Week 5 Ecclesiology and Social Teachings of the Church Page 1 of 7

2nd Quarter

ILK – TOPIC 2 The Communion of Saints

The Church is the assembly of all saints. Christ the head of the Church
communicates His holiness to all the members through the sacraments. The
communion embraces the pilgrims on earth who are still struggling against sin, those
who have died and are being purified and those who are in glory, contemplating
the Trinity.

HUMAN EXPERIENCE

Priest Lays Down His Life

At the height of typhoon "Winnie" that struck Luzon late in November 2005,
many people perished as water cascaded down from the mountains carrying logs cut
down and left behind by loggers.

One of those who perished was Fr. Charlito Colendres of the Prelature of
Infanta, Quezon. He tried to save people by tying one end of an electric cord on his
torso and the other to an electric post. Strapped, he was able to snatch many who
were being swept away by the raging waters.

Unfortunately, battered as it was by the logs, the electric post toppled. The
good priest was lifeless when rescuers reached him. He was aware of the risk when he
went out to help his endangered flock. But like the Good Shepherd, he thought not of
his safety but of his sheep.

Some More Stories of Life and Laughter,

Fr. Bel San Luis, SVD

"The whole community of believers was one in heart and mind."

Acts 4:32
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ACTIVITIES

A. Answer the following questions.

1. How did Fr. Colendres save those who were being swept away by the raging
waters?
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2. Who is he Good Shepherd and how is Fr. Colendres like him

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3. How does the story show the Filipino value of bayanihan at its purest form?
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B. Explain how the following bring about unity among Filipinos.

1. Common goal
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2. Common endeavor
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3. Common identity
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People working together with a common goal bring about desired results.
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READING THE MESSAGE

The early community of Jesus' followers shows us what communion truly means.
By this communion, the early Church manifested the unity of the Trinity.

Communal Life

Now all the believers lived together and shared all their belongings. They would
sell their property and all they had and distribute the proceeds to others according to
their need. Each day they met together in the area; they broke bread in homes; they
shared their food with great joy and simplicity of heart; they praised God and won
the people's favor. And every day Lord added to their member those who were being
saved.
Acts 2:44-47

LEARNING THE MESSAGE

Unity Among the Early Christians

Have you noticed how tragedies would often bring people closer together? In
our families, the ties become stronger when a painful experience happens— a
member getting seriously ill, one of the parents going to a far place to work, a son or
daughter suddenly going wayward, etc. In our country, the same can also be seen.
When calamities strike, we go out of our way to help the victims, no matter who or
where they are.

But if we take a closer look at the situation presented above, we will see that
tragedies do not bring about our unity but they simply make us express or manifest
even more our unity. It is, in reality, the love and concern that we have for each other
that give rise to unity. It is when we love deeply that we experience something more
profound than unity— communion.

Communion— the coming together of people's minds and hearts for a

common vision is vividly exemplified by the early Christians. In Acts 2: 44-47, we are
presented the kind of life the early Christians led. It is a life characterized by the
following (cf. CCC 949- 953):

 A communion in the faith: The early Christians were closely bound together by their
strong belief in Jesus Christ. And as they grow in faith, nourished as it is by the
teachings of the apostles, by prayer and by the Eucharist, their communion
became stronger.

 Communion of the sacraments: The life of the early Christians centered around the
breaking of the bread — our present-day Eucharist. As it was then, it is now. It is
primarily the Eucharist that brings about communion in the Church.
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 Communion of charisms: The Holy Spirit bestowed upon the followers of Jesus
special graces or charisms which they used to build up the Church and to serve
the common good.

 They had everything in common: There was no needy person in the community of
early Christians because whatever one had was regarded as a good possessed in
common with everyone else. Thus, the early Christians were not divided into those
who have and those who do not have. Their emphasis on sharing and not on
private possession intensified their communion even more.

 Communion in charity: The early Christians willingly sold their properties and the
proceeds were distributed to others according to need. Charity is one of the
distinguishing marks of the life of the early Christians.

The early community of Christians manifested unity in faith,

in the sacraments, in charisms, and in the practice of charity.

The Communion of Saints

The Church today finds inspiration in the life of the early Christians. It strives to be
a genuine "communion of holy people" in three stages: those who are pilgrims on
earth, those have died and are being purified, and those who are in glory,
contemplating in full light God Himself (cf. LG 49). Despite these different states, all are
in communion in loving the same God and their neighbor, in being disciples of the
same Lord and in being animated by the Spirit.

The communion is further manifested by the way the members of the Church, in
the three different states, help one another. The pilgrims on earth pray for those who
have died and are being purified since they cannot pray for themselves; in turn, those
who are undergoing purification pray for the pilgrims, that they may emerge
triumphant in their struggle against sin. On the other hand, those who are already
enjoying eternal life with God pray for both the pilgrims and those who are being
purified. Thus, everytime we profess our belief in the communion of saints when we
recite the Apostles' Creed, we also affirm our belief in the intercession of the saints and
in the merits of praying for the dead. Moreover, when we say "We believe in the
communion of saints", we express the truth that the members of the Church, in
whatever state they are in, form one family of God in Christ.

The Church today strives to be a community of holy people

united in their love for God and neighbor.

THE CHURCH SAYS...

The Church is a "Communion of Saints": this expression refers first to the "holy
things" (sancta), above all the Eucharist, by which "the unity of believers, who form one
Body in Christ, is both represented and brought about."
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The term "Communion of Saints" refers also to the communion of "holy persons"
(sancti) in Christ who "died for all," so that what each one does or suffers in and for
Christ bears fruit for all.

CCC 960- 961

In full consciousness of this communion of the whole Mystical Body of Jesus

Christ, the Church in its pilgrim members, from the very earliest days of the Christian
religion, has honored with great respect the memory of the dead; and, because it is a
holy and a wholesome thought to pray for the dead that they may be loosed from
their sins, she offers her suffrages for them. The Church has always believed that the
apostles and Christ's martyrs, who gave the supreme witness of faith and charity by the
shedding of their blood, are closely united with us in Christ; she has always venerated
them, together with the Blessed Virgin Mary and the holy angels, with a special love,
and has asked piously for the help of their intercession.
LG 50

DOING THE MESSAGE

The teaching of the Church about the Communion of Saints is not difficult for us
Filipinos to understand. This is because we indulge in practices that speak of this
Communion. Filipino traditional practices such as holding vigils during a dead
relative's or friend's wake (lamay), praying for nine straight days after a dead relative
has been interred (pasiyam) and the way we troop to cemeteries, memorial parks and
the Church during All Saints' and All Souls' day, are all indications of the respect we
have for the dead and the hope that our prayers will free them from their sins.

This Communion of Saints is also clearly shown in our strong devotion to the
Blessed Mother and the saints. We actively and largely seek out the intercession of
saints in just about any concern we have in life. The practice of participating in the cult
to the saints indicates our deep religiosity.

While the Church encourages and fosters these holy activities, it also cautions
Filipino Catholics on their tendency to lose their focus. This means that we must not turn
these practices into simple social obligations or empty rituals. How then can we help
keep the sacredness of these activities so that they become real expressions of our
communion? Here are some ways:

 Our vigils for the dead should be occasions for prayer and contemplation, not for
feasting, partying, or playing games. Our staying awake should signify our desire to
accompany the dead to the next life with our prayer and supplication.

 Our observance of All Souls' Day should not be reduced to a fiesta. Oftentimes,
when we go to visit the tomb of our relatives, we bring along flowers, candles,
food, water, umbrella and other picnic paraphernalia. What we forget though are
the more important "instruments" like our rosary, prayer book, and Bible. These
essentials will keep us focused on what we are supposed to do— pray for our dear
departed.
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 Our devotion to the Blessed Mother and the saints should never replace our
adoration of Christ. Sometimes we would rather attend novenas to the Blessed
Mother and the saints rather than participate in the celebration of the Holy Mass.
Our devotion to Mary and the saints should lead us to Christ, not away from Him.

 Our devotion to the saints should inspire us to imitate their lives. The saints are not
lifeless statues but are real persons whose lives are centered on Christ. Our
devotion to them should therefore lead us to the practice of the virtues they
exemplify.
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Worksheet
Communion of the Saints

Name: __________________________________________________ Date: ____________________

Course: _________________________________________________ Rating: ___________________

What will you do to transform these traditional Filipino practices into real expressions of
the Communion of the Saints?

1. Nine days novena for the dead:

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2. Visit to cemeteries/memorial parks for all saints’ day:

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3. Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary:

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4. Devotion to the saints:

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How did the early Christians manifest the following communions?

1. Communion in Faith:
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2. Communion of the sacraments:

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3. Communion of charisms:
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