St. Peter Canisius Apostolate

Sacrosanctum Concilium, no. 5. The wonderful works of God among the people of the Old Testament were but a prelude to the work of Christ Our Lord in redeeming mankind and giving perfect glory to God. He achieved his task principally by the paschal mystery of his blessed passion, resurrection from the dead, and glorious ascension, whereby dying, he destroyed our dead, and rising, restored our life. For it was from the side of Christ as he slept the sleep of death upon the cross that there came forth the wondrous sacrament of the whole Church.

At first glance, the context of this paragraph needs little explanation. If we recall that in Dei Verbum, no. 2, the Church defines divine revelation as the words and deeds of God in history, we can sum up this paragraph in the following way: God’s revelation to the ancient Hebrews was a preparation for his definitive self-revelation in the person and work of Jesus Christ; and the purpose of this revelation is our salvation.

So far, so good — except for the last sentence. It seems to be out of place. If I’m reading the paragraph correctly, the logic is this: God revealed himself to the ancient Hebrews to prepare for the fullness of revelation in Jesus Christ; the apex of Christ’s revelation is his death on the cross, which gives us the Church.

Are we to assume, then, that the purpose of God’s revelation is the establishment of the Church?

I think we are to assume it, and here’s why. In an early Christian document called The Shepherd of Hermes, the Church is described as a “gray old lady.” The point of this image was to indicate that the Church is as old as humankind itself; older, in fact, since she was part of the Triune God’s plan from all eternity. Because the Church is the community of God’s people, it could be said that God created the world for the sake of the Church.

Therefore, the early Church Fathers believed that in some sense the Church has always been a historical reality. Insofar as any person was righteous — as any person believed in God and sought to please him — that person was a member of God’s community. I believe the Church Fathers used the phrase, ecclesia ab Abel, the church of Abel, to describe this ancient of ancient community.

Yet, the Church in the full sense did not come into being until Christ’s death. When his side was pierced, out flowed water and blood; the Church Fathers all saw the water and blood to be symbols of the sacraments of Baptism and the Eucharist. But they saw more than that. Hanging on the cross they saw the open side of the Second Adam; just as the open side of the first Adam brought forth Eve, the mother of the living, the open side of the Second Adam brought forth the Second Eve, the Church, the mother of those alive in God through the sacraments.

With this as our background, I think the logic of this paragraph makes a little more sense: God did reveal himself for the sake of our salvation, and we find that salvation in the Church. This is why the Council calls the Church “a sacrament,” for it is a visible reality that springs from Christ himself whose invisible source of life and action is the Holy Spirit, and it is from the Church that the graces of salvation are given through the Church’s teaching and liturgy.

From the Letter of St. Ignatius of Antioch to the Ephesians (100-110 A.D.)

I have learned, however, that certain persons from elsewhere, who have evil doctrine, have stayed with you; but you did not allow them to sow it among you, and you stopped your ears so that you would not receive what they sow. You are like stones for a temple of the Father, prepared for the edifice of God the Father, hoisted to the heights by the crane of Jesus Christ, which is the cross, using for a rope the Holy Spirit.

St. Ignatius of Antioch is perhaps one of the best known Church Fathers from the early 2nd century. For one reason, his writings (which we’ll dwell on for several weeks) display a rich theology of the Church and a deep theology of the Eucharist. For another reason, he was the first Christian writer to us the word “catholic” in reference to the Church of Christ. For a third reason, his deep desire for martyrdom makes him a memorable figure. In this passage, we see how St. Ignatius understands the Church of Christ to be a visible reality.

But first, some context. It is clear from the opening sentence that the community in Ephesus has been subject to false teaching, and scholars have discern that the false teaching that was most prevalent in Ignatius’ time was that of Docetism. Docetism is an explicit rejection of the humanity of Christ and taught that the Eternal Logos, the Son of God, only seemed to be a man; that is to say, the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Christ were in appearance only.

On a broader perspective, Docetism is one form Gnosticism took in the early Church. Gnosticism taught that matter was evil and hostile to the spirit and salvation. Gnosticism took various forms in the early Church, but we already know enough to understand this passage from St. Ignatius. Briefly put, Docetism and Gnosticism are the historical keys that unlock the meaning of St. Ignatius’ letter.

Ignatius says that the Church in Ephesus did not accept the teachings of the Docetists, and this allows him to praise the Ephesian community. How does he praise them? By describing them as “stones for a temple of the Father, prepared for the edifice of God the Father.” The first time we read this, we might not see the connection, but consider this: a stone is something you can see. It’s a visible and material reality. Perhaps I’m reading into this passage, but it seems to me that St. Ignatius lauds the Ephesians for rejecting Docetism, which denies the material reality of the Incarnation, by using a term that emphasizes the material reality of the Church. Just as Christ was not a mere spiritual reality (as the Docetists say) the Church is not a mere spiritual reality (which would be the conclusion of Docetism). Using today’s language, we would say that just as Christ is the sacrament of God, the Church is the sacrament of Christ. Both have a visible and tangible reality, and both signify God’s invisible presence and activity among humankind.

Are we not confronted today with another form of Docetism — a kind of ecclesial Docetism that dismisses, if not outright denies, the visible structures of the Church, such as the necessity of the sacraments and Magisterium? To be a member of the Church of Christ is to be a member of a visible reality. If I may be so bold, we should all take a moment today and offer a prayer of thanksgiving for the gift of the Church as well as say a special prayer for the one who is the visible sign of the unity of the Church, the Pope.

We’re still on paragraph 2 of Sacrosanctum Concilium. In the second sentence, which is sixty-seven words in the English translation provided by the Vatican, the Council gives us one of the best definitions of the Church we’re likely to find. The sentence reads:

It is of the essence of the Church that she be both human and divine, visible and yet invisibly equipped, eager to act and yet intent on contemplation, present in this world and yet not at home in it; and she is all these things in such wise that in her the human is directed and subordinated to the divine, the visible likewise to the invisible, action to contemplation, and this present world to that city yet to come, which we seek.

This sentence has two distinct parts. The first half speaks of what the Church is — of her different parts and her various actions. The paragraph, in the Austin Flannery translation, as a list, runs like this. “The Church is …

1. essentially both human and divine,
2. visible but endowed with invisible realities,
3. zealous in action and dedicated to contemplation,
4. present in the world, but as a pilgrim …”

The second half speaks of how those parts and actions are related, one to the other. “The Church is … so constituted that in her …

1. the human is directed toward and subordinated to the divine,
2. the visible to the invisible,
3. action to contemplation,
4. and this present world to the city yet to come, the object of our quest.”

In other words, though the Church is a human and visible reality that is actively present in the world, the Church is also an invisible and divine reality dedicated to contemplating truth and ordering the realities of earth so that all men may reach heaven. To simplify it even more, we could say that the Church is both earthly and heavenly, and that the earthly part of the Church looks to its heavenly part for guidance and meaning.

What does this mean for the average Catholic sitting in the pew? Since through baptism we are members of the Church, the Church’s nature is our nature. This means that our human will must be subordinated to God’s will; that our visible lives must be permeated with a deep prayer life; that we don’t get so caught up in doing things that we forget the one thing necessary, knowing Jesus Christ; and that though we cannot escape the present, we must always remained prepared for the day God invites us to eternity.