Communion of saints

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The community of saints ( Latin communio sanctorum ) describes in Christianity the spiritual community of all baptized as members of the church and part of the mystical body of Christ . Against the eschatological background of belief in eternal life , this community includes not only the living on earth, but also the dead in heaven.

The oldest known use of this expression for the belief in a mystical connection of the living and the dead to a community in Christ can be found in Competentibus ad baptismum instructionis libelli VI ("Six books for the instruction of baptismal applicants") by Nicetas of Remesiana from the 4th century AD . Century. This was confirmed in the Apostles' Creed : "[I believe] in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic (general) Church, communion of saints , forgiveness of sins". In the Nicene Creed , this term is not listed. The term can also be found in Augustine († 430), who in his work De civitate Dei describes the “whole redeemed community” (redempta civitas) as the “assembly and communion of saints” (congregatio societasque sanctorum) .

The communion of saints occupies a place in the Apostles' Creed within the paragraph on the Holy Spirit with direct reference to the creed of the Church's faith. The common assumption that the communion of saints is limited to the canonized is incorrect .

Roman Catholic Church

According to the teaching of the Catholic Church, the Church is a communion of saints. This in several ways:

  1. as a community in holy things (sancta) ( CCC No. 960),
  2. as a community of saints (sancti) , that is, of believers

Communion in sacred things

The more original meaning is communion with sacred things. This is primarily understood to mean the Eucharist , through which the unity of the faithful who form one body in Christ is represented and realized.

“This expression first of all denotes the common participation of all members of the Church in holy things (sancta): in faith, in the sacraments, especially in the Eucharist, in charisms and in other spiritual gifts. At the root of the community is love, which does not 'seek its advantage' ( 1 Cor 13,5  EU ), but urges the believers to have 'everything in common' ( Acts 4,32  EU ) and also with their own material goods to serve the needy. "

Communion of holy persons

In its second meaning, the communion of saints means the communion of those sanctified by Christ.

“The communion of saints includes believers of all nations and times. For through Jesus Christ and in the Holy Spirit we are connected to one another in a community to which not only the believers who are now living belong, but also the justified of all times. The communion of saints therefore includes the Church on earth, the blessed in heaven, and the dead in a state of purification. They all form the one body of Jesus Christ in which all members stand up for one another before God. "

The earthly liturgy of the Church takes place in union with the heavenly Church, that is, “with all angels and saints”.

The term communion of saints also denotes the communion of saints (Sancti) in Christ, "so that what everyone does or suffers in and for Christ may benefit all".

This "human and divine solidarity" is celebrated in the liturgy of the Catholic Church on the feast of All Saints 'Day (November 1st) and on the commemoration of All Souls' Day (November 2nd).

Quotes

“But the vision of a spiritual force field floats through me, created in a constant now by the many who are constantly praying in word and deed, living in holy will. The community of saints and - in this - an eternal life. "

- Dag Hammarskjold

Web links

  • Bilateral working group of the German Bishops' Conference and the church leadership of the United Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany: Communio Sanctorum. The Church as a community of saints [1]

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d German Bishops' Conference (ed.): Catholic adult catechism. Volume 1: The Church's Creed. 4th edition. Butzon & Bercker, Kevelaer, 1989, p. 269
  2. ↑ Augustine, De Civitate Dei X, 6 ( PL 41, 284), quoted in: Second Vatican Council : Decree Presbyterorum ordinis No. 2.
  3. ↑ Ecclesia Catholica: Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 194.
  4. ↑ German Bishops' Conference (ed.): Catholic adult catechism. Volume 1: The Church's Creed. 4th edition. Butzon & Bercker, Kevelaer, 1989, p. 308
  5. ↑ KKK No. 961
  6. ↑ Dag Hammarskjöld : Signs on the way. Droemer, Munich [a. a.] 1965, p. 80