Lumen Gentium

Lumen Gentium:
The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church

 Lumen Gentium, or Light of the Nations, is the
Dogmatic Constitution on the Church
of the Second Vatican Council (Vatican II)
 Its purpose is declared to be twofold:
1. to explain the Church's nature as "a sign and
instrument of communion with God and of unity
among all men," and
2. to clarify the Church's universal mission as the
sacrament of human salvation
 Lumen Gentium:
The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church

 The Church as Sacrament
 Lumen Gentium (Light of the nations)
 Christ is the light of the nations and His light shines on
through the Church
 Christ is the light that the Church hopes to share
with all people
 LG attemtps to set out for Catholics,
and for the people of the world, the nature and mission
of the Church
 Lumen Gentium:
The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church

 The Church as Sacrament
 The Church in Christ is a sacrament or instrumental sign
of union with God and of the unity of the people (LG,1)
 The Church is first and foremost a sacrament, or mystery
rather than an institution, society or club-like association
 Lumen Gentium:
The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church

 The Church as Sacrament
 The Church has a vertical dimension—
koinonia—expressed as intimate communion with God
 The Church has a horizontal dimension—
koinonia—expressed as communion that exists among
all those who are baptized into Christ and form parts
of one another
 Lumen Gentium:
The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church

 The Church as Sacrament
 LG, 3 – “The Church as the Kingdom of Christ, already
present in mystery, grows visibly in the world
through the power of God”
 We await the fullness of the Kingdom but we already
participate in it because we are in the Church
 Christ instituted the Church and the Holy Spirit is
poured out on us to sanctify and create one people,
one body in Christ (1 Cor. 12:27)
 Lumen Gentium:
The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church

 The Church as Sacrament


 The life of the Church is sustained by a continual
outpouring of the Spirit
(epiclesis, in theological term)
 The Spirit provides the Church with ministerial and
charismatic gifts and through this presence
rejuvenates and leads it towards perfect union with
Christ
 The Church in the world is “the people made one from
unity of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit”
(LG, 4)
 Lumen Gentium:
The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church

 The Church as Sacrament


 The Church is not something understood in the objective
fashion, like ‘a church that does this or says that’ nor it
is to be taken as an ‘institutional church’ or ‘official
church’
 LG, 8 – The social dimension of the Church, with all its
ministries; the mystical Body of Christ; the visible
assembly that gathers together (each Sunday); the
spiritual community of believers both living and dead;
and the Church on earth and the communion of saints,
are part of the complex reality that is both human and
divine
 Lumen Gentium:
The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church

 The Church as the People of God
 Images of the Church (LG, 6—8)
1. Kingdom of God in mystery
2. Vine planted by God
3. Temple and Dwelling lace of the Holy Spirit
4. Our Mother
5. Family of God
6. Building of God
7. Pilgrim People of God on earth
8. Body of Christ
 Lumen Gentium:
The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church

 The Church as the People of God
 LG brought out one of the most popular images of the
Church—the ‘new People of God’
 LG teaches that the Jews continue to be God’s people and
that, as scriptures teaches, a new people has been
grafted into the vine of Israel planted by God (Rom. 11).
This is the new people of God, the Church.
 Important element of the Church’s images—they are all
corporate images—God saving us and fashioning us
collectively as a new people. God intends to form
people rather than just save individuals.
 Lumen Gentium:
The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church

 The Church as the People of God
 The Church exists not just a historical accident, nor the
result of the collective will of the people,
it is a free act of creation by God and a part of the
plan of salvation
 ‘People of God’ is sometimes mistaken to refer to the Laity
(lay members of the Church) and not the clergy
(deacons, priests, bishops); BUT the people of God IS
the whole Church
 Lumen Gentium:
The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church

 The Church as the People of God
 The ‘people of God’ may be taken to mean a democratic
institution—as if the Church exists by the free
association or will of the people of God who are linked
by a common interest in Jesus, BUT this is NOT the
Church. To do so may lead us to wrongly believe that
matters of faith and morals are determined by the will
of the majority. I so, new generation of Christians could
have a new set of morals–

 What is bad before can be good today….

 Lumen Gentium:
The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church

 The Church as the People of God
 Vatican II teaches us that the whole ‘people of God’—the
laity and the clergy– have received the same faith that
comes to us from the apostles, through the Holy Spirit
in the Church
 It also teaches us that the Holy Spirit speaks in a special
and authoritative way through the apostolic ministry
received by the bishops, (LG, 21—24)
 Vatican II affirms what the scriptures say: that we have all
been baptized into Christ and together are parts of one
another
 Lumen Gentium:
The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church

 The Church as the People of God
 Vatican II affirms what the scriptures say:
that we have all been baptized into Christ and
together we are parts of one another, (Rom. 12:5)
 God calls us as a ‘new people of God’ and sends us
on a mission together
 Lumen Gentium:
The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church

 The Church as the Ordained Ministry
 Lumen Gentium teaches that the ministries of bishop
(episcopte), priest (presbyterate) and deacon (diaconate)
have existed in the Church since ancient times, and
were instituted by Christ Himself, (LG, 28)
 The ordained minister is a sacramental sign of Christ
present as head (invisible) and shepherd of His body—
the Church, (LG, 23)
 Lumen Gentium:
The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church

 The Church as the Ordained Ministry
 Vatican II recovered and renewed a theology of ordained
ministry founded on the ancient theology of
‘communio’
 The Church is a communion in the Body of Christ by the
power of the Holy Spirit
 All ministries are viewed within the relationship of
communion with this body
 Lumen Gentium:
The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church

 The Church as the Ordained Ministry
 Vatican II presents a new language for the ordained
ministry—the bishop has the fullness of the sacrament
of holy orders and that priests and deacons share in
his ministry and derive their ministry from him,
(LG, 20, 28, 29)
 These ordained ministries are of divine origin according to
sacred Tradition (from priesthood of Christ)
 They have their origin in the will of Christ for the Church,
(LG, 18, 20)
 Lumen Gentium:
The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church

 The Church as the Ordained Ministry
 The council retains the understanding that the bishop
presides at every liturgy in the diocese because he is the
visible sign of the unity of the diocese in the apostolic
faith, within the diocese and with other churches or
dioceses, (LG, 20)
 The presbyters or priests preside in his name at the parish
level because it is not possible for the bishop to do so
personally, (LG, 26)
 Lumen Gentium:
The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church

 The Church as the Ordained Ministry
 The priests and deacons, according to Vatican II, are
cooperators in the ministry of the bishop
 The permanent ministry of diaconate was restored by the
Council, in part, because the sacramental sign of the
threefold ministry had been diminished without a
permanent sacramental presence of all three (3)
ministries
 Lumen Gentium:
The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church

 The Church as the Ordained Ministry
 The shortage of deacons, not of priests, enabled the
restoration of the permanent ministry of deacons to the
Church, (LG, 29)
 Deacons are no longer only a step on the way to priesthood
but a distinct and permanent ministry alongside priests
 The case of transitional deacons today was not the same as before.
Priests need not have to necessarily pass through this ministry
before episcopal ordination.
 They are to serve the same bishop and local church
(diocese)
 Lumen Gentium:
The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church

 The Church as the Ordained Ministry
 Vatican II affirmed the unique and distinct place of the
ordained ministry in relation to the priesthood of all the
people (because every baptized individual shares in the
priesthood of Christ)
 It affirmed that the threefold ordained ministry is part of
the essence of the life of the Church
 It teaches that ordained ministry is always at the service of
the whole Church and for the building up of the
Church, especially the Laity, for mission, (LG, 30)
 Lumen Gentium:
The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church

 The Church as the Ordained Ministry
 Authentic ordained ministry should never be an exercise of
power over the laity but of empowering the laity
towards maturity in faith and in living the Gospel
 The ordained ministers and the laity must recognize and
receive the ordained ministry as a gift of the Spirit
(charism) for the building up of the Church
 The Church needs to be grounded in the sacramental
dimension of the orders and not in the functions,
powers and roles or status of the minister
2014: Year of the Laity

2017: Year of the Parish

2018: Year of the Clergy
& Consecrated Persons

2019: Year of the Youth
 Lumen Gentium:
The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church

 The Church as the Communion of Saints
 LG, 49 teaches that the Church is consists of those baptized
who live here on earth (Church militant), those who
have died but do not yet have the full vision of the
divine glory of God (Church suffering), and those who
behold the vision of God as God is and are dwelling in
His presence (Church triumphant)
 The union between the pilgrim Church on earth and those
who have died in Christ is in no way weakened or
interrupted, (LG, 49), because all remain in the Body of
Christ
 Lumen Gentium:
The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church

 The Church as the Communion of Saints
 Just as we are able to pray for the needs of the people on
earth and they can pray for us, we so believe that it is
true with the dead, who remain with us united in the
Body of Christ, (LG, 50)
 The Catholics are called by the Church to believe that we
should remember the dead and pray for them, as the
Scripture says, “it is a holy and wholesome thought to
pray for the dead that they may be loosed from their
sins”, (2 Mac 12:46)
 Lumen Gentium:
The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church

 The Church as the Communion of Saints
 We pray for the dead in the Eucharist (mass) and in the
evening prayers in the Liturgy of the Hours (vespers),
and we commemorate them especially on anniversaries
and in November (2-All Souls Day)
 Among the dead, the apostles, martyrs and saints of the
Church ‘who are in heaven’ have a special place in the
communion of the Church—we seek from the saints
example in their way of life, fellowship in their
communion, and aid by their intercession, (LG, 51)
 Lumen Gentium:
The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church

 The Church as the Communion of Saints
 The saints participate intimately in the heavenly liturgy
because of the grace they have received from Christ and
we believe their intercessory prayer can be of spiritual
benefit to us, (LG, 50-51)
 ‘We do not pray’ to the saints but ask them to join us in
praying for our intentions through Christ in the Spirit to
the Father, (LG, 51)
 The saints do not work miracles but intercede and pray
with us for our intention that by the grace of Christ
alone our intention may be granted
 Lumen Gentium:
The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church

 The Church as the Communion of Saints
 When we celebrate the liturgy on earth, especially the
Eucharist, we participate in the liturgy of heaven,
(LG, 50)
 At mass, the priest (presider) holds up the Lamb of God and
prays,
“blessed are those who are called to the supper of the Lamb…”
he does not use the word we because who are referred
to are all who have gone before us in faith and all who
are to come including all who are present in the
liturgical celebration
 Lumen Gentium:
The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church

 Key points on Lumen Gentium

 The church is in Christ; it is a sacrament of Christ,

a mystery of depth. (1)
 It is the Body of Christ. (3, 7)
 It is the People of God, among whom the baptized are called
as ministers. (Ch 2)
 It is led by the bishops, bound as a college, in unity with
the pope, in a bond of charity and peace. (Ch 3)
 Lumen Gentium:
The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church

 Key points on Lumen Gentium

 The primary role of the bishop is to shepherd

God’s people (LG, 21)
 The ministry of the bishop is that of a servant to
the people of God (LG, 24)
 The permanent deaconate is restored (LG, 29)
 There is a distinction between
the “priesthood of the baptized” and
that of the “ordained” (LG, 10)
 Lumen Gentium:
The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church

 Key points on Lumen Gentium

 For those called to be Catholic, the Church is necessary for

salvation; merely following the law of the Church
is not enough; we must also live in love (LG, 14)
 Those in other Christian churches are also related to us;
likewise Jews, Moslems, and all who seek God
are connected to us (LG, 16)
 Lumen Gentium:
The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church

 Key points on Lumen Gentium

 The role of the faithful is to be church in the world (LG, 34)

 We are to seek the Reign of God in our everyday work
(LG, 33)
 The call to holiness is universal,
and the way to holiness is love (LG, Ch. 5)
 Religious live as dedicated members (LG, Ch. 6)
 Lumen Gentium:
The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church

 Key points on Lumen Gentium

 We are part of the great “communion of saints” bound

together in God’s love (LG, 47-51)
 The blessed Virgin Mary takes her place, too,
among God’s people, and
 All devotion to her must ultimately lead to
Christ, the Lord (LG, Ch. 8)