By DON FIER
For the past six weeks, we have examined and elaborated upon the teaching of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) on a state of life embraced by many loyal followers of Christ who have freely responded to a special call to follow with radical fidelity the way of life that the Lord Himself led.
These generous souls — and the communities to which they belong — have profoundly influenced and shaped not only the history of the Church, but of the whole world. This state of life, the consecrated life, has been described by both the Catechism and the 1983 Code of Canon Law (CIC), as we have seen, as taking on five general forms: eremitic life, consecrated virginity, religious life, secular institutes, and societies of apostolic life.
The last two forms, which were discussed last week, can be summarized as follows: Secular institutes, whose members can be lay or cleric, live in the world and “strive for the perfection of charity and seek to contribute to the sanctification of the world, especially from within” (CIC, canon 710). Lay members, in particular, “through their own specific blending of presence in the world and consecration, . . . seek to make present in society the newness and power of Christ’s Kingdom, striving to transfigure the world…by the power of the Beatitudes” (St. John Paul II, Vita Consecrata [VC], n. 10 § 2).
Members of apostolic societies, some of whom make explicit commitments to the evangelical counsels, “pursue, each in its own particular way, a specific apostolic or missionary end” (VC, n. 11); they are neither religious nor secular institutes.
Consecrated persons, having set aside all for the sake of the Kingdom, have an essential role in the evangelizing mission of the Church. But to be effective, apostolic action must “proceed always from an intimate union with God…[and] be carried out in the communion of the Church” (CIC, canon 675 §§ 2, 3). It is not so much the verbal appeal of their message, but their lives of authentic holiness — attended with saintly composure and radiant smiles even in the midst of severe trials — that attract others. At the same time, because they live a countercultural life that is in opposition to the proud and worldly minded, they will be disliked, ridiculed, and even persecuted.
Could it be, as so adroitly stated by Francis Cardinal Arinze in a marvelous volume on the consecrated life entitled Radical Discipleship (RD), that “although they may concentrate on comforting the afflicted, they may unconsciously afflict the comfortable”? (p. 72).
This provides a fitting segue into the Catechism’s next topic: the communion of saints. For just as the Church’s doctrine on the communion of saints is a reminder of the next life, so too, “the consecrated life has a prophetic dimension because it is a living eschatological sign. It reminds us of the world to come. Consecrated persons and their communities are called to be living witnesses of the kingdom of heaven” (RD, p. 70).
The connection is apparent if one considers the composition of the communion of saints: the Church Militant on earth, the Church Suffering in Purgatory, and the Church Triumphant in Heaven. Two of the three categories consist of those who have passed from this world into eternal life, having either attained eternal beatitude in Heaven or being assured of it after a period of purification.
The Catechism begins this section, as it continues its explanation of Article 9 of the Creed, as follows: “After confessing ‘the holy catholic Church,’ the Apostles’ Creed adds ‘the communion of saints’” (CCC, n. 946).
It was the fourth-century bishop, St. Nicetas of Remesiana, who is first known to have verbalized this term when he rhetorically asked, “What is the Church other than the gathering together of all the saints? For since the beginning of the world, the patriarchs . . . the prophets, the martyrs, and all the righteous . . . form one single Church, since they are sanctified through one and the same faith and one and the same life, and are marked with the sign of one and the same Spirit, and thus form one single body” (Explanation of the Symbol, 10; as cited in Hahn, Scott, Letter & Spirit: The Authority of Mystery, p. 222).
Indeed, as we saw in an earlier column when holiness was discussed as one of the Church’s four identifying marks: “The Church . . . is ‘the holy People of God,’ and her members are called ‘saints’” (CCC, n. 823).
The expression “communion of saints,” moreover, extends beyond the reality that members of the Church are all brothers and sisters in one family, the Mystical Body of Christ: There also exists a communion of goods. “Since all the faithful form one body, the good of each is communicated to the others,” explains St. Thomas Aquinas. The Angelic Doctor continues: “The riches of Christ are communicated to all the members, through the sacraments” (Symb., 10; as cited in CCC, n. 947).
As stated in the Roman Catechism (RC), “Not only those gifts that justify, and endear us to God, are common; but graces gratuitously given, such as knowledge, prophecy, the gift of tongues and miracles, and others of the same sort (cf. 1 Cor. 13:2), are also common” (RC, I, 10, 25). Thus, the term “communion of saints” connotes two closely linked meanings: “communion ‘in holy things (sancta)’ and ‘among holy persons (sancti)’” (CCC, n. 948).
From where does this doctrine originate? It comes to us first from divine Revelation. As Fr. John A. Hardon, SJ, explains in The Catholic Catechism, “The Old Testament as well as the New Testament witness to the Christian vision of a life beyond the present one and distinguish three states of existence in union with God and therefore of communion among the saints: the pilgrim Church on earth, the suffering Church in purification, and the Church in Heaven” (p. 267).
In addition to being taught and handed down by the apostles in both Sacred Scripture and Tradition and being explicitly contained in the words of the Apostles’ Creed, the doctrine of the communion of saints was affirmed by four ecumenical councils: the Second Council of Nicea (787), the Council of Florence (1438-1445), the Council of Trent (1545-1563), and the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965).
The communion that exists between the faithful on earth and the blessed in Heaven received great emphasis in Vatican II’s Lumen Gentium (LG), to which an entire chapter is devoted (chapter VII: “The Eschatological Nature of the Pilgrim Church and Its Union with the Church in Heaven”).
Before continuing, it would be good to provide a precise definition for the term “communion of saints,” which pulls together all that has been said so far. We turn again to Fr. Hardon’s Modern Catholic Dictionary:
“The unity and cooperation of the members of the Church on earth with those in heaven and in purgatory. They are united as being one Mystical Body of Christ. The faithful on earth are in communion with each other by professing the same faith, obeying the same authority, and assisting each other with their prayers and good works. They are in communion with the saints in heaven by honoring them as glorified members of the Church, invoking their prayers and aid, and striving to imitate their lives. They are in communion with the souls in purgatory by helping them with their prayers and good works” (p. 116).
The Pearl Of Great Value
Following the outline of the Catechism, we will now speak of the “communion in spiritual goods,” or the “holy things” that are shared by the People of God. Communion in faith is described as being “a treasure of life which is enriched by being shared” (CCC, n. 949). Indeed, it is that “pearl of great value” (Matt. 13:46) that, once received, we are called to share with all of our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Next is communion of the sacraments, those “sacred links” which were instituted by Christ Himself. “The fruit of all the sacraments belongs to all the faithful . . . for they unite us to God” (CCC, n. 950). Baptism is the gateway by which we enter the Church and “it is primarily the Eucharist that brings this communion about” (cf. CCC, n. 950).
Communion of charisms refers to the action of the Holy Spirit by which He apportions to each of the faithful special gifts as He wills (cf. 1 Cor. 12:11) to make them “fit and ready to undertake the various tasks and offices which contribute toward the renewal and building up of the Church” (LG, n. 12 § 2) for the common good (cf. CCC, n. 951).
The next category, “they held everything in common” (Acts 4:32), might be referred to as communion of worldly goods (cf. CCC, n. 952). “Every true Christian possesses nothing that he should not consider as common to all others with himself and should therefore be prepared and prompt to relieve the misery of the indigent” (RC, I, 10, 25).
Lastly, we have communion in charity. United with all, living or dead, as brother and sisters in Christ, the least of our deeds done in love is to the benefit of this communion; likewise, every sin harms it (cf. CCC, n. 953).
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(Don Fier serves on the board of directors for The Catholic Servant, a Minneapolis-based monthly publication. He and his wife are the parents of seven children. Fier is a 2009 graduate of Ave Maria University’s Institute for Pastoral Theology. He is doing research for writing a definitive biography of Fr. John A. Hardon, SJ.)
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