ARTICLE
IX
"
I Believe In The Holy Catholic Church ; The Communion of Saints "
The
Importance of this Article
With
what great diligence pastors ought to explain to the faithful the truth of this
ninth Article will be easily seen, if we attend chiefly to two considerations.
First
as St. Augustine observes, 1 the Prophets spoke more plainly and openly
of the Church than of Christ, foreseeing that on this a much greater number may
err and be deceived than on the mystery of the Incarnation. For in after ages there would not be wanting
wicked men who, like the ape that would fain pass for a man, would claim that
they alone were Catholics, and with no less impiety than effrontery assert that
with them alone is the Catholic Church.
The
second consideration is that he whose mind is strongly impressed with the truth
taught in this Article, will easily escape the awful danger of heresy. For a person is not to be called a heretic
as soon as he shall have offended in matters of faith; but he is a heretic who,
having disregarded the authority of the Church, maintains impious opinions with
pertinacity. Since, therefore, it is
impossible that anyone be infected with the contagion of heresy, so long as he holds
what this Article proposes to be believed, let pastors use every diligence that
the faithful, having known this mystery and guarded against the wiles of Satan,
may persevere in the true faith.
This
Article hinges upon the preceding one; for, it having been already shown that
the Holy Ghost is the source and giver of all holiness, we here profess our
belief that the Church has been endowed by Him with sanctity. {a}
First Part of this
Article:
"
I BELIEVE IN THE HOLY CATHOLIC CHURCH "
The
Latins, having borrowed the word ecclesia (church) from the Greeks, have transferred it, since
the preaching of the Gospel, to sacred things. {b} It becomes necessary, therefore, to
explain its meaning.
" CHURCH "
The
word ecclesia (church) means a calling
forth. But writers afterward used
it to signify a meeting or assembly, whether the people gathered together were
members of a true or of a false religion.
Thus in the Acts it is written of the people of Ephesus that when the
town clerk had appeased a tumultuous assemblage he said: And if you inquire
after any other matter, it may be decided in a lawful church. 2 The
Ephesians, who were worshippers of
Diana, are thus called a lawful church (ecclesia). Nor are the Gentiles only, who knew not
God, called a church (ecclesia);
by the same name at times are also designated the councils of wicked and
impious men. I have hated the church
(ecclesiam) of the malignant, says the Prophet, and with the
wicked I will not sit. 3
In
common Scripture usage, however, the word was subsequently employed to signify
the Christian society only, and the assemblies of the faithful; that is,
of those who are called by faith to the light of truth and the knowledge
of God, that, having forsaken the darkness of ignorance and error, they may
worship the living and true God piously and holily, and serve Him from their
whole heart. In a word, The Church,
says St. Augustine, consist of the faithful dispersed throughout the world.
4
Mysteries
Which the Word " Church " Comprises
In
this word are contained important mysteries.
For, in the calling forth, which it signifies, we recognize that
once the benignity and splendor of divine grace, and we understand that the
Church is very unlike all other societies.
Other bodies rest on human reason and prudence, but the Church reposes
on the wisdom and counsels of God who has called us inwardly by the inspiration
of the Holy Ghost, who opens the hearts of men; and outwardly, through the
labor and ministry of pastors and preachers.
Moreover,
the end of this vocation, that is, the knowledge and procession of things
eternal will be at once understood if we but remember why the faithful all the
Old Law were called a Synagogue, that is, a flock; {c} for,
as St. Augustine teaches, they were so called, because, like cattle, which
are wont to herd together. they looked
only to terrestrial and transitory goods. 5 Wherefore, the Christian people are
justly called, not a Synagogue, but a Church, because, despising earthly and
passing things, they pursue only things heavenly and eternal.
Other Names Given The
Church In Scripture
Many
names, moreover, which are replete with mysteries, have been used to designate the
Christian body. Thus, by the Apostle, it is called the house and edifice of
God. If, says he to Timothy,
I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the
house of God. Which is the church of
the living God, the pillar and ground of truth. 6 The Church is called a house, because it
is, as it were, one family governed by one father of the family, and enjoying a
community of all spiritual goods.
It
is also called the flock of the sheep of Christ, of which He is the
door and the shepherd. It is called
the spouse of Christ. I have
espoused you to one husband, says the Apostle to the Corinthians, that I
may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ; 7 and to the Ephesians: Husband's love your wives, as Christ
also loved the Church; 8 and of marriage: This is a great sacrament, but I speak in Christ and in the
church. 9
Finally, the Church is called the body of Christ,
as may be seen in the Epistles to the Ephesians and Colossians. 10 Each of
these appellations has very great influence in exciting the faithful to prove
themselves worthy of the boundless clemency and goodness of God, who choose
them to be the people of God.
These
things having been explained, it will be necessary to enumerate the several
component parts of the Church, and to point out their difference, in order that
the faithful may the better comprehend the nature, properties, gifts, and
graces of God's beloved Church, and by reason of them unceasingly praise the most
Holy name of God. The Church consists
principally of two parts, the one called the Church triumphant; the other, the
Church militant. The Church triumphant
is that most glorious and happy assemblage of blessed spirits, and of those who
have triumphed over the world, the flesh, and the iniquity of Satan, and are
now exempt and safe from the troubles of this life and enjoy everlasting
bliss. The Church militant is the
society of all the faithful still dwelling on earth. It is called militant, because it wages eternal war with those
implacable enemies, the world, the flesh and the devil. We are not, however, to infer that there are
two Churches. The Church triumphant and
the Church militant are two constituent parts of one Church; one part going
before, and now in the possession of its heavenly country; the other, following
every day, until at length, united with our Savior, it shall repose in endless
felicity.
The
Members Of The Church Militant
The
Church militant is composed of two classes of persons, the good and the bad,
both professing the same faith and partaking of the same Sacraments, yet
differing in their manner of life and morality.
The
good are those who are linked together not only by the profession of the same
faith, and the participation of the same Sacraments, but also by the spirit of
grace and the bond of charity. Of these
St. Paul says: The Lord knoweth who
are His. 11 Who they are that compose this class we also may remotely conjecture,
but we can by no means pronounce with certainty. Hence Christ the Saviour does not speak of this portion of His
Church when He refers us to the Church and commands us to hear and to obey her.
12 As
this part of the Church is unknown, how could we ascertain with certainty whose
decision to recur to, whose authority to obey?
The
Church, therefore, as the Scriptures and the writings of the Saints testify,
includes within her fold the good and the bad; and it was in this sense that
St. Paul spoke of one body and one spirit. 13 Thus understood, the Church is known and
is compared to a city built on a mountain, and visible from every side. 14 As all
must yield obedience to her authority, it is necessary that she may be known by
all.
That
the Church is composed of the good and bad we learn from many parables
contained in the Gospel. Thus, the
kingdom of heaven, that is, the Church militant, is compared to a net cast into
the sea, 15
to a field in which tares were sown with the good grain, 16 to a
threshing floor on which the grain is mixed up with the chaff, 17 and also
to ten virgins, some of whom were wise, and some foolish. 18 And long
before, we trace a figure and resemblance of this Church in the ark of Noah,
which contained not only clean, but also unclean animals. 19
But
although the Catholic faith uniformly and truly teaches that the good and bad
belong to the Church, yet the same faith declares that the condition of both is
very different. The wicked are
contained in the Church, as the chaff is mingled with the grain on the
threshing floor, or as dead members sometimes remain attached to a living body.
- Those Who Are Not Members Of The Church -
Hence
there are but three classes of persons excluded from the Church's pale:
infidels, heretics and schismatics, and excommunicated persons. Infidels are outside the Church because they
never belonged to, and never knew the Church, and were never made partakers of
any of her Sacraments. Heretics and
schismatics are excluded from the Church, because they have separated from her
and belong to her only as deserters belong to the army from which they have
deserted. It is not, however, to be
denied that they are still subject to the jurisdiction of the Church, inasmuch
as they may be called before her tribunals, punished and anathematized. Finally, excommunicated persons are not
members of the Church, because they have been cut off by her sentence from the
number of her children and belong not to her communion until they repent.
But
with regard to the rest, however wicked and evil they may be, it is certain
that they still belong to the Church:
Of this the faithful are frequently to be reminded, in order to be
convinced that, were even the lives of her ministers debased by crime, they are
still within the Church, and therefore lose nothing of their power. {d}
Portions
of the Universal Church are usually called churches, as when the Apostle
mentions the Church at Corinth, at Galatia, of the Laodiceans, of the
Thessalonians. 20
The
private families of the faithful he also calls churches. The Church in the family of Priscilla and
Aquila he commands to be saluted; 21 and in another place, he says: Aquila and Priscilla with the Church
that is in their house salute you much in the Lord. 22 Writing to Philemon,
he makes use of the same word. 23
Sometimes,
also, the word church is used to signify the prelates and pastors of the
church. If he will not hear thee,
says our Lord, tell the Church. 24 Here the word church means the
authorities of the Church.
The
place in which the faithful assemble to hear the word of God, or for other
religious purposes, is also called a church.
But in this Article, the word church is specially used to signify
both the good and the bad, the governed, as well as the governing.
The
distinctive marks of the Church are also to be made known to the faithful, that
thus they may be enabled to estimate the extent of the blessing conferred by
God on those who have had the happiness to be born and educated within her
pale.
"
ONE "
The
first mark of the true Church is described in the Nicene Creed, and consist in unity: My dove is one, my beautiful one is one. 25 So vast a multitude, scattered far and
wide, is called one for the reasons mentioned by St. Paul in his Epistle to the
Ephesians: One Lord, one faith,
one baptism. 26
Unity in Government
The
Church's has but one ruler and one governor, the invisible one, Christ, whom
the eternal Father hath made head over all the Church, which is his body;
27 the
visible one, the Pope, who as legitimate successor of Peter, the Prince of the
Apostles, fills the Apostolic chair. {e}
It
is the unanimous teaching of the Fathers that this visible head is necessary to
establish and preserve unity in the Church.
This St. Jerome clearly perceived and as clearly expressed when, in his
work against Jovinian, he wrote: One
is elected that, by the appointment of a head, all occasion of schism may be
removed. In his letter to Pope Damasus
the same holy Doctor writes: away
with envy, let the ambition of Roman grandeur cease! I speak to the successor of the fishermen, and to the disciple
of the cross. Following no chief but
Christ, I am united in communion with your Holiness, that is, with the chair of
Peter. I know that on that rock is
built the Church. Whoever will eat the
lamb outside this house is profane ;
whoever is not in the ark of Noah shall perish in the flood. 28
The
same doctrine was long before established by Saints Irenaeus, 29 and
Cyprian. 30
The latter, speaking of the unity of the Church observes: The Lord said to Peter, I say to thee,
Peter! Thou art Peter: and upon this rock I will build my Church. 31 He builds
His Church on one. And although after
His Resurrection He gave equal power to all His Apostles, saying: As the father hath sent me, I also send
you, receive ye the Holy Ghost; 32 yet to make unity more manifest, He
decided by His own authority that it should be derived from one only, etc.
Again,
Optatus of Milevi says: You cannot
be excused on the score of ignorance, knowing as you do that in the city of
Rome the episcopal chair was first conferred on Peter, who occupied it as head
of the Apostles; in order that in that one chair the unity of the Church might
be preserved by all, and that the other Apostles might not claim each a chair
for himself; so that now he who erects another in opposition to this single
chair is a schismatic and a prevaricator. 33
Later
on St. Basil wrote: Peter is made
the foundation, because he says: Thou art Christ, the Son of the Living
God; and hears in reply that he is a
rock. But although a rock, he is not
such a rock as Christ; for Christ is
truly and immovable rock, but Peter,
only by virtue of that rock. For Jesus
bestows His dignities on others; He is
a priest, and He makes priests; a rock, and he makes a rock; what belongs to
Himself, He bestows on His servants. 34
Lastly,
St. Ambrose 35
says: Because he alone of
all of them professed (Christ) he was placed above all. {f}
Should
anyone object that the Church is content with one Head and one Spouse, Jesus
Christ, and requires no other, the answer is obvious. For as we deem Christ not only the author of all the Sacraments,
but also their invisible minister--He it is who baptizes, He it is who absolves, although men are
appointed by Him the external ministers
of the Sacraments - So has He placed over His Church, which He governs by His
invisible Spirit, a man to be his Vicar and the minister of His power. A visible Church requires a visible head;
therefore the Saviour appointed Peter head and pastor of all the faithful, when
He committed to his care the feeding of all His sheep, 36 in such ample terms that He willed the
very same power of ruling and governing the entire Church to descend to Peter's
successors.
Unity In Spirit, Hope
And Faith
Moreover,
the Apostle, writing to the Corinthians, tells them that there is but one and
the same Spirit who imparts grace to the faithful, as the soul communicates
life to the members of the body. 37 Exhorting the Ephesians to preserve this
unity, he says: Be careful to keep
the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace; one body and one Spirit. 38 As the
human body consists of many members, animated by one soul, which gives sight to
the eyes, hearing to the ears, and to the other senses the power of discharging
their respective functions; so the mystical body of Christ, which is the
Church, is composed of many faithful.
The hope, to which we are called, is also one, as the Apostle tells us
in the same place; 39 for we all hope for the same consummation, eternal and happy
life. Finally, the faith which all are
bound to believe and to profess is one:
Let there be no schisms amongst you, says the Apostle. 40 And
baptism, which is the seal of our Christian faith, is also one.
" Holy "
The
second mark of the Church is holiness, as we learn from these words of the
Prince of the Apostles: You are a chosen generation, a holy nation. 41
The
Church is called holy because she is consecrated and dedicated to God ; for so
other things when set apart and dedicated to the worship of God were wont to be
called holy, even though they were material.
Examples of this in the Old Law were vessels, vestments and alters. In the same sense the first-born who were
dedicated to the Most High God were also called holy.
It
should not be deemed a matter of surprise that the Church, although numbering
among her children many sinners, is called holy. For as those who profess any art, even though they depart from
its rules, are still called artists, so in like manner the faithful, although
offending in many things and violating the engagements to which they had
pledged themselves, are still called holy, because they have been made the
people of God and have consecrated themselves to Christ by faith and Baptism. Hence, St. Paul calls the Corinthians
sanctified and holy, although it is certain that among them there were some
whom he severely rebuked as carnal, and also charged with grosser crimes. 42
The
Church is also to be called holy because she is united to her holy head, as His
body; that is, to Christ the Lord, 43 the
fountain of all holiness, from whom flow the graces of the Holy Spirit and the
riches of the divine bounty. St.
Augustine, interpreting these words of the Prophet: Preserve my soul, for I am holy, 44 thus admirably expresses himself: Let the body of Christ boldly say, let
also that one man, exclaiming from the ends of the earth, boldly say, with his
Head, and under his Head, I am
holy; for he received the grace of
holiness, the grace of Baptism and of remission of sins. And a little further on: If all Christians and all the faithful,
having been baptized in Christ, have put him on, according to these words of
the Apostle: " As many of you as
have been baptized in Christ, have put on Christ "; 45 if they
are made members of his body, and yet say they are not holy, they do an injury
to their Head, whose members are holy. 46
Moreover,
the Church alone has the legitimate worship of sacrifice, and the salutary use
of the Sacraments, which are the efficacious instruments of divine grace, used
by God to produce true holiness. Hence,
to possess true holiness, we must belong to this Church. The Church therefore it is clear, is holy,
and holy because she is the body of Christ, by whom she is sanctified, and in
whose blood she is washed.
" Catholic "
The
third mark of the Church is that she is Catholic; that is, universal. And
justly is she called Catholic, because, as St. Augustine says, she is diffused
by the splendor of one faith from the rising to the setting sun. 47
Unlike
states of human institution, or the sects of heretics, she is not confined to
any one country or class of men, but embraces within the amplitude of her love
all mankind, whether barbarians or Scythians, slaves or freeman, male or
female. Therefore it is written: Thou. . . hast redeemed us to God, in thy blood, out of every tribe, and
tongue, and people, and nation, and hast made us to our God a kingdom. 48 Speaking
of the Church, David says: ask of me and I will give thee the Gentiles for
by inheritance, and the utmost parts of the earth for thy possession; 49 and also,
I will be mindful of Rahab and of Babylon knowing me; 50 and man
is born in her. 51 {g}
Moreover
to this Church, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, 52 belong all
the faithful who have existed from Adam to the present day, or who shall exist,
in the profession of the true faith, to the end of time; all of whom are
founded and raised upon the one corner-stone, Christ, who made both one,
and announced peace to them that are near and to them that are far.
She
is also called universal, because all who desire eternal salvation must cling
to and embrace her, like those who entered the ark to escape perishing in the
flood. . This (note of Catholiccity),
therefore, is to be taught as a most reliable criterion, by which to
distinguish the true from a false Church.
"
Apostolic "
The
true Church is also to be recognized from her origin, which can be traced back
under the law of grace to the Apostles; for her doctrine is the truth not
recently given, nor now first heard of, but delivered of old. By the Apostles, and disseminated throughout
the entire world. Hence no one can doubt
that the impious opinions which heresy invents, opposed as they are to the
doctrine's taught by the Church from the days of the Apostles to the present
time, are very different from the faith of the true Church.
That
all, therefore, might know which was the Catholic Church, the Fathers, guided
by the spirit of God, added to the Creed the word Apostolic. For the Holy Ghost, who presides over the
Church, governs her by no other ministers than those of Apostolic
succession. This Spirit, first imparted
to the Apostles, has by the infinite goodness of God always continued in the
Church. And just as this one Church
cannot err in faith or morals, since it is guided by the Holy Ghost; so, on the
contrary, all other societies arrogating to themselves the name of church,
must necessarily, because guided by the
spirit of the devil, be sunk in the most pernicious errors, both doctrinal and
moral.
The
figures of the Old Testament have a great power to stimulate the minds of the
faithful and to remind them of these most beautiful truths. It was for this reason chiefly that the
Apostles made use of these figures. The
pastor, therefore, should not overlook so fruitful a source of instruction.
Among
these figures the ark of Noah holds a conspicuous place. It was built by the command of God, in order
that there might be no doubt that it was a symbol of the Church, which God has
so constituted that all who enter therein through Baptism, may be safe from
danger of eternal death, while such as are outside the Church, like those who
were not in the ark, are overwhelmed by their own crimes.
Another figure presents itself in the great city of
Jerusalem, which, in Scripture, often means the Church. In Jerusalem only was it lawful to offer
sacrifice to God, and in the Church of God only are to be found the true
worship and true sacrifice which can at all be acceptable to God.
"
I BELIEVE IN THE HOLY CATHOLIC CHURCH "
Finally,
with regard to the Church, the pastor should teach how to believe the Church
can constitute an Article of faith.
Although reason and the senses are able to ascertain the existence of
the Church, that is, of a society of men on earth devoted and consecrated to
Jesus Christ, and although faith does not seem necessary in order to understand
a truth which even Jews and Turks do not doubt; nevertheless it is from the
light of faith only, not from the deductions of reason, that the mind can grasp
those mysteries contained in the Church of God which have been partly made
known above and will again be treated under the Sacrament of Holy Orders.
Since,
therefore, this Article, no less than the others, is placed above the reach,
and defies the strength of the human understanding, most justly do we confess
that we know not from human reason, but contemplate with the eyes of faith the
origin, offices and dignity of the Church.
This
church was founded not by man, but by the immortal God himself, who built her
upon a most solid rock. The Highest
himself, says the Prophet, hath founded her. 53 Hence, she is called the
inheritance of God, the people of God. 54 The power which she possesses is not
from man but from God.
Since
this power, therefore, cannot be of human origin, divine faith can alone enable
us to understand that the keys of the kingdom of heaven are deposited with the
church, 55
that to her has been confided the power of remitting sins, 56 of
denouncing excommunication, 57 and of consecrating the real body of
Christ; 58
and that her children have not here a permanent dwelling, but look for
one above.
We
are, therefore, bound to believe that there is one Holy Catholic Church. With regard to the Three Persons of the Holy
Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, we not only believe them, but
also believe in them. But here we make
use of a different form of expression, professing to believe the holy, not in
the holy Catholic Church. By this
difference of expression we distinguish God, the author of all things, from His
works, and acknowledge that all the exalted benefits bestowed on the Church are
due to God's bounty.
Second Part of this
Article:
"
THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS "
The
Evangelist St. John, writing to the
faithful on the divine mysteries, explains as follows why he undertook to
instruct them in these truths: That
you may have fellowship with us, and our fellowship may be with the Father, and
with his son Jesus Christ. 59 This fellowship consists in the
Communion of Saints, the subject of the present Article.
Importance Of This
Truth
Would
that in its exposition pastors imitated the zeal of Paul and of the other
Apostles. For not only is it a development
of the preceding Article and a doctrine productive of abundant fruit; it also teaches the use to be made of the
mysteries contained in the Creed, because the Great end to which we should
direct all our study and knowledge of them is that we may be admitted into this
most august and blessed Society of the Saints, and may steadily preserve
therein, giving thanks with a joy to God the Father, who hath made us worthy
to be partakers of the lot of the saints in light. 60
Meaning of " THE
COMMUNION OF SAINTS "
The faithful, therefore, in the first place are
to be informed that this part of the Article, is, as it were, a sort of
explanation of the proceeding part which regards the unity, sanctity and
catholicity of the Church. For the
unity of the Spirit, by which she is governed, brings it about that whatsoever
has been given to the Church is held as a common possession by all her members.
Communion
Of Sacraments
The
fruit of all the Sacraments is common to all the faithful, and these
Sacraments, particularly Baptism, the door, as it were, by which we are
admitted into the Church, are so many sacred bonds which bind and unite them to
Christ. That this communion of Saints
implies a communion of Sacraments, the Fathers declare in these words of the
Creed: I confess one Baptism. After Baptism, the Eucharist holds the first
place in reference to this Communion, and after that the other Sacraments; for
although this name (communion)
is applicable to all the Sacraments, inasmuch as they unite us to God,
and render us partakers of Him whose grace we receive, yet it belongs in a
peculiar manner to the Eucharist which actually produces this communion.
Communion Of Good
Works
But
there is also another communion in the Church which demands attention. Every pious and holy action done by one
belongs to and becomes profitable to all through charity, which seeketh not
her own. 61 This is proved by the testimony of St. Ambrose, who, explaining
these words of the Psalmist, I am a partaker with all them that fear thee,
62
observes: As we say that a
limb is partaker of the entire body, so are we partakers with all that fear
God. Therefore has Christ taught us
that form of prayer in which we say our, not my bread; and the
other Petitions are equally general, not confined to ourselves alone, but
directed also to the common interest and the salvation of all.
This
communication of goods is often very aptly illustrated in Scripture by a
comparison borrowed from the members of the human body. In the human body there are many
members, but though many, they yet
constitute but one body, in which each performs its own, not all the same,
functions. All do not enjoy equal
dignity, or discharge functions alike useful or honorable; nor does one propose
to itself its own exclusive advantage, but that of the entire body. 63 Besides,
they are so well organized and knit together that if one suffers, the rest
likewise suffer on account of their affinity and sympathy of nature; and if, on
the contrary, one enjoys health, the feeling of pleasure is common to all.
The
same may be observed in the Church,.
She is composed of various members; that is, of different nations, of
Jews, Gentiles, freemen and slaves, of rich and poor; when they have been
baptized, they constitute one body with Christ, of which He is the head. To each member of the Church is also
assigned his own peculiar office. As
some are appointed Apostles, some teachers, but all for the common good; so to
some it belongs to govern and teach, to others to be subject and to obey. {h}
Those
Who Share In This Communion
The
advantages of so many and such exalted blessings bestowed by Almighty God are
enjoyed by those who lead a Christian life in charity, and are just and beloved
of God. As to the dead members; that
is, those who are bound in the thraldom of sin and estranged from the grace of
God, they are not so deprived of these advantages as to cease to be members of
this body; but since they are dead
members, they do not share in the spiritual fruit which is communicated to the
just and pious. However, as they are
in the Church, they are assisted in recovering lost grace and life by those who
live by the Spirit; and they also enjoy those benefits which are without doubt
denied to those who are entirely cut off from the Church.
Communion
in Other Blessings
Not
only the gifts which justify and endear us to God are common. Graces gratuitously granted, such as
knowledge, prophecy, the gifts of tongues and of miracles, and others of the
same sort, are common also, and are granted even to the wicked, not, however,
for their own but for the general good, for the edification of the Church. Thus, the gift of healing is given not for
the sake of him who heels, but for the sake of him who is healed. {i}
In
fine, every true Christian possesses nothing which he should not consider
common to all others with himself, and should therefore be prepared promptly to
relieve an indigent fellow-creature.
For he that is blessed with worldly goods, and sees his brother in want,
and will not assist him, is plainly convicted of not having the love of God
within him. 64
Those,
therefore, who belong to this holy communion, it is manifest, do now enjoy a
certain degree of happiness and can truly say: How lovely or by tabernacles, O Lord of hosts! my
soul longeth and fainteth for the courts of the Lord. . . . Blessed are they who dwell in the
House, O Lord. 65
Endnotes
Article IX
1.> On Ps. xxx. 15, Expos. II. Serm. ii. 8.
2.> Acts xix. 39.
3.> Ps. xxv. 5.
4.> On Ps. xxiv. Serm. ii. 10.
5.> On Ps. lxxvii. 3; lxxxi. 1.
6.> 1 Tim. iii. 15.
7.> 2 Cor. xi. 2.
8.> Eph. v. 25.
9.> Eph. v. 32.
10.> Eph. i. 23; Col. i. 24.
11.> 2 Tim. ii. 19.
12.> Matt. xviii. 17.
13.> Eph. iv. 4.
14.> Matt. v. 14.
15.> Matt. xiii. 47.
16.> Matt. xiii. 24.
17.> Luke iii. 17.
18.> Matt. xxv. 1, 2.
19.> Gen. vii. 2.
20.> 1 Cor. i. 2; Gal. i. 2; Col. iv. 16; 1
Thess. i. 1.
21.> Rom. xvi. 4
22.> 1 Cor. xvi. 19.
23.> Philemon i. 2.
24.> Matt. xviii. 17.
25.> Cant. vi. 8.
26.> Eph. iv. 5.
27.> Eph. i. 22, 23.
28.> Contr. Jovin, lib. I. 26; Ep. xv. 2. epist.
lvii (falsely ascribed to Basil).
29.> Contr. Haeres iii. 3.
30.> De Unti. Eccl. iv.
31.> Matt. xvi. 18
32.> John xx. 21, 22.
33.> De Schism. Donat. ii 2.
34.> Hom. 29, De Paenit.
35.> Com. in Luc. c. ix. 20; lib. x. 175.
36.> John xxi. 15.
37.> 1 Cor. xii. 3.
38.> Eph. iv. 3, 4.
39.> Eph. iv. 4.
40.> 1 Cor. i. 10.
41.> 1 Pet. ii. 9.
42.> 1 Cor. i. 2; iii. 41.
43.> Eph. iv. 15, 16.
44.> Ps. lxxxv. 2.
45.> Gal. iii. 27.
46.> On Ps. lxxxv. 2.
47.> S. Aug. Serm. ccxl. ii. 4.
48.> Apoc. v. 9, 10.
49.>
Ps. ii. 8.
50.> Ps. lxxxvi. 4.
51.> Ps. lxxxvi. 5.
52.> Eph. ii. 20.
53.> Ps. lxxxvi. 5.
54.> Ps. xxvii. 9.
55.> Matt. xvi. 19.
56.> John xx. 23.
57.> 1 Cor. v. 3.
58.> Luke xxii. 19
59.> 1 John i. 3.
60.> Col. i. 12.
61.> 1 Cor. xiii. 5.
62.> On Ps. cxvii. v. 63. Serm. viii.
63.> 1 Cor. xii. 12, 15.
64.> 1 John iii. 17.
65.> Ps. lxxxiii. 2, 3, 5.
{a} On this Article see St Thomas, Expositio in Symbolum.
{b} "Ecclesia" is derived from the Greek words έκ and καλέω meaning, " I
call forth." The origin of the
word goes back to the practice among the Athenians of summoning their
assemblies by heralds. Rightly, then,
is this word applied to the society of the faithful, since God calls all to
join it.
{c} "Synagogue" is derived from the
Greek words, ούυ "together," and
δγω "lead."
{d} On the members of the Church see Summa
Theol. 3a. viii.
{e} On the primacy of the Pope see Summa
Theol. 3a. viii. 6: cxii. 2. ad 2.
{f} This quotation from St. Ambrose is not
found in the earliest and best editions of the Roman Catechism; apparently the
lucuna was due to a typographical mistake.
The above passage has been supplied from the Roman edition of 1761.
{g} The Psalmist is proclaiming the glory of
the Messianic Kingdom, the Church, to which all nations shall be gathered.
{h} On the communion of suffrages in the
Church see Summa Theol. Suppl. lxxxiii.
{i} On the "graces gratuitously
given" see Summa Theol. 2a. 2ae. clxxviii.