Holy Card
La Disputa by Raphael“We believe in the Communion of Saints…”- This is proclaimed by all at Mass during the recitation of the Nicene Creed. But what is the Communion of Saints? Because it is heard at Mass, many have associated it with those people who receive Communion. But this is not exactly the correct answer. It actually refers to the unity that the Catholics on earth have with each other and those in Heaven and in Purgatory. There is a sharing of spiritual goods and a fellowship that goes along with being one in the “Mystical Body of Christ”. We, along with those who have passed on, participate in the supernatural life that flows from Christ who is the head of the Church. In other words, all Catholics that have ever lived make up the Church and it is this relationship that is the Communion of Saints.
Some Terminology:
The Communion of Saints consists of:
The Church Militant: Catholics still living on earth
The Church Suffering: Catholics that are being purified in Purgatory
The Church Triumphant: Catholics that are in Heaven and are now Saints
When the Communion of Saints intersects with the Sacraments, things start getting really interesting. The two concepts together paint a much fuller picture of what the Church is and what we experience during the sacraments. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states:
"The fruit of all the sacraments belongs to all the faithful. All the sacraments are sacred links uniting the faithful with one another and binding them to Jesus Christ, and above all Baptism, the gate by which we enter into the Church. The communion of saints must be understood as the communion of the sacraments. . . . The name ‘communion' can be applied to all of them, for they unite us to God. . . . But this name is better suited to the Eucharist than to any other, because it is primarily the Eucharist that brings this communion about."
The Church believes that Heaven and earth are united during the Consecration and at Holy Communion. We share the same Body and Blood of Christ as those who are in Purgatory and Heaven. We are united with them through the power of Jesus Christ through the Eucharist. This has been brilliantly represented in the painting La Disputa by Raphael, showing the Communion of Saints united in the Blessed Sacrament (my favorite painting-see the second picture above).
Some Terminology:
The Communion of Saints consists of:
The Church Militant: Catholics still living on earth
The Church Suffering: Catholics that are being purified in Purgatory
The Church Triumphant: Catholics that are in Heaven and are now Saints
When the Communion of Saints intersects with the Sacraments, things start getting really interesting. The two concepts together paint a much fuller picture of what the Church is and what we experience during the sacraments. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states:
"The fruit of all the sacraments belongs to all the faithful. All the sacraments are sacred links uniting the faithful with one another and binding them to Jesus Christ, and above all Baptism, the gate by which we enter into the Church. The communion of saints must be understood as the communion of the sacraments. . . . The name ‘communion' can be applied to all of them, for they unite us to God. . . . But this name is better suited to the Eucharist than to any other, because it is primarily the Eucharist that brings this communion about."
The Church believes that Heaven and earth are united during the Consecration and at Holy Communion. We share the same Body and Blood of Christ as those who are in Purgatory and Heaven. We are united with them through the power of Jesus Christ through the Eucharist. This has been brilliantly represented in the painting La Disputa by Raphael, showing the Communion of Saints united in the Blessed Sacrament (my favorite painting-see the second picture above).