7-19-09

The Church is the Bride of Christ

796 The unity of Christ and the Church, head and members of one Body, also implies the distinction of the two within a personal relationship. This aspect is often expressed by the image of bridegroom and bride. The theme of Christ as Bridegroom of the Church was prepared for by the prophets and announced by John the Baptist.234 The Lord referred to himself as the "bridegroom."235 The Apostle speaks of the whole Church and of each of the faithful, members of his Body, as a bride "betrothed" to Christ the Lord so as to become but one spirit with him.236 The Church is the spotless bride of the spotless Lamb.237 "Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her."238 He has joined her with himself in an everlasting covenant and never stops caring for her as for his own body:239


This is the whole Christ, head and body, one formed from many . . . whether the head or members speak, it is Christ who speaks. He speaks in his role as the head (ex persona capitis) and in his role as body (ex persona corporis). What does this mean? "The two will become one flesh. This is a great mystery, and I am applying it to Christ and the Church."240 And the Lord himself says in the Gospel: "So they are no longer two, but one flesh."241 They are, in fact, two different persons, yet they are one, . . . as head, he calls himself the bridegroom, as body, he calls himself "bride."242

"Christ is the Head of this Body"

792 Christ "is the head of the body, the Church."225 He is the principle of creation and redemption. Raised to the Father's glory, "in everything he [is] preeminent,"226 especially in the Church, through whom he extends his reign over all things.

793 Christ unites us with his Passover: all his members must strive to resemble him, "until Christ be formed" in them.227 "For this reason we . . . are taken up into the mysteries of his life, . . . associated with his sufferings as the body with its head, suffering with him, that with him we may be glorified."228

794 Christ provides for our growth: to make us grow toward him, our head,229 he provides in his Body, the Church, the gifts and assistance by which we help one another along the way of salvation.

795 Christ and his Church thus together make up the "whole Christ" (Christus totus). The Church is one with Christ. The saints are acutely aware of this unity:

Let us rejoice then and give thanks that we have become not only Christians, but Christ himself. Do you understand and grasp, brethren, God's grace toward us? Marvel and rejoice: we have become Christ. For if he is the head, we are the members; he and we together are the whole man. . . . The fullness of Christ then is the head and the members. But what does "head and members" mean? Christ and the Church.230
Our redeemer has shown himself to be one person with the holy Church whom he has taken to himself.231

Head and members form as it were one and the same mystical person.232

A reply of St. Joan of Arc to her judges sums up the faith of the holy doctors and the good sense of the believer: "About Jesus Christ and the Church, I simply know they're just one thing, and we shouldn't complicate the matter."233

"One Body"

790 Believers who respond to God's word and become members of Christ's Body, become intimately united with him: "In that body the life of Christ is communicated to those who believe, and who, through the sacraments, are united in a hidden and real way to Christ in his Passion and glorification."220 This is especially true of Baptism, which unites us to Christ's death and Resurrection, and the Eucharist, by which "really sharing in the body of the Lord, . . . we are taken up into communion with him and with one another."221

791 The body's unity does not do away with the diversity of its members: "In the building up of Christ's Body there is engaged a diversity of members and functions. There is only one Spirit who, according to his own richness and the needs of the ministries, gives his different gifts for the welfare of the Church."222 The unity of the Mystical Body produces and stimulates charity among the faithful: "From this it follows that if one member suffers anything, all the members suffer with him, and if one member is honored, all the members together rejoice."223 Finally, the unity of the Mystical Body triumphs over all human divisions: "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus."224

THE CHURCH - BODY OF CHRIST

The Church is communion with Jesus

787 From the beginning, Jesus associated his disciples with his own life, revealed the mystery of the Kingdom to them, and gave them a share in his mission, joy, and sufferings.215 Jesus spoke of a still more intimate communion between him and those who would follow him: "Abide in me, and I in you. . . . I am the vine, you are the branches."216 And he proclaimed a mysterious and real communion between his own body and ours: "He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him."217

788 When his visible presence was taken from them, Jesus did not leave his disciples orphans. He promised to remain with them until the end of time; he sent them his Spirit.218 As a result communion with Jesus has become, in a way, more intense: "By communicating his Spirit, Christ mystically constitutes as his body those brothers of his who are called together from every nation."219

789 The comparison of the Church with the body casts light on the intimate bond between Christ and his Church. Not only is she gathered around him; she is united in him, in his body. Three aspects of the Church as the Body of Christ are to be more specifically noted: the unity of all her members with each other as a result of their union with Christ; Christ as head of the Body; and the Church as bride of Christ.

7-18-09

A HARD BATTLE . .

407 The doctrine of original sin, closely connected with that of redemption by Christ, provides lucid discernment of man's situation and activity in the world. By our first parents' sin, the devil has acquired a certain domination over man, even though man remains free. Original sin entails "captivity under the power of him who thenceforth had the power of death, that is, the devil".298 Ignorance of the fact that man has a wounded nature inclined to evil gives rise to serious errors in the areas of education, politics, social action299 and morals.

408 The consequences of original sin and of all men's personal sins put the world as a whole in the sinful condition aptly described in St. John's expression, "the sin of the world".300 This expression can also refer to the negative influence exerted on people by communal situations and social structures that are the fruit of men's sins.301

409 This dramatic situation of "the whole world [which] is in the power of the evil one"302 makes man's life a battle:


The whole of man's history has been the story of dour combat with the powers of evil, stretching, so our Lord tells us, from the very dawn of history until the last day. Finding himself in the midst of the battlefield man has to struggle to do what is right, and it is at great cost to himself, and aided by God's grace, that he succeeds in achieving his own inner integrity.303




CONSEQUENCES OF ADAM'S SIN FOR HUMANITY
402 All men are implicated in Adam's sin. Sin came into the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all men sinned."289 One man's trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one man's (Christ's) righteous act leads to acquittal and life for all men.290

403 The misery which oppresses men and their inclination towards evil and death cannot be understood apart from Adam's sin and the fact that he has transmitted to us a sin with which we are all born afflicted, a sin which is the "death of the soul".291 The Church baptizes for the remission of sins even tiny infants who have not committed personal sin.292

404 How did the sin of Adam become the sin of all? The whole human race is in Adam By this "unity of the human race" all men are implicated in Adam's sin, as all are implicated in Christ's justice. Still, the transmission of original sin is a mystery. Adam had received original holiness and justice not for himself alone, but for all human nature. By yielding to the tempter, Adam and Eve committed a personal sin, but this sin affected the human nature that they would then transmit in a fallen state.294 Human nature deprived of original holiness and justice. Original sin is "sin" in an analogical sense: it is "contracted" not "committed" - a state and not an act.

Original sin does not have the character of a personal fault in any of Adam's descendants. Human nature has not been totally corrupted: it is wounded, subject to ignorance, suffering and death, and inclined to sin - an inclination to evil - "concupiscence". Baptism, by imparting Christ's grace, erases original sin and turns a man towards God. But his nature, weakened and inclined to evil, summon him to spiritual battle.



MAN'S FIRST SIN

397 Man, tempted by the devil, let his trust in his Creator die in his heart and, abusing his freedom, disobeyed God's command. This is what man's first sin consisted of.278 All subsequent sin would be disobedience toward God and lack of trust in his goodness.

398 In that sin man preferred himself to God and by that very act scorned him. He chose himself over and against God, against the requirements of his creaturely status and therefore against his own good. Constituted in a state of holiness, man was destined to be fully "divinized" by God in glory. Seduced by the devil, he wanted to "be like God", but "without God, before God, and not in accordance with God".279

Adam and Eve immediately lose the grace of original holiness.280 They become afraid of the God of whom they have conceived a distorted image - that of a God jealous of his prerogatives.281

400 The harmony of original justice is now destroyed: the control of the soul's spiritual faculties over the body is shattered; the union of man and woman becomes subject to tensions, their relations marked by lust and domination.282 Harmony with creation is broken: creation has become hostile to man.283 Creation is now subject to decay.284 The consequence foretold for disobedience will come true: man will "return to the ground",285 for out of it he was taken. Death makes its entrance into history.286

401 Universal corruption follows original sin. Sin manifests in the history of Israel, as infidelity to God and transgression of the Law. Sin raises its head in countless ways among Christians.287

Man finds that he is drawn towards what is wrong and to evils which cannot come from his good creator. Refusing to acknowledge God as his source, man upset the relationship which should link him to God, broken the right order within himself and with other men and all creatures.288



FREEDOM PUT TO THE TEST

396 God created man in his image and established him in his friendship. A spiritual creature, man can live this friendship only in free submission to God. The prohibition against eating "of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil" spells this out: "for in the day that you eat of it, you shall die."276 The "tree of the knowledge of good and evil"277 symbolically evokes the insurmountable limits that man, being a creature, must freely recognize and respect with trust. Man is dependent on his Creator, and subject to the laws of creation and to the moral norms that govern the use of freedom.


7-15-09



"IN THE IMAGE OF GOD"


356 Only man is "able to know and love his creator".219 He is "the only creature on earth that God has willed for its own sake",220 and he alone is called to share, by knowledge and love, in God's own life. This is the reason for his dignity:

357 Being in the image of God the human possesses the dignity, is not just something, but someone. He is capable of self-knowledge, self-possession, freely giving himself and entering into communion with other persons. And he is called to a covenant with his Creator, to offer him a response of faith and love no other creature can give.

358 God created everything for man,222 but man in turn was created to serve and love God and to offer all creation back to him:

God attached so much importance to his salvation that he did not spare his own Son for the sake of man. Nor does he ever cease to work, until he has raised man up to himself and made him sit at his right hand.223

St. Paul tells us that the human race takes its origin from two men: Adam and Christ. . . The first man, Adam became a living soul, the last Adam a life-giving spirit. . . The second Adam stamped his image on the first when he created him. That is why he took on himself the role and the name of the first Adam, in order that he might not lose what he had made in his own image.

360 Because of its common origin the human race forms a unity, for "one God made all nations to inhabit the whole earth":226

In unity of nature, composed equally in all men; in unity of immediate end and mission in the world; in unity of supernatural end: God himself,; in unity of the means for attaining this end;. . . in unity of the redemption wrought by Christ.227

361 "Human solidarity and charity",228 without excluding the rich variety of persons, cultures and peoples, assures us that all men are truly brethren.

"BODY AND SOUL BUT TRULY ONE"



362 The human person, created in the image of God, is at once corporeal and spiritual. Bible states "the LORD formed man of dust , and breathed into his nostrils life; and man became a living being."229 Man, whole and entire, is therefore willed by God.

363 "Soul" refers to human life or the entire person.230 "Soul" also refers to the innermost aspect of man, of greatest value in him,231 that by which he is most especially in God's image: "

364 The human body shares in the dignity of "the image of God": it is a human body precisely because it is animated by a spiritual soul, and it is the whole human person that is intended to become, in the body of Christ, a temple of the Spirit:232

Man, body and soul, is a unity. Through his body man sums up the material world. Through him they are brought to their perfection and can praise the Creator. Man is to honor his body. God has created it and will raise it up on the last day. 233

365 The unity of soul and body is profound. 234 i.e., it is because of its spiritual soul that the body becomes a living, human body; spirit and matter, in man, are not two natures united, but rather their union forms a single nature.

366 Every spiritual soul is created immediately by God - not by the parents - and is immortal: it does not perish at death, and will be reunited with the body at the Resurrection.235

367 St. Paul prays that God sanctify his people "wholly", with "spirit and soul and body" kept sound and blameless..236 .237 "Spirit" signifies that from creation man is ordered to a supernatural end and that his soul can gratuitously be raised beyond all it deserves to communion with God.238

368 The Church also emphasizes the heart, the depths of one's being, where the person decides for or against God.239

"MALE AND FEMALE HE CREATED THEM"

Equality and difference willed by God

369 Man and woman have been created, willed by God: in perfect equality as human persons; in their respective beings as man and woman. Man and woman possess an inalienable dignity which comes to them immediately from God.240 Man and woman are of the same dignity "in the image of God". They reflect the Creator's wisdom and goodness.

370 In no way is God in man's image. He is neither man nor woman. God is pure spirit in which there is no place for gender. But the respective "perfections" of man and woman reflect the infinite perfection of God:.241

"Each for the other" - "A unity in two"

371 God created man and woman together and willed each for the other. The Word of God says "It is not good that the man should be alone. I will make him a helper fit for him."242 .243 The woman God "fashions" from the man's rib and brings to him elicits an exclamation of love and communion: "This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh."244 Man discovers woman as sharing the same humanity.

372 Man and woman were made "for each other" - not that God left them half-made and incomplete: he created them to be a communion of persons, each can be "helpmate" to the other, for they are equal as humans and complementary. In marriage God unites them in so that they can transmit human life: By transmitting life to their descendants, man and woman as spouses and parents cooperate in the Creator's work.247

373 Man and woman have the vocation of "subduing" the earth248 as stewards of God. This sovereignty is not to be an arbitrary and destructive. God calls man and woman, 249 to share in his providence toward other creatures; They bear a responsibility for the world God has entrusted to them.

MAN IN PARADISE

374 The first man was not only created good, but was also established in friendship with his Creator and in harmony with himself and with the creation around him, in a state that would be surpassed only by the glory of the new creation in Christ.

375 The Church, interpreting the symbolism of biblical language in an authentic way, in the light of the New Testament and Tradition, teaches that our first parents, Adam and Eve, were constituted in an original "state of holiness and justice".250 This grace of original holiness was "to share in. . .divine life".251

376 By the radiance of this grace all dimensions of man's life were confirmed. As long as he remained in the divine intimacy, man would not have to suffer or die.252 The inner harmony of the human person, the harmony between man and woman,253 and finally the harmony between the first couple and all creation, comprised the state called "original justice".

377 The "mastery" over the world that God offered man from the beginning was realized above all within man himself: mastery of self. The first man was unimpaired and ordered in his whole being because he was free from the triple concupiscence254 that subjugates him to the pleasures of the senses, covetousness for earthly goods, and self-assertion, contrary to the dictates of reason.

378 The sign of man's familiarity with God is that God places him in the garden.255 There he lives "to till it and keep it". Work is not yet a burden,256 but rather the collaboration of man and woman with God in perfecting the visible creation.

379 This entire harmony of original justice, foreseen for man in God's plan, will be lost by the sin of our first parents.