Back to Basics: Communion of Saints

It isn't just talking about saints in heaven but the entire Church.

... The term communion of saints is rich in meaning. It refers to the fellowship or community that exists between all the members of the Church. Three levels are traditionally identified.

• The Church Triumphant: Saints in heaven
• The Church Militant: Believers on earth
• The Church Suffering: Souls in purgatory

Catholicism believes that death can't sever the ties that bind the members of the Church, because the soul is immortal and only the body can die. So Catholics believe that the ties and connections that link them together in life continue in death. The beloved dead are still connected to the living and still love the living as much as they love the dead. Even though the body is dead, the immortal soul is very much still alive and in existence.

Saints in heaven: The Catholic Church believes that the saints are ordinary and typical human beings -- with faults and failures, talents and gifts, vices and virtues -- who made it into heaven not by being perfect but by persevering.

Believers on earth: The third tier of the communion of saints is the Church Militant, the believers on earth... The term militant refers to a spiritual warfare against sin and the devil. Catholics believe that their fellow man is their ally, not their enemy. The devil and sin are the real enemies... The spiritual battle is for souls -- to rescue them from sin and evil.

Souls in purgatory: Purgatory is an often-misunderstood Catholic doctrine. It isn't considered a spiritual jail or hell with parole. And Catholicism doesn't teach that everyone goes tot purgatory. On the contrary, the Church believes that many people are purified or purged, hence the term purgatory, in this life. For example, the Church believes that many innocent persons who suffer from disease, poverty, or persecution are living their purgatory now, and when they die, they probably go straight to heaven. The same goes for people who live an exceptionally good and holy life -- no need for purgatory. But the Church believes that most everyone else, although not bad enough to go to hell, aren't good enough to skate into heaven with no need for some introspection and purification... Known as the Church Suffering the souls in purgatory are definitely and absolutely going to heaven, not just yet...

According to the Church, purgatory is like a suburb of heaven. It's close enough to hear the laughter and singing, smell the sweetness in the air, and feel the warmth nearby, but far enough away to remind everyone that they haven't yet arrived.

Or, as some people would like to think of it, it's like being stuck in traffic on the day before Thanksgiving. You know for certain that you're on your way home, but you just don't know when.

Catholicism For Dummies by John Trigilio

This is too brief a discussion of a teaching like Purgatory. For a little more reading, here is a post I put together a while back.

Tags: Catholicism, Christianity