|
|
|
|
961
The
term ‘communion of saints’ refers also to the communion of ‘holy persons’ (‘sancti’) in Christ who ‘died for all’, so that what each one does or suffers in and for Christ bearsfruitfor all.
962
‘We believe in the communion of all thefaithful of Christ, those who are pilgrims on earth, the dead who are being pur~fied, and the blessed in heaven, all together forming one Church; and we believe that in this communion, the
merciful love of God and his saints is always [attentive] to our prayers’ (Paul
VI, CPG
§
30).
Paragraph 6. Mary
—
Mother of Christ, Mother of the Church
963 Since the Virgin Mary’s role in the mystery of Christ and the Spirit has been treated, it is fitting now to consider her place in the
deemer.
. .
She is “clearly the mother of the members of Christ”... since she has by her charity joined in bringing about the birth of believers in the Church, who are members of its head.’50° ‘Mary, Mother of Christ, Mother of the Church.’50’
Wholly united with her Son...
964 Mary’s role in the Church is inseparable from her union with
Christ and flows directly from
it. ‘This union of the mother with
the Son in the work of salvation is made manifest from the time of Christ’s virginal conception up to his death’;502 it is made manifest above all at the hour of his Passion:
Thus the Blessed
Virgin advanced in her pilgrimage of faith, and faith-
534
fully persevered
in
her
union with her Son unto the cross, There she
stood,
in
keeping with the divine plan, enduring with her only begotten
6i8
Son the intensity
of
his suffering, joining herself with his
sacrifice
in her
mother’s heart, and lovingly consenting to the immolation of this victim, born of her: to be given, by the same ChristJesus dying on the cross, as a mother to his disciple, with these words: ‘Woman, behold your
son.
‘
503
965
After her
Son’s
Ascension,
Mary ‘aided the
beginnings of
the
Church by her prayers.’504 In her association
with the apostles and several women, ‘we also see Mary by her prayers imploring the
|
|
|
|
|