christ. The sacramental nature of the Church reaches beyond herself as an institution to the world. "By her relationship with Christ, the Church is a kind of sacrament or sign of intimate union with God, and of the unity of all mankind. She is also an instrument for the achievement of such union and unity" (Lumen Gentium, 1).

Christianity without the Church is nonsensical. She is integral to Christ's plan of salvation. We sacramentally encounter Jesus through the Church. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, the Church is the foremost visible instrument through which ultimate unity with Christ will be achieved. The Gospel mandates that we treat others with the consideration we would render Christ, himself. This is the hallmark of Mother Teresa's work, finding Christ in the sick, the poor, the elderly, and the outcasts. Oddly enough, a rule of reciprocity comes to the fore. By seeing Christ in others, we are able to see more clearly Christ in Mother Teresa and her sisters. Such has always been the model for holiness and it still manifests the presence of God's love. While other examples of following the Gospel could be offered, the divine-human cooperation would still be essential.

The last council stresses that the Church is another Israel, a new People of God. She includes those in pilgrimage here below, the souls in purgation, and the saints in glory. Despite our various differences, Catholics possess a genuine sense of belonging to a worldwide family. We also have an appreciation for history. Or genealogy reaches to the beginnings of Christianity and has roots in the Jewish faith. The stories of the martyrs and saints are a part of us. We take confidence in the survival of the Church through many struggles. We identify with our forefathers and foremothers. Our sense of being a people-- our Catholic identity-- goes deep. Even when Catholics lapse from the faith, they often return because they know where home is. And, when they do return, they are welcomed. Despite the imperfections in our ministers and membership, the heart of the Church is her endless bestowal of God's mercy and forgiveness.