e) Relationship with Members of the Church

There is but one true Church of Christ. Yet this one Church has three different states of existence. There is the pilgrim Church, the Church of this world, composed of members who have received the grace of Christ and strive for its development. They have not yet obtained the goal of their efforts, as have the members of the heavenly Church, who enjoy God in eternal happiness. The Church suffering is an intermediate state of existence necessary for those who had not achieved the required purification as members of the pilgrim Church. Although there are these three phases of the Church’s existence, there is a profound union existing between all the members. All these members possess the same basic life of grace in Christ, and this common life establishes the most intimate bonds of love. In our preceding chapter, we discussed the pilgrim Church. Let us now consider the Church suffering and the heavenly Church.

The members of the Church suffering are those who have departed from this life in an incomplete state of Christian development. Their development is incomplete in the sense that grace has not fully taken possession of them, and, as a result, they are yet closed in upon themselves to a greater or lesser degree. They as yet cannot open themselves out in complete love to the Triune God in the beatific vision. They must undergo a further purification, a purification which could have been achieved upon earth with merit. Now the purification must be achieved with no merit attached. The pain of this purification is mixed with the certain expectation of achieving the vision of God. We can hasten the advent of this vision for this people by the offering of prayers and other good works. Scripture itself refers to our action on behalf of those in purgatory in Chapter 12 of the Second Book of Maccabees beginning with verse 38.

The members of the heavenly Church are those in whom the life of grace has taken full possession and has reached its completion in the life of glory. Faith now is unnecessary, as the light of glory gives the human intellect a new strength and capacity for seeing God face-to-face. While the Christian was a wayfarer, he received the imprint of the indwelling Trinity as he shared in God’s own life. Now in heaven that grace-life and possession of God reaches its completion—the absolute completion is not achieved, however, until the resurrection of the body. The divine persons give Themselves to the beatified in a profound union far surpassing that of the indwelling of the Trinity experienced here below.

This life of heaven is still the Christ-life, for just as we possess a share in Trinitarian life here below as mediated by Christ, and exercise this grace-life as structured by Him, so also in heaven is the mediation of Christ present. In the words of Rahner, "One always sees the Father through Jesus. Just as immediately as this, for the directness of the vision of God is not a denial of the mediatorship of Christ as man."¹⁴ And not only does the humanity of Christ unite the blessed to God, but also, in some way, to the whole of creation. This is merely a completion of what is begun here below, namely, the union with Christ in His humanity establishing the Christian in a special relationship with God, with other men, and with the whole of creation. We have a glimpse, therefore, of the fullness of life which members of the heavenly Church possess.

The heavenly Church, as St. Thomas says, is the true Church.¹⁵ The Church of this earth and the Church of purgatory are, each in its own way, reaching out in loving hope for the heavenly Jerusalem. Vatican II puts it very simply: "The Church, to which we are called in Christ Jesus, and in which we acquire sanctity through the grace of God, will attain her full perfection only in the glory of heaven."¹⁶

The members of the heavenly Church can help us in living our life of grace until we too share its fullness with them. Their power of intercession on our behalf is but another ramification of the communal aspect of Christianity. We are meant to help others grow in Christ. We, in turn, are intended by God to receive aid from others—yes, from members of the heavenly Church, as well as from those with whom we dwell here below.

Not only can we be aided by the saints’ intercession, but the example of the canonized saints can also be of great value to us. They have concretely proved that full holiness is possible. Such an inspiration is of real worth when we are tempted to think that Christian sanctity in its higher degrees is impossible of attainment. Moreover, the canonized saints, in their diversity, teach us that there are many authentic versions of Christian holiness. They can be innovators in showing us that there are numerous possibilities in assimilating the mystery of Christ, although the basic assimilation remains the same for all Christians of all times. In the opinion of Rahner this is one of the chief roles the canonized saints exert in the life of the Church.¹⁷

 

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NOTES:

 ¹⁴Karl Rahner, Theological Investigations, Vol. III (Baltimore: Helicon, 1967), p. 44.
 ¹⁵ Cf. St. Thomas Aquinas, In Ad Ephes., c. 3, Lect. 3.
 ¹⁶Second Vatican Council, Constitution on the Church, No. 48.
 ¹⁷Cf. Karl Rahner, Op. cit., pp. 100-101.

                R. Come to me Lord and possess my
                    soul –

                I called upon the Lord and He
                    heard my call – to make
                    my enemies my footstool –

                We shined like Lights before
                    the Lord –
                    We surrendered ourselves
                        to God –

                God is Our Master –

                We trust in God - in
                    His care and His love –

                Breathe in the freshness of God –
                    soak in His love –
                    Let the breath of the Holy Spirit
                        burn like an ever
                        raging fire in your
                        heart and

                Open wide your gates to
                    the flowers and the light,
                    to clouds and
                    water courses –
                    So beautiful indeed are
                    the things God
                    creates –

                Your eyes were made for seeing
                    the Father's vision –
                    Glorify your God –

                Your time of mourning will
                    end as you are moved
                    to a new level on your
                    journey to Him, but your
                    docility is the key –

                Why wage war in the streets
                    with those removing
                    God as center of their
                    hearts –

                Only a fool doesn't recognize
                    their Maker

                Fr. Joe said – even animals
                    recognize their Masters –

                We cry out, God outpour
                    Your grace on this
                    October 13, 2015

                R. Do you believe in God who is
                with us –

                    Then open your hearts to
                His healing grace –

                    When I was a child, I did
                the things of a child – walking
                hand-in-hand in my
                parents and learning how
                God gives and God takes –
                learning God gives and God takes –
                learning young about the fruits
                of heaven –

                Learning young about death
                    and heaven and seeing it
                    as a place – my mom was
                    called by the hand of Jesus
                    her Savior

                And we all had to let her go –

                And at my first Communion – I
                    received Jesus –

                And my great journey of love
                    for Him – began there  –
                    He came to me, little me,
                    the bridegroom of my soul –

                My dress was white and my
                    little veil, I wore to
                    receive the Master of my
                    soul, my heart –

                Sing: Jesus My Lord, My God,
                    My All –

                Jesus came to me –

                Jesus my beloved –

                I received my love – every day
                    as a child –

                Every day – I continued to
                    be given this gift –

                And I learned about love in
                    the Blessed Sacrament and I
                    found my delight in Him –
                    in God's true presence
                    in the tabernacle and
                    exposed in the monstrance.
 

                R. I spent my days visiting
                    convents and seminaries
                    watching my sister and
                    brother in religious life –

                They were so happy – they
                    were surrounded by other
                    religious – sisters in communities
                    giving their lives as the spouse
                    of Jesus.
 

                R. My brother went to the seminary
                    at what is now
                    Our Lady of the Holy Spirit Center
                    where Mary would appear
                    to me for 14 months daily –

                The seminary
                    was
                    St. Mary's Seminary –
                        I think, of the West, then.

                The Church where Mary appeared
                    was full –
                    full of men – priests and men
                    studying to be priests

                Focused on Jesus –

                They sang vespers – it seemed
                    for 2 hours – I was
                    in the 4th grade –
                    and then older

                    The Church was full of men and
                women praying for the Church –
                giving their life for this service –
                with Jesus their center –
                There was happiness, commitment,
                community -- packed – and so
                much devotion and love --

                    How did Fr. Joe get to know
                so much? He dedicated His
                life to God and serving others –
                in parishes and working and
                praying before the Blessed Sacrament.

                    We are called to be committed –
                to work in love with others for
                the building of the Kingdom –

                    What a gift God has given
                us.

                    Mary has appeared to me for
                21 years asking us to spread
                Jesus' messages of love, of
                the Mass and her messages
                in the rosary all over the
                world –

                    The Shepherds of Christ is to help bring
                to completion the Fatima
                mission –

                    Today October 13, 1917 –
                98 Years ago –