'STAND FAST IN THE FAITH'

New Zealand Tablet, 12 September 1912, Page 3

'STAND FAST IN THE FAITH '

(A Weekly Instruction specially written for the N.Z. Tablet by ‘Ghimel.’) THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS (II.) Like the human body, the Church of God— Heaven, in Purgatory, and on earthis composed of. many members. These are joined together and made one by an organic, vital union in Christ, their Head'j” they throb with the life that their Saviour communicates to them. This Communion of Saints naturally implies a common participation by all in the merits and prayers of each, especially in the prayers of the Church and in the unsearchable riches of Christ ’ (Ephes., iii., 8). ‘We are not united to God singly and independently as rays which converge to a common centre and yet do not touch one another on the road, but we are first knit together into one living organic' body under the Man Christ as our Head, and then with Him and through Him united to the very Godhead, Whose life and beatitude flow down to the least and furthest member of that living thing.’ An objection. There was a time when this doctrine of the Communion of Saints was said to be without warrant in Sacred Scripture ; but that objection is' no longer raised by serious writers, and in face of the abundant Scriptural evidence one finds it difficult to imagine how. it ever came to be put forward. We are, however, still told that the Catholic dogma on this point detracts from Christ’s mediatorship, and takesaway from the glory due to Him alone: Has not St. Paul written There is One Mediator of God and Men the Man Christ Jesus, Who gave Himself a redemption for all’ (1 Tim. ii., 5-6). How then can we think of the faithful on earth, or even the blessed in Heaven as mediators of grace? We may best reply to this difficulty by getting a true idea of mediatorship and by pointing out the sense in which we speak of others besides our Lord as mediators. ‘ Mediatorship ’ is some kind of ‘ going between’ God and man, a drawing together of those who were previously estranged. - In the highest and truest sense of the word, our Saviour’s mediatorship is of course unique. ‘As God-Man, Christ has the interests of God and of man at heart and in Him creation and the Creator are linked in one personality He is thus by nature fitted as none other for the office of: gobetween or mediator, and for the effecting of that union or atonement which is its end.’ But while recognising this— and we Catholics with our unclouded faith in the Divinity of Christ are -the first to do what is to prevent us from applying the term to others as well? If Sacred Scripture speaks of the fervent prayer of a just man availing much for others as well as for 'himself, why should we, refuse to speak of the saint's in Heaven as intercessors and mediators Further since mediation in this connection means a going-between the soul and God, a placing at the disposal of the soul some help towards salvation, we may justly look upon every creature that enables us to serve God better and upon our brethren in the faith,’ in so far as they pray for us, or instruct us, or help us in a thou-, sand and one ways in the matter of our salvation, as real mediators between ourselves and God. And as a matter of fact, our Lord Himself enjoined this manner of mediation upon His followers: ‘I have given you an example namely, of offering help to the souls and bodies of those far beneath Me, and so of promoting their union with God; ‘lf I, your Lord and Master, wash your feet, much more ought ye to wash one another s feet, that is My followers must in turn become the means of salvation one to another. ‘We do not see God face to face yet, but must climb up to His throne from His footstool, ;to Heaven from earth, by means of the ladder of creation which bridges the otherwise impassable gulf.’ j ' % i.-x ■ Thus understood,; the Catholic doctrine of the Communion of Saints, so far from putting the saints on a level with our Lord, holds that He g is the one

channel of eternal life, and that by reason of His Divinity He exercises a t form of mediation between men and ; God,- which is altogether peculiar to Him. Anything that our fellow-men do for us is done in Him, and, receives its quickening power from Him. ‘ Forthe Catholic, Jesus Christ still lives upon earth as surely, though in s another and what must be called a ‘ mystical ’ sense, He lived two thousand years ago. For He ; has a Body in which He lives, a Voice with which He speaks. As two thousand years ago He assumed one kind of Body by which to accomplish His purposes, so He has assumed now another kind of Body in which to continue them; and that Body consists of an unity of myriad —each cell a living soul'complete in transcending the sum of the cells, and yet expressing itself through them. Christianity, then, to the Catholic is not merely an individual matter, though it is that also, as surely as the cell has individual relations with the main lite of the body. But it is far more: it is corporate and transcendent. . . (The Catholic) is not merely an imitator of Christ, or a disciple of Christ, not merely even a lover of Christ, but he is actually a cell of that very Body which is Christ’s ’ (Christ in the Church , p. 18).