Communion of Saints

What is the Communion of the Saints?

By the hidden and kindly mystery of God's will a supernatural solidarity reigns among men. A consequence of this is that the sin of one person harms other people just as one person's holiness helps others. In this way Christian believers help each other to reach their supernatural destiny.

We can see evidence of this solidarity in the fact that Adam's sin is passed on through propagation to all men. But the greatest and most perfect source, foundation and example of this supernatural solidarity is Christ Himself. God has called us to communion with Him.

Indeed, Christ "committed no sin", "suffered for us", "was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities ... and with His stripes we are healed".
Following in Christ's steps, those who believe in Him have always tried to help one another along the path which leads to the heavenly Father, through prayer, the exchange of spiritual goods and penitential expiation.

The more they have been immersed in the fervour of love, the more they have imitated Christ in His sufferings. They have carried their crosses to make expiation for their own sins and the sins of others. They were convinced that they could help their brothers to obtain salvation from God who is the Father of mercies.

This is the very ancient dogma called the Communion of Saints. It means that the life of each individual son of God is joined in Christ and through Christ by a wonderful link to the life of all His other Christian brethren.

Together they form the supernatural unity of Christ's Mystical Body so that, as it were, a single mystical person is formed. Consequence of the doctrine of the Mystical Body "All who belong to Christ and are in possession of His Spirit, combine to make one Church with a cohesion that depends on Him (cf. Eph. 4:16).

The union of the living with their brethren who have fallen asleep in Christ, is not broken; the Church has rather believed through the ages that it gains strength from the sharing of spiritual benefits. The great intimacy of the union of those in heaven with Christ, gives extra steadiness in holiness to the whole Church ... and makes a manifold contribution to the extension of her building (cf. 1 Cor. 12:12-27). Now that they are welcomed in their own country and at home with the Lord (cf 2 Cor. 5:8), through Him, with Him and in Him they intercede unremittingly with the Father on our behalf, offering the merit they acquired on earth through Christ Jesus, the one and only mediator between God and man (cf. 1 Tim. 2:5), when they were at God's service in all things, and in their flesh were completing what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of His Body, the Church (cf. Col. 1:24).

Their brotherly care is the greatest help to our weakness. For these reasons a perennial link of charity exists between the faithful who have already reached their heavenly home, those who are expiating their sins in purgatory and those who are still pilgrims on earth.

Between them there is, too, an abundant exchange of all the goods by which divine justice is placated as expiation is made for all the sins of the whole of the Mystical Body.

This is how God's mercy is led to forgiveness and it becomes possible for sinners who have repented sincerely, to share, as soon as they are capable of it, in the full enjoyment of the benefits of God's family.