771. “The one mediator, Christ, established and ever sustains here on earth his holy Church, the community of faith, hope, and charity, as a visible organization through which he communicates truth and grace to all men.”184 The Church is at the same time:
– a “society structured with hierarchical organs and the mystical body of Christ;
– the visible society and the spiritual community;
– the earthly Church and the Church endowed with heavenly riches.”185
These dimensions together constitute “one complex reality which comes together from a human and a divine element”:186
The Church is essentially both human and divine, visible but endowed with invisible realities, zealous in action and dedicated to contemplation, present in the world, but as a pilgrim, so constituted that in her the human is directed toward and subordinated to the divine, the visible to the invisible, action to contemplation, and this present world to that city yet to come, the object of our quest.187
O humility! O sublimity! Both tabernacle of cedar and sanctuary of God; earthly dwelling and celestial palace; house of clay and royal hall; body of death and temple of light; and at last both object of scorn to the proud and bride of Christ! She is black but beautiful, O daughters of Jerusalem, for even if the labor and pain of her long exile may have discolored her, yet heaven’s beauty has adorned her.188
Aprofunde seus conhecimentos
548. How did the first Christian community in Jerusalem pray?
520. By what is love for the poor inspired?
364. What is the relationship between freedom and responsibility?
15. To whom is the deposit of faith entrusted?
97. How does Mary cooperate in the divine plan of salvation?
148. Are there other names and images with which the Bible speaks about the Church?
Acesse nossos estudos biblicos:
Christ’s Return: What Do We Know and What Do We Hope (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12)?
How can wisdom protect us from evil, as revealed in Wisdom 7:28-29?
What does the mutual admiration between loved ones mean in the book of Songs?
What is the example of faith that the poor widow gives us in Luke 21:1-4?
How is God’s justice manifested in the midst of suffering, according to Job 34:10-12?
