Book Chapter: A Theology of Communion for the Contemporary Catholic ParishIntroduction

The study of ecclesiology is the study of how the Christian church, the ever-expanding body of believers, has evolved over time to respond to new political and social realities. Ecclesiology also takes into account the way organizational structures, hierarchies, and roles within the church have changed and reflect the nuances of a cultural milieu or historical epoch. In addition to all that, the study of ecclesiology also comprises the church’s relationship with surrounding community organizations. How the church forms strategic alliances with secular political, social, and economic institutions is also part of the complex array of issues that impact ecclesiology. Although some aspects of the church must remain stable over time to reflect scripture, church polity and organization remains one of the most dynamic aspects of Christianity and the role it plays in the world.

As MacDougall (2015) puts it, “at its best, ecclesiology is the theological articulation of an imagination of what it is to be a church,” (p. 1). Ecclesiology should answer some of the most important questions facing Christians today. Ecclesiology answers key questions like, what does it mean to be Christian community? What joins Christians together, what keeps Christians together? Ecclesiology also recognizes that the church is not socially constructed; it is theologically grounded. To fulfill its salvific mission, the church adapts to meet the needs of the people it most needs to reach. Adaptation does not mean sacrificing core traditions, principles, or institutions like the sacraments. On the contrary, adaptation entails making the sacraments and other sacred institutions more accessible to the contemporary community.

Communion is of course among the most visible and important sacraments that binds together members of the Church, while also fulfilling Christ’s mission. As the Church has grown and shifted its focus from traditionally centers in Europe to its redemptive global mission, a “communion ecclesiology” has emerged (MacDougall, 2015, p. 2). Globalization and the ecumenical movement have been the main contextual variables that have encouraged the flowering of communion ecclesiology. The reason why communion ecclesiology has come “to the fore” in the contemporary world is that it “connects with the ecumenical desire to identify common ecclesiological ground among the manifold expressions of church in a manner that affirms and maintains their essential unity-in-plurality,” (MacDougall, 2015, p. 2). Following from the ecumenical principles guiding prevailing communion ecclesiology, communion theology has become astonishingly diverse and sometimes even contentious. The goal of this chapter is to present a way forward for future pastors.

Ecumenicalism and Globalization

The church fulfills its functions within the world, as a mundane, concrete body of actual physical structures and socio-economic and political institutions. However, the church also operates “beyond the world,” (Riches, 2016, p. 287). In other words, the church has a divine, spiritual presence that supersedes its visible and merely pragmatic place in the world. The Vatican frames the dual nature of the Church is as mystery versus historical subject, “for at all levels of her action the Church effectively brings both of these characteristics into play, and that in such a way that one cannot separate the one from the other,” (International Theological Commission, 1984, p. 1). The two levels, functions, or domains of the church reinforce each others: with the historical and worldly reinforcing the spiritual and mystical domains and vice-versa. Ultimately, the concrete spiritual presence of the Church is transmitted through communion. Communion therefore acts as the node through which all churches, even when they are dogmatically divided or geographically or culturally discreet, unite in the sacred heart of Christ.

Ecumenicalism is not a new concept in ecclesiology, and nor is globalization a new phenomenon. Particularly within Church history, globalization has facilitated the spread of Christ’s message throughout the world. Globalization has been hard on the church, to be sure, creating innumerable ecclesiastic crises, but has also challenged the church to respond to changing conditions and people. The church has risen to these challenges to bring about God’s will through the dissemination of the gospel. Ecumenicalism as a formal movement did not emerge until relatively recently, but the principle of unity in diversity has been critical to promoting the mutually shared objective of fulfilling Christ’s mission. A theology of communion...

Such a worldview is grounded in scripture and revived continually by the mysterious functions of Holy Communion.
Even for the parish priest or pastor who feels disconnected from the grander ecclesiastical body, or even one that does not ascribe to ecumenical beliefs, knows the importance of recognizing the need for unity amid diversity. “The communitarian dimension is essential to the Church, if faith, hope, and charity are to be exercised and communicated within her,” (International Theological Commission, 1984, p. 1). Communion is the most cogent way of manifesting God’s promise on earth through the presence of the Church. As symbol it cuts across barriers of language, culture, and time. As act, it achieves the universal objective allowing divine grace to descend upon all. The utmost symbol of unity and union, communion connects the mystical “beyond the world” function of the Church and the mundane daily operations of a parish in meaningful ways.

The guiding principle of ecumenicalism as it relates to communion is extra Ecclesiam nulla salus, there is no salvation outside the church. Early church fathers like St. Cyprian and St. Augustine recognized this truth, as well as the essential fact and power in Church unity (“St Cyprian,” n.d.). The Church is universal, divided only superficially. It is “the depository of divine grace distributed through the sacraments which are exertions of Divine energy,” (“History of Ecclesiology,” n.d., p. 1). Communion is the glue that bonds together all cells in the body of Christ, allowing the Holy Spirit to flow forth into the world.

The Mystical Nature of Communion

Communion fulfills the eschatological promise of God: “during Eucharist, communion with divine Being is made available and enters creation as a transformative power in the world, guiding it into ever-deeper communion,” (Riches, 2016, p. 286). Because it takes place in the parish church, communion shows that salvation does not take place outside of the church. By definition, communion is a connection, a relationship. This relationship occurs within God’s house or oikos, the ecumenical body. Communion is also an act that bridges space and time. It takes place in a specific moment in time and a particular place, but it is always available now on the spiritual and practical level. As MacDougall (2015) points out, communion is “realizable now,” immediately, “as a gift that the Holy Spirit offers to, and in through churches,” (p. 5). Rather than envisioning communion as a singular and transitory practice connecting each individual with each ecclesiastical organization, the way forward is to conceptualize communion as a great unifying force linking together all souls in the body of Christ.

The church is a collective, a “spiritual communion of believers” (“History of Ecclesiology,” n.d., p. 1). Just as the individual cells or organs of a body function independently to do their work of keeping the organism alive and healthy, so too are the individual churches members of a grander spiritual body animated by the Holy Spirit. Communion allows the Holy Spirit to take root in the minds and hearts of individuals, who can then experience Christ’s redemptive power, moving in the world to deliver the Good News to the world.

Communion Ecclesiology and Lumen Gentium

Communion ecclesiology seems to be a relatively new construct, but when considered in light of both the Second Vatican Council’s Lumen Gentium and the foundational concept of extra Ecclesiam nulla salus it is grounded in church history and theology. Being a persistent potential of the ecclesiology of the church, communion ecclesiology became a hot topic in the twentieth century, particularly as Vatican II took root. Lumen Gentium first outlined the core of communion ecclesiology, framing it as the mystical truth of the church itself: “the Church is in Christ like a sacrament or as a sign and instrument both of a very closely knit union with God and of the unity of the whole human race,” (His Holiness Pope Paul VI, 1984, Section 1). His Holiness presented communion ecclesiology in the first section of Lumen Gentium to showcase its importance for the present and future of the Christian community. Moreover, the Lumen Gentium ties in with the dual function of church as divine/mystical and mundane/practical.

The principle of communion ecclesiology also portrays the role of the church as a communion between believers, as well as between God and believers (Lennan, 2007). This has also been framed as a vertical plus horizontal communion: the vertical communion being…