The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (Lumen Gentium) asserts: “The mystery of the holy Church is manifested in its very foundation” (LG, n. 5). The foundation of the Church is not simply a “one-time event”; six elements enter into a comprehensive understanding of the Church’s foundation.
The six events are: • Jesus’ Preaching of the Kingdom, • Jesus’ Choice of the Twelve Apostles, • Promise to Peter, • Last Supper Event, • Jesus’ Death and Resurrection, and • Sending of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
Preaching the Kingdom. Vatican II noted: “To carry out the will of the Father, Christ inaugurated the kingdom of heaven on earth and revealed to us the mystery of the kingdom” (LG, n. 3). During his public ministry, Jesus took concrete steps (e.g. choosing the twelve apostles and the promise to Peter) to assure the continuation of the preaching of the kingdom.
The kingdom demands new attitudes and renewed relationships. The kingdom is not a place, but “God’s dynamic rule in our lives.” The Church has the mission to continue the preaching and concrete realization of God’s rule and kingdom in this world.
People of God. The Council employs several biblical images of the Church. The predominant image focuses on the “People of God.” This people is “God’s property”; it does not belong to any one people, race, ethnic or cultural group. One becomes a member of God’s people by being “born anew” through faith and the sacrament of baptism (cf. John, 3:5).
The title of the second chapter of Lumen Gentium is “The People of God.” Thus, it is asserted that the entire person is responsible for the Church’s mission. One can validly affirm the Church is to be a “servant people.”
Body of Christ. This image of the Church proclaims a mysterious, yet real communion between Christ’s own body and the members of the Church. Jesus always associated His disciples with His own life, giving them a share in His mission, its joys and sufferings.
Jesus revealed a real communion between His own body and ours, between His person and the Church; He said: “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me and I in him (John, 6:56). Yet, there is diversity in its members. Truly, there is “unity in diversity”!
Temple of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit makes the Church “the temple of the living God” (2 Corinthians, 6:16). Saint Augustine asserted: “What the soul is to the human body, the Holy Spirit is to the Body of Christ, which is the Church.”
The Holy Spirit endows the temple of the Church with a great variety of charisms. These Spirit-given gifts, whether extraordinary or simple and humble, are the many, diverse graces and abilities found among the members of the Church.
Missionary Identity. A fundamental description of the Church is found in the missionary decree Ad Gentes: “The pilgrim Church is missionary by her very nature” (AG, n. 2). Thus, if the Church is not engaged in evangelization and an active preaching of the Gospel, she is not being faithful to her very self.
Ad Gentes centers the Church’s missionary identity in the Trinity. The Father sends Jesus Christ and together they send the Holy Spirit. Our Christian God, Father, Son and Spirit, is truly a “missionary God.”
Church as Servant. In Gaudium et Spes (Church in the Modern World), the Council asserts that the Church is to be a “servant Church” imitating Jesus himself who came “to serve and not to be served” (GS n. 3).
There are literally dozens of ways for the Church to imitate her servant-master: health care, education, justice and peace, environmental preservation, promotion of women, interreligious dialogue, catechesis, and proclamation; the list seems nearly endless.
Family, the Domestic Church. The family is called the “domestic church” in Lumen Gentium 11. This beautiful description suggests that the community of faith begins in the home, in the family unit.
Families beget new members for the Church. It is in the home that the faith is first transmitted by the word and example of parents. Love is best imbibed in the family setting. Family prayer and devotions can effectively foster faith. The family is the “seedbed” of the Church.
Conclusion. Indeed, each of these rich Council insights is an ongoing challenge to authentically become the living Church of Jesus Christ!
Reflection Guide. For each of these eight images, reflect and ask: How does this apply to me, our community, and our active participation in the mission of the Church in today’s world?
James H. Kroeger, MM, served mission in Asia for over five decades; recently he authored Walking with Pope Francis; The Official Documents in Everyday Language (Paulines, Manila – 2023) and A Joyful Journey with Pope Francis (Claretians, Manila – 2024).
