Lumen Gentium: Chapter 2 Commentary

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Study Guide Questions for Chapter 2

1. Explain the connection between the Church of Christ and the nation of Israel, both called the People of God.

2. Describe the ministerial (ordained) priesthood.

3. Describe the common priesthood of the faithful.

4. Explain how each sacrament is a participation in the common priesthood of the faithful (article 11).

5. How do the People of God share in Christ's prophetic office?

6. Describe all of the conditions necessary for the People of God to be inerrant in matters of belief.

7. What is the proper understanding of and attitude toward the special graces the Holy Spirit gives to various members of the Church?

8. Does the unity found in the Catholic Church mean that individuals from various cultures, social and economic classes, and customs must give up their uniqueness? Explain.

9. Is everyone within the People of God equal in "rank"? Explain.

10. The Church is necessary for salvation, yet not every person made a member of the Church through baptism will be saved. Explain.

11. Explain the relationship between non-Catholic Christians and the Church.

12. Explain the relationship between non-Christians and the Church.

13. Describe the Church's missionary activity as she carries out the mandate of Christ to make disciples of all nations.

Commentary on Chapter 2: People of God

"The Church is the People of God" is perhaps the most trumpeted claim made by the Second Ecumenical Vatican Council. What does this statement mean? I grew up thinking that Vatican II was reminding us that the Church is made up of the people. This is an important consideration to keep in mind, too. It is easy for us to separate ourselves from the Church, creating a mentality of "us" versus "them," especially when it comes to matters of Church authority and when it comes to moral teachings. We too easily fall into attitudes such as "the Church asks too much of us," or, "how dare the Church tell us what to do with our lives!" Therefore, my childhood understanding of the message contained in this chapter of Lumen Gentium is important. Nonetheless, if we stop here, we will miss the great treasures this chapter has to offer.

A full understanding of the phrase "People of God" takes us back to the Old Testament history of the Israelites. God called the Israelites His own people, and slowly transformed them and purified them so that they could have an increasingly intimate relationship with Him. Theologian Scott Hahn (www.scotthahn.com) lays out salvation history in a way that shows God's loving plan of salvation very clearly. God created the first covenant relationship with Adam and Eve, a relationship of family love in which Adam and Eve reflected the perfect love of the Holy Trinity and would eventually participate in that love. God's plan to draw all of humanity into a loving relationship did not change after Original Sin, although Sin made it harder for human beings to respond to Him. God continued building His covenant by bonding Himself with Noah and his family. With Abraham, God creates a covenant with an entire tribe, expanding His grace and love. This tribe grew into a nation and was led to the central covenant of the Old Testament under the leadership of Moses. God gave the People of God the Divine Law, to teach them how to love and to transform them into a nation of priests. This nation embraced peoples of many nations as it expanded into a holy kingdom under King David and King Solomon. Finally, the promise of the covenant with Abraham that the entire world would be blessed through Abraham, and the promise to David that his kingdom would never end, were fulfilled in Jesus Christ. He fulfilled salvation history and opened the covenant to the entire world through the institution of the Church.

God does not save us and make us holy merely as individuals. Catholics do believe in having a personal relationship with God. You don't get more personal and intimate than taking Him inside of you through the Eucharist. This personal relationship should be expressed in our personal devotional lives through prayer and acts of charity dedicated to Christ. However, Catholics do not believe in accepting Christ as our "personal Lord and Savior." A relationship with God is not a matter of "just me 'n' Jesus." Salvation history is the story of preparation of a people dedicated to God in a covenantal relationship. So, not only is faith an intimate relationship with God, it is also an intimate relationship with our fellow human beings. Recall Christ's words: "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments" (Matthew 22:35-37, emphasis added). These two loves are inseparable.

The sanctification of Israel as the People of God was a preparation for the new and perfect covenant ratified by Christ with His Church. The Church lives out the perfection of the covenant bond with God, though it still does so in an imperfect world and with fallen human beings. The Church as the People of God has the fullness of revelation through the Word of God, the person of Christ. Revelation is transmitted to us through Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition, both guided by the Holy Spirit. Israel was born of perishable seed; the church was born of imperishable seed. The Church has Christ as its head, and so enjoys unsurpassable dignity and freedom as God's favored. Its law is the Commandment of Love, giving us great freedom as we imitate Christ and conform our lives to His. The Church has the very life of God within it. The Church is supernaturally united perfectly to God through Christ by becoming His Body in the Eucharist. Israel was one according to the flesh through family bonds. The Church is one in the Spirit, enjoying a unity that is more pure, universal and imperishable. Although the New Covenant does not include all men, since many choose not to be part of it, it is "a lasting and sure seed of unity, hope, and salvation for the whole human race." The fact that the covenant does not yet include all of humanity shows the evangelical nature of the Church. We are called to bring the Gospel into the world and to bring others into the covenant. The Church is therefore the instrument of redemption for all.

As members of the Church of Christ, we all participate in the three-fold mission of Christ. The three parts of the Mission of Christ are to act as priest, prophet, and king. To act as priest means to offer sacrifice to God and to be the mediator of grace to the world. We are called to make our lives a sacrifice of praise, living lives that give glory to God by revealing His grace and love to others. We also participate in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, making ourselves a living sacrifice so that through the Eucharist we may join with Christ as He sacrifices Himself to the Father in His act of perfect love. We act as priest when we live lives of faith, hope, and charity, when we offer our lives to God in prayer, when give offer thanks to God for His goodness, when we live the witness of a holy life, and when we receive God's grace in the sacraments. To act as prophet means to spread the Gospel, the Word of God, and to teach people about the faith. The same witness to holiness that acts as a sacrifice of praise within the priestly mission also witnesses to the world in fulfillment of Christ's prophetic mission. The prophetic mission is also fulfilled when we consciously share Christ with others, bringing them to faith by telling them the good news of salvation. To act as king means to serve others, to act in charity to love others as Christ loves us. Christians need to go above and beyond simple duty and live lives of self-sacrifice in the service of others. To love is to desire what is good for other people. Christ desired what was good for us so much that He was willing to give everything to attain it for us. We are to follow in His footsteps, sacrificing our time, talents, and treasures for the sake of others. In these ways, living out the mission of priest, prophet, and king, we carry out the mission of the Church and truly become the People of God, participants in His divine life.

This mission is carried out in different ways by different people. "Unity in diversity" is the key phrase to apply to the People of God. Our diversity reflects God's greatness. Our unity reflects His perfect simplicity. The Holy Spirit distributes various gifts to individual members of the Body in order to equip us to perform our unique tasks. While it does happen that some members receive extraordinary gifts of healing or prophecy, Lumen Gentium offers an important warning. Extraordinary gifts and fruits are not to be expected. God will give you the gifts that He wants you to use for the role He wants you to play within the Kingdom. Each of us has a unique vocation, a special role to play, and we each receive the gifts from the Spirit that we need to fulfill it. Our role is to discern what our unique vocation is, and to try our best to fulfill it every day.

The wondrous variety within the People of God is also expressed in the hierarchy of the Church. The Holy Spirit calls each of us to live out our unique vocations within a specific state of life. Many of us have been called to the married live, to spread the love of God through the formation of a family. Others are called to spread the love of God to the entire Kingdom by dedicating themselves to lives of celibacy. The Holy Spirit calls some of these to serve the Church as priests and bishops. The ordained priesthood is different from the priesthood of all believers. They do not just life out the priesthood that we all share to a greater degree. Theirs is a unique role. They hold the sacred power to teach and rule as shepherds of the flock. They make the Eucharistic sacrifice present, acting in Christ's place as the giver of the Gift. The people receive this Gift from Christ through the priest and offer it back to God in reciprocation by taking the Gift of love to the world. The ordained priesthood and the universal priesthood are unique roles, but each is necessary and each is called to holiness. Priests and bishops should identify the gifts given to members of their flocks and help people discern how to use their gifts to best serve the Church.