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COMMENTARY: ‘People of God’ was an important way by which the Church could express herself as an institution rooted in the mystery of the Trinity, yet present and active in the world.
How can we explain that the Church is an ineffable mystery, yet also a visible institution present in the world? The Fathers of the Second Vatican Council faced this challenge as they debated a text on the topic of the Church — a text that would eventually become the dogmatic constitution Lumen Gentium.
The Council had inherited, from the biblical studies and Church teaching of recent decades, the rich conception of the Church as the Mystical Body of Christ. This notion helped convey the mysterious yet real presence of Christ in the Church. However, seeing the faithful as simply “members” of a body also made it difficult to express the distinct individuality and personality of each of those persons who form part of the Church. After all, we tend not to think of parts of a body as being autonomous. Furthermore, since a body is something definite, and Pius XII had taught that the Catholic Church is the Mystical Body of Christ, the notion made it difficult to express the relationship of the Church with other Christians as well as with all persons.
Continued below.
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How can we explain that the Church is an ineffable mystery, yet also a visible institution present in the world? The Fathers of the Second Vatican Council faced this challenge as they debated a text on the topic of the Church — a text that would eventually become the dogmatic constitution Lumen Gentium.
The Council had inherited, from the biblical studies and Church teaching of recent decades, the rich conception of the Church as the Mystical Body of Christ. This notion helped convey the mysterious yet real presence of Christ in the Church. However, seeing the faithful as simply “members” of a body also made it difficult to express the distinct individuality and personality of each of those persons who form part of the Church. After all, we tend not to think of parts of a body as being autonomous. Furthermore, since a body is something definite, and Pius XII had taught that the Catholic Church is the Mystical Body of Christ, the notion made it difficult to express the relationship of the Church with other Christians as well as with all persons.
Continued below.
Why Vatican II Called the Church the ‘People of God’
COMMENTARY: ‘People of God’ was an important way by which the Church could express herself as an institution rooted in the mystery of the Trinity, yet present and active in the world.
