The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) - Day 109: Mystery of Union With God (2024)

Episode Date: April 18, 2024

Do we love the Church? Some of us might struggle with that idea, but Fr. Mike explains that if we are to love and live in accordance with the heart of Jesus, we must love what he loves. Jesus, the bridegroom, loves his bride, the Church, so we must love the Church. We also learn that the sacraments are not only signs but also the very instruments by which the Holy Spirit gives us the grace of Christ. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 772-780. This episode has been found to be in conformity with the Catechism by the Institute on the Catechism, under the Subcommittee on the Catechism, USCCB. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/ciy Please note: The Catechism of the Catholic Church contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.

Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz and you're listening to the Catechism in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's plan of pure goodness for us, revealed in scripture and passed down through the tradition of the Catholic faith. The Catechism in a Year is brought to you by Ascension. In 365 days, we'll read through the Catechism of the Catholic Church, discovering our identity in God's family as we journey together toward our heavenly home. This is day 109, we are reading paragraphs 172-780. We get to the end of this section today, which is great.

As always, I am using the Ascension edition of the Catechism, which includes the Foundations of Faith approach, but you can follow along with any recent version of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. You can also download your own Catechism in your reading plan by visiting ascensionpress.com slash C I Y. And lastly, you can click follow or subscribe in your podcast app for daily updates and daily notifications. Today is day 109 7 72 to paragraph 7 80. It's the end of this little mini section on the church. We actually continuing obviously for days and days about the mystery of the church. And that's, in fact, the focus of today. The church is the mystery of man's union with God.

And the fact that the church is the universal sacrament of salvation, those two pieces are incredible. And they're so essential. So we've been talking for the last couple days about how the church is part of God's plan. It is not accidental. It is not manmade, but it comes from the heart of the Father. In fact, Jesus Christ established this.

The Holy Spirit has been inspiring the church, but to what end? And that is revealed. Well, it's been revealed for a while, but we're talking about it once again today. In fact, you might even look at it like this. In paragraph 776, the last paragraph of the section before we get to the bullet points, the little nuggets,

it says this it says as A sacrament or as a sacrament the church is Christ's instrument and say what is that all about? Well, the church is Christ's instrument What's Christ's mission Christ mission is not only to forgive our sins right to save us to reconcile us to the Father to? Give that that that God's plan of divine life to come into contact with us, to bring us into communion with him. This is Christ's instrument to do that goes on to say she's taken up by him also as the instrument for the salvation of all the universal sacrament of salvation by which Christ is

and this is massive right here by which Christ is at once manifesting and actualizing the mystery of God's love for men. The Church is the visible plan of God's love for humanity. Again, we've talked about this many times. Our experience necessarily of the visible church on Earth, of the hierarchical church on Earth, of the earthly church on Earth, isn't always that. And yet that's the whole purpose, that's the reason why the church exists to accomplish Christ's plan of salvation to bring the love of God to the entire world this is this is exactly what we're

talking about that's one of the reasons why the church describes the church as the universal sacrament of salvation remember what a sacrament is a sacrament is an invisible sign that brings an invisible grace, right? An invisible sign that conveys invisible grace. The church itself is a visible sign. What does it do? It brings the very grace of Jesus Christ to this world. Every sacrament communicates the very life of God. Right? So if we were to say this, a sacrament is a sacred sign instituted by Christ that gives grace. Well, you just described the Catholic Church. A sacred sign instituted by Christ that gives grace. So Jesus

Christ instituted the church. What is the church's role? What's the whole point of the church? Is to bring that very grace that comes from God to the entire world. In fact, paragraph 775 says, the church's first purpose is to be the sacrament of the inner union of men with God. And that's just so, so important. So we're going to highlight that today and talk about the way in which the church is the universal sacrament of salvation. So let's say a prayer. Father in heaven, we give you praise and we thank you. We thank you for establishing your church. We thank you for all that you have done in revealing yourself to Abraham so many years

ago, to revealing yourself to the people of God through the voices of the prophets, finally revealing yourself to us fully in your son. We thank you, we praise you. We thank you that your son poured out his Holy Spirit upon the Apostles at Pentecost and the birthday of the church. We thank you that your work, your work in this world, which is the church, your work has reached our hearts right now. We give you praise and thanks. Please receive our thanks, receive our praise and keep us, keep us firmly rooted in your heart and rooted in your church. In Jesus name we pray, Amen. In the name of the Father, in of the Son, in of the Holy Spirit, Amen. And once again, it's day 109, we're reading paragraphs 772 to 780. The Church, Mystery of Man's Union with God.

It is in the Church that Christ fulfills and reveals His own mystery as the purpose of God's plan to unite all things in Him. St. Paul calls the nuptial union of Christ and the Church a great mystery. Because she is united to Christ as to a bridegroom, she becomes a mystery in her turn. Contemplating this mystery in her, Paul exclaims, Christ in you, the hope of glory. In the Church, this communion of men with God in the love that never ends is the purpose which governs everything in her that is a sacramental means tied to this passing world. The Church's structure is totally ordered to the holiness of Christ's members.

And holiness is measured according to the great mystery in which the bride responds with the gift of love to the gift of the bridegroom. Mary goes before us all in the holiness that is the Church's mystery as the bride without spot or wrinkle. This is why the Marian dimension of the Church precedes the Petrine. The Universal Sacrament of Salvation. The Greek word mysterion was translated into Latin by two terms, mysterium and sacramentum. In later usage, the term sacramentum emphasizes the visible sign of the hidden reality of salvation,

which was indicated by the term mysterium. In this sense, Christ Himself is the mystery of salvation, for there is no other mystery of God except Christ. The saving work of His holy and sanctifying humanity is the sacrament of salvation, which is revealed and active in the Church's sacraments, which the Eastern Churches also call the Holy Mysteries. The seven sacraments are the signs and instruments by which the Holy Spirit spreads the grace of Christ, the head, throughout the Church, which is His body. The Church then both contains and communicates the invisible grace She signifies.

It is in this analogical sense that the Church is called a sacrament. The Church, in Christ, is like a sacrament, a sign and instrument that is of communion with God and of unity among all men. The Church's first purpose is to be the sacrament of the inner union of men with God. Because men's communion with one another is rooted in that union with God, the Church is also the sacrament of the unity of the human race. In her, this unity is already begun since she gathers men from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and tongues. At the same time, the Church is the sign and instrument of the full realization of the unity yet to come. As sacrament, the

church is Christ's instrument. She is taken up by him also as the instrument for the salvation of all, the universal sacrament of salvation by which Christ is at once manifesting and actualizing the mystery of God's love for men. The church is the visible plan of God's love for humanity because God desires that the whole human race may become one people of God, form one body of Christ, and be built up into one temple of the Holy Spirit. In brief, the word Church means convocation. It designates the assembly of those whom God's Word convokes, that is, gathers together to form the people

of God and who themselves, nourished with the Body of Christ, become the Body of Christ. The Church is both the means and the goal of God's plan. Prefigured in creation, prepared for in the Old Covenant, founded by the words and actions of Jesus Christ, fulfilled by His redeeming Cross and his resurrection, the Church has been manifested as the mystery of salvation by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. She will be perfected in the glory of heaven as the assembly of all the redeemed of the earth.

The Church is both visible and spiritual, a hierarchical society and the mystical body of Christ. She is one, yet formed of two components, human and divine. That is her mystery, which only faith can accept. The church in this world is the sacrament of salvation, the sign and the instrument of the communion of God and men. Okay, so there we are, paragraphs 772 to 780. Okay, just a couple massive things. One,

we'll talk about the sacrament of salvation, the universal sacrament of salvation in one second, but let's highlight this paragraphs 772 and 773, the mystery of man's union with God, which is the Church. Now, this doesn't just come from the Church thinking about herself saying, we must be amazing. It actually comes from scripture. Obviously, St. Paul's letter to the Ephesians, when he talks about this great mystery, this nuptial union of Christ and the church. This is one of those pieces there where I have to realize, if I don't love the church,

I don't love with the heart of Jesus. Every Ephesians chapter five talks about this great mystery of Christ's love for the church, which what did he do? He loved her, gave himself up for her, cleansing her by his very sacrifice. So we recognize that Jesus is the bridegroom and the church has always been described as the bride. And I can say, well, I love the bridegroom, I don't really love the bride. I could say that, but I would be be falling short And so what we're called to is not just to acknowledge the the reality the goodness the holiness of the church But also in a real way if we're called to love and live with the heart of Jesus That means we have to love what he loves and he loves his bride at the church Goes on to say in paragraph 773 in the, this communion of men with God, right?

Because we're brought into this communion, we're brought into this covenant in the church, in the love that never ends, is the purpose which governs everything in her. The church is not a club, right? It's not a members only situation. The church is the communion of men with God. The church is the bride to the bridegroom.

Because of this, because of this, it says here in the middle of paragraph 773 The church's structure again. That's the thing that can get in our way, right? sometimes that we don't like the hierarchy the church's structure is totally ordered to the holiness of Christ's members and Holiness is measured according to the great mystery in which the bride Responds with the gift of love to the gift of the bridegroom This is again that's from John Paul the second again the church's structure the gift of love to the gift of the bridegroom. This is, again, that's from John Paul II. Again, the church's structure,

the whole reason the church exists is totally ordered to the holiness of the body, of the members of Christ, of Christians. The only reason the church exists is so God's love can get to us and so we can respond to God's love with love. Again, it says, holiness is measured according to the great mystery in which the bride responds with the gift of love to the gift of the bridegroom. Man,

that's just so important for us to understand this because again, I might get hung up a little bit when we're talking catechism stuff on, you know, the structure of the church, the hierarchy of the church. That's real. That exists. But at the heart of everything is this love that God has for us. And when we respond to him in love, that's holiness. That's why the last sentence of paragraph 773, the last two sentences are Mary. Okay, Mary goes before us all in the holiness that is the church's mystery, right? She is, she responds with love fully to the love that God poured into her heart. That's why the Marian dimension of the church precedes the Petrine, right? The Marian, Mary precedes Peter.

That to be able to receive God's love and give it back to him is vastly more important than the Petrine dimension of the church, or the papal, right? The Peter, the Pope. Mary is more important than Peter because Mary most clearly exhibits and demonstrates what it is to receive God's love

and respond with love. Again, Peter's necessary, but the Marian dimension of the church precedes the Petrine. Hopefully that's so important. Hopefully that's communicated. Now, the universal sacrament of salvation, we already talked about this, so I just want to highlight a couple things. In the middle of paragraph 774, again, the the mystery the mystery of Christ revealing himself the mystery of Christ bringing us into communion with Them it says in the middle of paragraph 7 74 there is no other mystery of God except for Christ Obviously, we know this goes on to say the saving work of his holy and sanctifying humanity is the sacrament of salvation So Jesus is paschal ministry, right which is revealed and active in the church's sacraments so every time you and I come into contact with baptism with confirmation with the Eucharist with reconciliation with the

Holy Anointing all these sacraments we're coming into contact with his mission we're coming in contact with the reality of his salvation is given to us in fact the sacraments are what communicate salvation to us and that's so radically important goes on to say the seven sacraments are what communicate salvation to us. And that's so radically important. Goes on to say, the seven sacraments, right? As I just mentioned a couple of them, the seven sacraments are the signs and instruments by which the Holy Spirit spreads the grace of Christ,

the head throughout the church, which is his body. And so important for us to understand that we don't just show up for the sacraments because it's like, well, that's what we're supposed to do. This is a nice sign. This is a nice kind of a symbol of our responding to God's love the sacraments of course are the signs yes they're signs but also the instruments by which the Holy Spirit

spreads the grace of Christ throughout the body and that is radically important also just last thing I want to highlight what I've already mentioned before but just it's worth reflecting on paragraph 776 as sacrament if the church is the sacrament universal sacrament of salvation as a sacrament the church is Christ's instrument this is what Jesus wants to do this is what he wants to use this is how he wants to come to us says here she is taken up by Jesus also as the instrument for the salvation of all, the universal sacrament of salvation by which Christ is at once manifesting and actualizing the mystery of God's love for men.

This is so important because again you and I we only see what we can see. We only see sometimes what is right in front of us. We see brokenness, we see humanity, we see the visible church, and yet we sometimes, because of that, miss out on recognizing that this is how God has communicated his love to the world. The last two sentences here, maybe even the last sentence of paragraph 776, the church is the visible plan of God's love for humanity. Man, that is so important. Remember, if I'm going to love like the bridegroom, like Jesus, I have to love what he loves. And he loves his church. He laid down his life for his church. So I need to love the church. But also, the church is the visible plan of God's love for humanity.

Because God desires that the whole human race may become one people of God from one body of Christ and be built up into one temple of the Holy Spirit. That's Pope Paul VI from 1973, but it is not a recent truth. This is an ancient, ancient truth. Remember what happened at the Tower of Babel. There was division and all humanity got scattered, divided by different languages and maybe into different nations and all these different peoples. At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit brought all these people who had been divided by language and by ethnicity, by region and by nation, brought all those people into one. That's what the church is meant to be.

One of the things the church is meant to be, which is to bring every person, every race, every nationality, every ethnicity, every language, every people into one body. That is the universal sacrament of salvation because God wants every person to know Him fully and to be in relationship not only with Him but also with each other and so that's what we need to pray for each other. Every time we pray for each other we are living in just one more way the reality of the

universal sacrament of salvation, the one body of Christ speaking of one body of Christ tomorrow I'm gonna be talking about some of those images of the church the church as the people of God the church as the body Of Christ and the church at the temple of the Holy Spirit talking about those tomorrow But right now I'm praying for you. Please pray for me. My name is father Mike. I cannot wait to see you tomorrow. God bless