By Keith Chan
Why we need the Church can be condensed into 3 primary reasons. For it is in the Church, the collective gathering of Christ’s faithful as the body of Christ, that the Christian finds communion with Jesus Christ, teaching authority, and grace through liturgy and sacraments.
The Church is where one would find the authority Christ gave to teach and preach to the faithful. The Church’s authority comes from being founded by Christ on the foundation of the apostles, witnesses chosen and sent by Christ himself (CCC857). Jesus himself calls his apostles (Matt 10:1-40), and commissions his disciples for mission (Matt 28:16-20), and the apostles were given authority to carry on the teachings of the faith (Acts 2:42). The Church was and remains “built on the foundation of the Apostles” (Eph 2:20). These apostolic roots of the Church can be traced back from our current Pope, all the way to St Peter! The authority given to the Church was infallible, the authority of Christ himself, and through this we can be confident in trusting the teachings, interpretations of scripture and moral decisions that the Church makes. Due to this, one needs the Church to be the authority to live life how Jesus would want one to.
The Church is also the Body of Christ, where one enters into communion with Jesus (CCC787). This is a form of intimacy with Jesus, for “us to abide in him and him in us” (Jn 6:56). The Church as the body of Christ, with Christ as the head, means that each member of the Church becomes united with Jesus, and shares in his sonship with God the Father. We no longer remain individuals but become a part of this mystical body of Christ that Jesus calls us to. Wow, sounds so cheem! Let’s break it down shall we? The comparison of the Church as a body and Christ as the head not only reflects the close intimacy of Christ and his Church but also how the reign of Christ extends to all on earth through his Church (CCC789). That he is not departed from us, nor do we gather around him at a distance, he is united with us, the Church is one with Christ (CCC795). It also reflects how each member is connected to each other through Jesus, so much so that “If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part is honored, all the parts share its joy” (1 Cor 12:26). For these reasons, it becomes clear that the Church is one with Christ, and to love Christ totally we must also love his Church.
Lastly, the Church is where one receives the Holy Spirit through the sacraments (CCC739). Christ nourishes, heals, and sustains us through the sacraments, tangible signs of grace dispensated through rituals in the Church, that help us to be better disciples for him. Of course, it is Christ himself that instituted these sacraments, but it is to the Church herself that these gifts from God have been entrusted (CCC797). St Augustine beautifully likens the soul of the human body, to the Holy Spirit in the Body of Christ which is the Church, that the Holy Spirit flows throughout each part of the connected body and is connected to the body. Not only does the Holy Spirit nourish us through the sacraments however, with the Holy Spirit in the Church also comes various virtues, to help us choose good over evil, and charisms, special gifts and graces that help us build the Church. The sacraments, virtues, and charisms, are essential to healthy discipleship and ultimately fullness of life in Christ.
