Day 130: The Communion of Saints

"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." CCC 947

The Catechism covers the Communion of Saints in today's reading. This is more than that "great cloud of witnesses" St. Paul writes about; it also includes believers alive right now on earth within the Church. Both can, in their own way, work to "let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us" (Heb 12:1).

The Catechism Compendium summarizes what the Church means by the term "communion of saints" as follows:

This expression indicates first of all the common sharing of all the members of the Church in holy things (sancta): the faith, the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, the charisms, and the other spiritual gifts. At the root of this communion is love which “does not seek its own interests” (1 Corinthians 13:5) but leads the faithful to “hold everything in common” (Acts 4:32), even to put one’s own material goods at the service of the most poor. (#194)

This communion connects us here on earth with the saints who have reached glory with God, united together in the Body of Christ. It is one of the signs that we are not alone in our faith, but it is supposed to be shared with others. I like how the Catechism Companion, Vol II elaborates on this "solidarity and interconnectedness" through the Communion of Saints:

Even the smallest thing we do out of love benefits the entire communion of saints. Each sin hurts all the faithful...The communion of saints is nourished by unity in Faith, care for each other, the Eucharist, and prayer. The sacraments unite the faithful with one another and with Christ. (p. 24)