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§900
Since, like all the faithful, lay Christians are entrusted by God with the
apostolate by virtue of their Baptism and Confirmation, they have the right and
duty, individually or grouped in associations, to work so that the divine
message of salvation may be known and accepted by all men throughout the earth.
This duty is the more pressing when it is only through them that men can hear
the Gospel and know Christ. Their activity in ecclesial communities is so
necessary that, for the most part, the apostolate of the pastors cannot be
fully effective without it.433
The participation of lay people in Christ's priestly office
§901
«Hence the laity, dedicated as they are to Christ and anointed by the Holy
Spirit, are marvellously called and prepared so that even richer fruits of the
Spirit maybe produced in them. For all their works, prayers, and apostolic
undertakings, family and married life, daily work, relaxation of mind and body,
if they are accomplished in the Spirit - indeed even the hardships of life if
patiently born - all these become spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God
through Jesus Christ. In the celebration of the Eucharist these may most
fittingly be offered to the Father along with the body of the Lord. and so,
worshipping everywhere by their holy actions, the laity consecrate the world
itself to God, everywhere offering worship by the holiness of their
lives.» 434
§902
In a very
special way, parents share in the office of sanctifying «by leading a
conjugal life in the Christian spirit and by seeing to the Christian education
of their children.» 435
§903
Lay people who possess the required qualities can be admitted permanently to
the ministries of lector and acolyte.436 When the necessity of the
Church warrants it and when ministers are lacking, lay persons, even if they
are not lectors or acolytes, can also supply for certain of their offices, namely,
to exercise the ministry of the word, to preside over liturgical prayers, to
confer Baptism, and to distribute Holy Communion in accord with the
prescriptions of law.» 437
Participation in Christ's prophetic office
§904
«Christ . . . fulfills this prophetic office, not only by the hierarchy .
. . but also by the laity. He accordingly both establishes them as witnesses
and provides them with the sense of the faith [sensus fidei] and the grace of
the word» 438
To teach in order to lead others to faith is the task of every preacher and of each believer.439
§905
Lay people also fulfill their prophetic mission by evangelization, «that
is, the proclamation of Christ by word and the testimony of life.» For lay
people, «this evangelization . . . acquires a specific property and
peculiar efficacy because it is accomplished in the ordinary circumstances of
the world.» 440
This witness of life, however, is not the sole element in the apostolate; the true apostle is on the lookout for occasions of announcing Christ by word, either to unbelievers . . . or to the faithful.441
§906
Lay
people who are capable and trained may also collaborate in catechetical
formation, in teaching the sacred sciences, and in use of the communications
media.442
§907
«In
accord with the knowledge, competence, and preeminence which they possess, [lay
people] have the right and even at times a duty to manifest to the sacred
pastors their opinion on matters which pertain to the good of the Church, and
they have a right to make their opinion known to the other Christian faithful,
with due regard to the integrity of faith and morals and reverence toward their
pastors, and with consideration for the common good and the dignity of
persons.» 443
Participation in Christ's kingly office
§908
By his obedience unto death,444 Christ communicated to his disciples the
gift of royal freedom, so that they might «by the self-abnegation of a
holy life, overcome the reign of sin in themselves":445
That man is rightly called a king who makes his own body an obedient subject and, by governing himself with suitable rigor, refuses to let his passions breed rebellion in his soul, for he exercises a kind of royal power over himself. and because he knows how to rule his own person as king, so too does he sit as its judge. He will not let himself be imprisoned by sin, or thrown headlong into wickedness.446
§909
«Moreover, by uniting their forces let the laity so remedy the
institutions and conditions of the world when the latter are an inducement to
sin, that these may be conformed to the norms of justice, favoring rather than
hindering the practice of virtue. By so doing they will impregnate culture and
human works with a moral value.» 447
§910
«The laity can also feel called, or be in fact called, to cooperate with
their pastors in the service of the ecclesial community, for the sake of its
growth and life. This can be done through the exercise of different kinds of
ministries according to the grace and charisms which the Lord has been pleased
to bestow on them.» 448
§911
In the
Church, «lay members of the Christian faithful can cooperate in the
exercise of this power [of governance] in accord with the norm of
law.» 449 and so the Church provides for their presence at
particular councils, diocesan synods, pastoral councils; the exercise in
solidum of the pastoral care of a parish, collaboration in finance committees,
and participation in ecclesiastical tribunals, etc.450
§912
The faithful should «distinguish carefully between the rights and the
duties which they have as belonging to the Church and those which fall to them
as members of the human society. They will strive to unite the two
harmoniously, remembering that in every temporal affair they are to be guided
by a Christian conscience, since no human activity, even of the temporal order,
can be withdrawn from God's dominion.» 451
§913
«Thus, every person, through these gifts given to him, is at once the
witness and the living instrument of the mission of the Church itself
'according to the measure of Christ's bestowal."'452
III. THE CONSECRATED LIFE
§914
«The state of life which is constituted by the profession of the
evangelical counsels, while not entering into the hierarchical structure of the
Church, belongs undeniably to her life and holiness.» 453
Evangelical counsels, consecrated life
§915
Christ proposes the evangelical counsels, in their great variety, to every
disciple. the perfection of charity, to which all the faithful are called,
entails for those who freely follow the call to consecrated life the obligation
of practicing chastity in celibacy for the sake of the Kingdom, poverty and
obedience. It is the profession of these counsels, within a permanent state of
life recognized by the Church, that characterizes the life consecrated to
God.454
§916
The religious state is thus one way of experiencing a «more intimate"
consecration, rooted in Baptism and dedicated totally to God.455 In the
consecrated life, Christ's faithful, moved by the Holy Spirit, propose to
follow Christ more nearly, to give themselves to God who is loved above all
and, pursuing the perfection of charity in the service of the Kingdom, to signify
and proclaim in the Church the glory of the world to come.456
One great tree, with many branches
§917
«From the God-given seed of the counsels a wonderful and wide-spreading
tree has grown up in the field of the Lord, branching out into various forms of
the religious life lived in solitude or in community. Different religious
families have come into existence in which spiritual resources are multiplied
for the progress in holiness of their members and for the good of the entire
Body of Christ.» 457
§918
From
the very beginning of the Church there were men and women who set out to follow
Christ with greater liberty, and to imitate him more closely, by practicing the
evangelical counsels. They led lives dedicated to God, each in his own way.
Many of them, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, became hermits or
founded religious families. These the Church, by virtue of her authority,
gladly accepted and approved.458
§919
Bishops will always strive to discern new gifts of consecrated life granted to
the Church by the Holy Spirit; the approval of new forms of consecrated life is
reserved to the Apostolic See.459
The eremitic life
§920
Without always professing the three evangelical counsels publicly, hermits
«devote their life to the praise of God and salvation of the world through
a stricter separation from the world, the silence of solitude and assiduous
prayer and penance.» 460
§921
They manifest to everyone the interior aspect of the mystery of the Church,
that is, personal intimacy with Christ. Hidden from the eyes of men, the life
of the hermit is a silent preaching of the Lord, to whom he has surrendered his
life simply because he is everything to him. Here is a particular call to find
in the desert, in the thick of spiritual battle, the glory of the Crucified
One.
Consecrated virgins
§922
From apostolic times Christian virgins, called by the Lord to cling only to him
with greater freedom of heart, body, and spirit, have decided with the Church's
approval to live in a state of virginity «for the sake of the Kingdom of
heaven.» 461
§923
«Virgins who, committed to the holy plan of following Christ more closely,
are consecrated to God by the diocesan bishop according to the approved
liturgical rite, are betrothed mystically to Christ, the Son of God, and are
dedicated to the service of the Church.» 462 By this solemn rite
(Consecratio virginum), the virgin is «constituted . . . a sacred person,
a transcendent sign of the Church's love for Christ, and an eschatological
image of this heavenly Bride of Christ and of the life to
come.» 463
§924
«As with other forms of consecrated life,» the order of virgins
establishes the woman living in the world (or the nun) in prayer, penance,
service of her brethren, and apostolic activity, according to the state of life
and spiritual gifts given to her.464 Consecrated virgins can form
themselves into associations to observe their commitment more
faithfully.465
Religious life
§925
Religious life was born in the East during the first centuries of Christianity.
Lived within institutes canonically erected by the Church, it is distinguished
from other forms of consecrated life by its liturgical character, public
profession of the evangelical counsels, fraternal life led in common, and
witness given to the union of Christ with the Church.466
§926
Religious life derives from the mystery of the Church. It is a gift she has
received from her Lord, a gift she offers as a stable way of life to the
faithful called by God to profess the counsels. Thus, the Church can both show
forth Christ and acknowledge herself to be the Savior's bride. Religious life
in its various forms is called to signify the very charity of God in the
language of our time.
§927
All religious, whether exempt or not, take their place among the collaborators
of the diocesan bishop in his pastoral duty.467 From the outset of the
work of evangelization, the missionary «planting» and expansion of
the Church require the presence of the religious life in all its
forms.468 «History witnesses to the outstanding service rendered
by religious families in the propagation of the faith and in the formation of
new Churches: from the ancient monastic institutions to the medieval orders,
all the way to the more recent congregations.» 469
Secular institutes
§928
«A secular institute is an institute of consecrated life in which the
Christian faithful living in the world strive for the perfection of charity and
work for the sanctification of the world especially from
within.» 470
§929
By a «life perfectly and entirely consecrated to [such]
sanctification,» the members of these institutes share in the Church's
task of evangelization, «in the world and from within the world,"
where their presence acts as «leaven in the world.» 471
«Their witness of a Christian life» aims «to order temporal
things according to God and inform the world with the power of the
gospel.» They commit themselves to the evangelical counsels by sacred
bonds and observe among themselves the communion and fellowship appropriate to
their «particular secular way of life.» 472
Societies of apostolic life
§930
Alongside the different forms of consecrated life are «societies of apostolic
life whose members without religious vows pursue the particular apostolic
purpose of their society, and lead a life as brothers or sisters in common
according to a particular manner of life, strive for the perfection of charity
through the observance of the constitutions. Among these there are societies in
which the members embrace the evangelical counsels» according to their
constitutions.473
Consecration and mission: proclaiming the King who is corning
§931
Already dedicated to him through Baptism, the person who surrenders himself to
the God he loves above all else thereby consecrates himself more intimately to
God's service and to the good of the Church. By this state of life consecrated
to God, the Church manifests Christ and shows us how the Holy Spirit acts so
wonderfully in her. and so the first mission of those who profess the
evangelical counsels is to live out their consecration. Moreover, «since
members of institutes of consecrated life dedicate themselves through their
consecration to the service of the Church they are obliged in a special manner
to engage in missionary work, in accord with the character of the
institute.» 474
§932
In the Church, which is like the sacrament - the sign and instrument - of God's
own life, the consecrated life is seen as a special sign of the mystery of
redemption. To follow and imitate Christ more nearly and to manifest more
clearly his self-emptying is to be more deeply present to one's contemporaries,
in the heart of Christ. For those who are on this «narrower» path
encourage their brethren by their example, and bear striking witness «that
the world cannot be transfigured and offered to God without the spirit of the
beatitudes.» 475
§933
Whether their witness is public, as in the religious state, or less public, or
even secret, Christ's coming remains for all those consecrated both the origin
and rising sun of their life:
For the People of God has here no lasting city, . . . [and this state] reveals more clearly to all believers the heavenly goods which are already present in this age, witnessing to the new and eternal life which we have acquired through the redemptive work of Christ and preluding our future resurrection and the glory of the heavenly kingdom.476
IN BRIEF
§934
«Among the Christian
faithful by divine institution there exist in the Church sacred ministers, who
are also called clerics in law, and other Christian faithful who are also
called laity.» In both groups there are those Christian faithful who,
professing the evangelical counsels, are consecrated to God and so serve the
Church's saving mission (cf. ⇒ CIC, can. 207 # 1,
2).
§935
To proclaim the faith and
to plant his reign, Christ sends his apostles and their successors. He gives
them a share in his own mission. From him they receive the power to act in his
person.
§936
The Lord made St. Peter
the visible foundation of his Church. He entrusted the keys of the Church to
him. the bishop of the Church of Rome, successor to St. Peter, is «head of
the college of bishops, the Vicar of Christ and Pastor of the universal Church
on earth» (⇒ CIC, can. 331).
§937
The Pope enjoys, by
divine institution, «supreme, full, immediate, and universal power in the
care of souls» (CD 2).
§938
The Bishops, established
by the Holy Spirit, succeed the apostles. They are «the visible source and
foundation of unity in their own particular Churches» (LG 23).
§939
Helped by the priests,
their co-workers, and by the deacons, the bishops have the duty of
authentically teaching the faith, celebrating divine worship, above all the
Eucharist, and guiding their Churches as true pastors. Their responsibility
also includes concern for all the Churches, with and under the Pope.
§940
«The characteristic
of the lay state being a life led in the midst of the world and of secular affairs,
lay people are called by God to make of their apostolate, through the vigor of
their Christian spirit, a leaven in the world» (AA 2 # 2).
§941
Lay people share in
Christ's priesthood: ever more united with him, they exhibit the grace of
Baptism and Confirmation in all dimensions of their personal family, social and
ecclesial lives, and so fulfill the call to holiness addressed to all the
baptized.
§942
By virtue of their
prophetic mission, lay people «are called . . . to be witnesses to Christ
in all circumstances and at the very heart of the community of mankind"
(GS 43 # 4).
§943
By virtue of their kingly
mission, lay people have the power to uproot the rule of sin within themselves
and in the world, by their self-denial and holiness of life (cf. LG 36).
§944
The life consecrated to
God is characterized by the public profession of the evangelical counsels of
poverty, chastity, and obedience, in a stable state of life recognized by the Church.
§945
Already destined for him
through Baptism, the person who surrenders himself to the God he loves above
all else thereby consecrates himself more intimately to God's service and to
the good of the whole Church.
Paragraph 5. THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS
§946
After confessing «the holy catholic Church,» the Apostles' Creed adds
«the communion of saints.» In a certain sense this article is a
further explanation of the preceding: «What is the Church if not the
assembly of all the saints?» 477 The communion of saints is the
Church.
§947
«Since all the faithful form one body, the good of each is communicated to
the others.... We must therefore believe that there exists a communion of goods
in the Church. But the most important member is Christ, since he is the
head.... Therefore, the riches of Christ are communicated to all the members,
through the sacraments.» 478 «As this Church is governed by
one and the same Spirit, all the goods she has received necessarily become a
common fund.» 479
§948
The term «communion of saints» therefore has two closely linked
meanings: communion in holy things (sancta)» and «among holy persons
(sancti).
«Sancta sancti's! ("God's holy gifts for God's holy people») is proclaimed by the celebrant in most Eastern liturgies during the elevation of the holy Gifts before the distribution of communion. the faithful (sancta) are fed by Christ's holy body and blood (sancta) to grow in the communion of the Holy Spirit (koinonia) and to communicate it to the world.
I. COMMUNION IN SPIRITUAL GOODS
§949
In the primitive community of Jerusalem, the disciples «devoted themselves
to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of the bread and the
prayers.» 480
Communion in the faith. the faith of the faithful is the faith of the Church,
received from the apostles. Faith is a treasure of life which is enriched by
being shared.
§950
Communion of the sacraments. «The fruit of all the sacraments belongs to
all the faithful. All the sacraments are sacred links uniting the faithful with
one another and binding them to Jesus Christ, and above all Baptism, the gate
by which we enter into the Church. the communion of saints must be understood
as the communion of the sacraments.... the name 'communion' can be applied to
all of them, for they unite us to God.... But this name is better suited to the
Eucharist than to any other, because it is primarily the Eucharist that brings
this communion about.» 481
§951
Communion of charisms. Within the communion of the Church, the Holy Spirit
«distributes special graces among the faithful of every rank» for the
building up of the Church.482 Now, «to each is given the
manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.» 483
§952
«They had everything in common.» 484 «Everything the true
Christian has is to be regarded as a good possessed in common with everyone
else. All Christians should be ready and eager to come to the help of the needy
. . . and of their neighbors in want.» 485 A Christian is a steward
of the Lord's goods.486
§953
Communion in charity. In the sanctorum communio, «None of us lives to
himself, and none of us dies to himself.» 487 «If one member
suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. Now
you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.» 488
«Charity does not insist on its own way.» 489 In this
solidarity with all men, living or dead, which is founded on the communion of
saints, the least of our acts done in charity redounds to the profit of all.
Every sin harms this communion.
II. THE COMMUNION OF THE CHURCH OF HEAVEN AND EARTH
§954
The three states of the Church. «When the Lord comes in glory, and all his
angels with him, death will be no more and all things will be subject to him.
But at the present time some of his disciples are pilgrims on earth. Others
have died and are being purified, while still others are in glory,
contemplating 'in full light, God himself triune and one, exactly as he
is"':490
All of us, however, in varying degrees and in different ways share in the same charity towards God and our neighbours, and we all sing the one hymn of glory to our God. All, indeed, who are of Christ and who have his Spirit form one Church and in Christ cleave together.491
§955
«So it is that the union of the wayfarers with the brethren who sleep in
the peace of Christ is in no way interrupted, but on the contrary, according to
the constant faith of the Church, this union is reinforced by an exchange of
spiritual goods.» 492
§956
The intercession of the saints. «Being more closely united to Christ,
those who dwell in heaven fix the whole Church more firmly in holiness.... They
do not cease to intercede with the Father for us, as they proffer the merits
which they acquired on earth through the one mediator between God and men,
Christ Jesus.... So by their fraternal concern is our weakness greatly
helped.» 493
Do not weep, for I shall be more useful to you after my death and I shall help you then more effectively than during my life.494
I want to spend my heaven in doing good on earth.495
§957
Communion with the saints. «It is not merely by the title of example that
we cherish the memory of those in heaven; we seek, rather, that by this
devotion to the exercise of fraternal charity the union of the whole Church in
the Spirit may be strengthened. Exactly as Christian communion among our fellow
pilgrims brings us closer to Christ, so our communion with the saints joins us
to Christ, from whom as from its fountain and head issues all grace, and the
life of the People of God itself» 496:
We worship Christ as God's Son; we love the martyrs as the Lord's disciples and imitators, and rightly so because of their matchless devotion towards their king and master. May we also be their companions and fellow disciples!497
§958
Communion with the dead. «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.» 498 Our prayer for them is capable
not only of helping them, but also of making their intercession for us
effective.
§959
In the one family of God. «For if we continue to love one another and to
join in praising the Most Holy Trinity - all of us who are sons of God and form
one family in Christ - we will be faithful to the deepest vocation of the
Church.» 499
IN BRIEF
§960
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» (LG 3).
§961
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.
§962
«We believe in the
communion of all the faithful of Christ, those who are pilgrims on earth, the
dead who are being purified, and the blessed in heaven, all together forming
one Church; and we believe that in this communion, the merciful love of God and
his saints is always [attentive] to our prayers» (Paul VI, CPG # 30).
Paragraph 6. MARY - MOTHER OF CHRIST, MOTHER OF THE CHURCH
§963
Since the Virgin Mary's role in the mystery of Christ and the Spirit has been
treated, it is fitting now to consider her place in the mystery of the Church.
«The Virgin Mary . . . is acknowledged and honored as being truly the
Mother of God and of the redeemer.... She is 'clearly the mother of the members
of Christ' ... since she has by her charity joined in bringing about the birth
of believers in the Church, who are members of its head.» 500
«Mary, Mother of Christ, Mother of the Church.» 501
I. MARY'S MOTHERHOOD WITH REGARD TO THE CHURCH
Wholly united with her Son . . .
§964
Mary's role in the Church is inseparable from her union with Christ and flows
directly from it. «This union of the mother with the Son in the work of
salvation is made manifest from the time of Christ's virginal conception up to
his death»;502 it is made manifest above all at the hour of his
Passion:
Thus the Blessed Virgin advanced in her pilgrimage of faith, and faithfully persevered in her union with her Son unto the cross. There she stood, in keeping with the divine plan, enduring with her only begotten Son the intensity of his suffering, joining herself with his sacrifice in her mother's heart, and lovingly consenting to the immolation of this victim, born of her: to be given, by the same Christ Jesus dying on the cross, as a mother to his disciple, with these words: «Woman, behold your son.» 503
§965
After her Son's Ascension, Mary «aided the beginnings of the Church by her
prayers.» 504 In her association with the apostles and several
women, «we also see Mary by her prayers imploring the gift of the Spirit,
who had already overshadowed her in the Annunciation.» 505
. . . also in her Assumption
§966
«Finally the Immaculate Virgin, preserved free from all stain of original
sin, when the course of her earthly life was finished, was taken up body and
soul into heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord as Queen over all things, so
that she might be the more fully conformed to her Son, the Lord of lords and
conqueror of sin and death.» 506 The Assumption of the Blessed
Virgin is a singular participation in her Son's Resurrection and an
anticipation of the resurrection of other Christians:
In giving birth you kept your virginity; in your Dormition you did not leave the world, O Mother of God, but were joined to the source of Life. You conceived the living God and, by your prayers, will deliver our souls from death.507
. . . she is our Mother in the order of grace
§967
By her complete adherence to the Father's will, to his Son's redemptive work,
and to every prompting of the Holy Spirit, the Virgin Mary is the Church's
model of faith and charity. Thus she is a «preeminent and . . . wholly
unique member of the Church»; indeed, she is the «exemplary realization"
(typus)508 of the Church.
§968
Her role in relation to the Church and to all humanity goes still further.
«In a wholly singular way she cooperated by her obedience, faith, hope,
and burning charity in the Savior's work of restoring supernatural life to
souls. For this reason she is a mother to us in the order of
grace.» 509
§969
«This motherhood of Mary in the order of grace continues uninterruptedly
from the consent which she loyally gave at the Annunciation and which she
sustained without wavering beneath the cross, until the eternal fulfilment of
all the elect. Taken up to heaven she did not lay aside this saving office but
by her manifold intercession continues to bring us the gifts of eternal
salvation .... Therefore the Blessed Virgin is invoked in the Church under the
titles of Advocate, Helper, Benefactress, and Mediatrix.» 510
§970
«Mary's function as mother of men in no way obscures or diminishes this
unique mediation of Christ, but rather shows its power. But the Blessed
Virgin's salutary influence on men . . . flows forth from the superabundance of
the merits of Christ, rests on his mediation, depends entirely on it, and draws
all its power from it.» 511 «No creature could ever be counted
along with the Incarnate Word and Redeemer; but just as the priesthood of
Christ is shared in various ways both by his ministers and the faithful, and as
the one goodness of God is radiated in different ways among his creatures, so
also the unique mediation of the Redeemer does not exclude but rather gives
rise to a manifold cooperation which is but a sharing in this one
source.» 512
II. DEVOTION TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN
§971
«All generations will call me blessed": «The Church's devotion
to the Blessed Virgin is intrinsic to Christian worship.» 513 The
Church rightly honors «the Blessed Virgin with special devotion. From the
most ancient times the Blessed Virgin has been honored with the title of
'Mother of God,' to whose protection the faithful fly in all their dangers and
needs.... This very special devotion ... differs essentially from the adoration
which is given to the incarnate Word and equally to the Father and the Holy
Spirit, and greatly fosters this adoration.» 514 The liturgical
feasts dedicated to the Mother of God and Marian prayer, such as the rosary, an
«epitome of the whole Gospel,» express this devotion to the Virgin
Mary.515
III. MARY - ESCHATOLOGICAL ICON OF THE CHURCH
§972
After speaking of the Church, her origin, mission, and destiny, we can find no
better way to conclude than by looking to Mary. In her we contemplate what the
Church already is in her mystery on her own «pilgrimage of faith,"
and what she will be in the homeland at the end of her journey. There, «in
the glory of the Most Holy and Undivided Trinity,» «in the communion
of all the saints,» 516 The Church is awaited by the one she
venerates as Mother of her Lord and as her own mother.
In the meantime the Mother of Jesus, in the glory which she possesses in body and soul in heaven, is the image and beginning of the Church as it is to be perfected in the world to come. Likewise she shines forth on earth until the day of the Lord shall come, a sign of certain hope and comfort to the pilgrim People of God.517
IN BRIEF
§973
By pronouncing her
«fiat» at the Annunciation and giving her consent to the Incarnation,
Mary was al ready collaborating with the whole work her Son was to accomplish.
She is mother wherever he is Savior and head of the Mystical Body.
§974
The Most Blessed Virgin
Mary, when the course of her earthly life was completed, was taken up body and
soul into the glory of heaven, where she already shares in the glory of her
Son's Resurrection, anticipating the resurrection of all members of his Body.
§975
«We believe that the
Holy Mother of God, the new Eve, Mother of the Church, continues in heaven to
exercise her maternal role on behalf of the members of Christ» (Paul VI,
CPG # 15).