The Church: Pilgrim, Suffering, and Triumphant
The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church “Lumen Gentium” (Light of the Nations) Chapter VII highlights the Eschatological Nature of the Pilgrim Church, the Suffering Church, and the union with the Church in heaven (the Triumphant Church). These celebrations, celebrated in the church’s liturgical calendar in November, include All Saints’ feasts and the Commemoration of the Faithful Departed. Through them, we recognize the Mystical Body of Christ, celebrated by the living faithful on earth and the Saints in heaven.
What is our understanding of the Pilgrim, Suffering, and the Triumphant Church?
The understanding of the Pilgrim Church revolves around the Lumen Gentium, article 6: “The Church, while on earth, journeys in a foreign land away from the Lord. It seeks and experiences those things which are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God, where the life of the Church is hidden with Christ in God until it appears in glory with her Spouse.” In the recent Apostolic Exhortation “Evangelli Gaudium” of the Holy Father, Pope Francis reiterated that the Church is “first and foremost a people (pilgrims) proceeding on a journey towards God. We are the Church; we are the people of God journeying to find the meaning of life. In his words, Pope Francis asserts that when the Church stops its journey, it is no longer a pilgrim church.
The Church is therefore described as a pilgrim on earth. Like a traveler, the Church faces many dangers and persecutions but continues to spread the gospel to all parts of the world without tiring. The pilgrim Church is a living, church that is here and now, a historical church that seeks the things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
As a “Suffering Church”, the Church recognizes the communion of the whole Mystical Body of Christ and therefore offers prayers and suffrages for the faithful departed who are undergoing purification in purgatory. The Church celebrates the Paschal Mystery, confident that those who have become members of the crucified and risen Christ through Baptism will pass with Him to eternal life.
As a “Triumphant Church”, the Triumphant Church refers to the vision of the redeemed in heaven. That is, those who have finished their earthly pilgrimage, have been purified, and now enjoy the eternal presence of God. The Church celebrates the Solemnity of All Saints, honoring those who lived as adopted children of God and allowed His mercy to transform their lives, those who lived their grace as adopted children of God and who allowed the Father’s mercy to vivify every moment of their life, every fiber of their heart. They are our brothers and sisters that the church proposes to us as models because, sinners like each of us before, they have agreed to let themselves be encountered by Jesus, through their desires, their weaknesses, their sufferings, and even their sadness. Now, they are rejoicing in heaven while interceding for the Church on earth. This is why towards the concluding part of the Apostle’s Creed; we believe in the communion of Saints. That is, the spiritual union and solidarity that holds together the faithful on earth, the souls in Purgatory, and the Saints in heaven, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting.
Fr. Charles Onumaegbu
