THE CHURCH AS COMMUNION

The concept of communion in the church was adopted as a key model of the church in the second Vatican council. According to E Lanne, communion has a very rich meaning.

“It is used in different senses, it expresses
the bond which unites all the members of
the people of God to the mission
of Christ by the work of the Holy
Spirit. As ecclesial communion, it
is used to express the full reciprocal
relationship existing between the Christian
Churches”

The adoption of the word communion brings out the sharing in invisible spiritual reality. The rich concept of communion adopted by the council brings a new image of the church as a sign and sacrament of the communion of men and women in God and unity among all men and women. The church strives to be in communion of life, love and truth. According to Michael Adams.

“Catholics have to gladly acknowledge
and esteem the truly Christian endo-
wments from our common heritage
which are to be found among our
separated brethrens”

However, we should not forget that anything wrought by the grace of the Holy spirit in the hearts of our separated brethrens can contribute to our own edification. Whatever is truly Christian is never contrary to what genuinely belongs to
the faith indeed it can always bring a more perfect realization of the very mystery of Christ and the church.

Precisely because the ecumenical movement comes
from the Holy spirit the one spirit of the Body of Christ,
it is one single movement, implanting in the hearts
of Christians of every denomination the urge to come
together in a single communion, in a single visible
fellowship sharing and expressing the divine fellowship
of the blessed trinity.

The communion is of the very nature of the church and pervades it’s whole existence, life, and activities, giving these activities their ecclesial character and specificity. The Decree on Ecumenism brings out the ecumenical dimension of communion.
“It applied the concept to ecumenical relations of the
catholic church to the non-catholic churches and communities, since ecclesial communion is not taken
in the narrow sense of visible juridical bonds of common profession of faith, participation in thesame sacraments
and submission to the social government of the church
but in its more fundamental sense of common
participation in the riches of divine life”

However there is already some ecclesial communion between the separated churches and the catholic church, a communion that should lead to full ecclesial communion. The church as communion is a sacrament of the merciful grace of God for all mankind.
“It reaffirms our common faith that the life
to which God, through Jesus Christ, calls
men and women is nothing less than
participating in divine life, and spells out
some of the characteristics and implications
of our shared vision of life in Christ”