The Vision of the Lord Directing Abram to Count the Stars, a woodcut by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld-1860.
The Role of the Church in the Journey of Salvation | Brother Thomas More Garrett, OP | HPR
The Church, the living Body of Christ and sacrament of salvation, continues its pilgrimage to heaven by exercising Christ’s ministry in the world so as to bring humanity into greater conformity with Christ.
A popular trope compares life to a journey. Phrases that capture the comparison blazon images of daring climbers scaling steep mountain peaks, or ships afloat on the vast expanse of the ocean. The continued popularity of the metaphor is reinforced by its near universal resonance. Cultures around the world have embraced the image. Dante begins canto one of the Inferno of the Divine Comedy by referring to the journey of life. The phrase “life is just a journey” is among England’s beloved Princess Diana’s most memorable quotations. The title of a modern Chinese situation television sitcom translates into English as “A Journey Called Life.”
Pope Francis has used variations of the metaphor as well. In a homily to the cardinal electors after being named Roman pontiff, Pope Francis told his audience that “our life is a journey, and when we stop moving, things go wrong.” 1
The notion of life as a journey has particular significance to the Christian. From the time of the Fall, God has been operative throughout history in moving his people to recover the loving relationship they once shared with and through him. God’s invitation to Abraham to set out from the territory of his birth to find a promised land is symbolic of mankind’s search for a place to build a lasting relationship with God. Israel’s flight from Egypt, and exodus across the Sinai Desert, is emblematic of the journey of God’s people to an eternal destiny. Redemption is, and has always been, the movement of mankind to God.
The coming of the Son of God in the flesh marked a new stage in mankind’s return to God. Christ’s definitive salvific act in his suffering and death on the Cross removed the barrier of sin that obstructed the path to salvation, and illuminated the way to eternal life. When Christ ascended to heaven after his resurrection, he did not withdraw his light from the world, nor did the power that propels man toward salvation sputter and exhaust itself as Christ disappeared from the sight of the apostles into the clouds. Instead, Christ formed the Church to continue his work of moving humanity toward the redemption that lies in the union of God, and all of his people, in the everlasting kingdom.
The short excerpt above from his homily to the cardinal electors is just one instance of Pope Francis having adopted the theme of movement when speaking of the life of the Church. In various speeches and addresses, the pope has urged Christians to avoid static complacency, and invigorate the efforts to continue Christ’s work on earth. This essay considers the theme of movement within the broader context of the Church. The discussion below offers an account of the Church as the sacrament of salvation that, propelled by divine power, moves humanity into a loving relationship with God through conformity with the life of Christ.
The essay is divided into five parts. The first addresses the Church’s origins in salvation history. The following two parts describe the Church as the Body of Christ, vivified and animated by the Holy Spirit. The fourth part discusses how the power of the Holy Spirit moves the members of Christ’s Body into deeper conformity with Christ through the continuation of the exercise of his ministry on earth. The essay closes with a summary of the discussion, and a brief note of conclusion concerning how the Church’s reflection of God’s love, through the work of its members, makes present the grace that stimulates all the works of charity that take place in the world.
When Did the Church Begin?
The Church, ever-present in the mind of the Creator, has always had a place in God’s timeless plan of salvation.
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