During his General Audience, Pope Leo XIV reflects on the eschatological dimension of the Church as presented in ‘Lumen gentium,’ and in this context, reiterates that Jesus has given the Church the mission of leading the faithful toward salvation, and that accordingly the Church has been ‘invested with the mission of speaking clearly to reject everything that mortifies life and prevents its development’ and to ‘denounce evil in all its forms.’
By Deborah Castellano Lubov
“The Church is the pilgrim people of God on earth who, drawing precisely on the final promise, reads and interprets the dynamics of history through the Gospel, denouncing evil in all its forms and proclaiming, in word and deed, the salvation that Christ wishes to bring about for all humanity and His Kingdom…”
Pope Leo XIV stressed this at his weekly General Audience on Wednesday morning in the Vatican as he continued to reflect on the Second Vatican Council’s Constitution on the Church Lumen gentium, reflecting this week on the eschatological dimension discussed in Chapter VII.
The Holy Father reminded the faithful that the Church journeys through earthly history always looking towards Her final destination, which is the heavenly homeland, yet lamented that we often overlook or downplay this essential dimension.
He said this tends to happen “because we are too focused on what is immediately visible and on the more concrete dynamics of the life of the Christian community.”
The Kingdom of God, he underscored, is the purpose of all Her action.
“The Church,” he said, “does not proclaim herself; on the contrary, everything within Her must point to salvation in Christ.”
Speaking clearly to reject everything that mortifies life
“As the guardian of a hope that enlightens the path,” Pope Leo recalled, “the Church is also invested with the mission of speaking clearly to reject everything that mortifies life and prevents its development, and to take a position in favour of the poor, the exploited, the victims of violence and war, and all those who suffer in body and in spirit.”
“From this perspective,” Pope Leo stressed, “the Church is called to recognize humbly the human fragility and transience of Her own institutions which, despite being at the service of the Kingdom of God, bear the fleeting image of this world.”
“No ecclesial institution,” the Pope said, “can be treated as absolute; indeed, since they exist within history and time, they are called to continual conversion, to the renewal of forms and the reform of structures, to the continual regeneration of relationships, so that they may truly fulfil their mission.”
Jesus proclaimed the Kingdom
“Jesus initiated the Church precisely by proclaiming this Kingdom of love, justice and peace,” and therefore, the Pope said, “We are therefore called to consider the community and cosmic dimension of salvation in Christ and to turn our eyes to this final horizon, to measure and evaluate everything from this perspective.”
Since the Church lives in history in the service of the coming of the Kingdom of God in the world, Pope Leo explained that accordingly, “She proclaims the words of this promise to all and always,” “receives a pledge of it in the celebration of the Sacraments, particularly the Eucharist,” and “puts its logic into practice.”
Furthermore, he added that the Church knows She is “the place and the means where union with Christ is realized ‘more closely,’ whilst at the same time recognizing that salvation can be bestowed by God in the Holy Spirit even beyond Her visible boundaries.”
The fullness of life and peace promoted by God
In this regard, the Pope said, Lumen gentium makes an important statement, namely, “the Church is the ‘universal sacrament of salvation,’ that is, the sign and instrument of that fullness of life and peace promoted by God.”
This means, Pope Leo explained, that She “does not identify perfectly with the Kingdom of God, but is its seed and beginning,” for its fulfilment will be granted to humanity and the cosmos only at the end.
“Believers in Christ, therefore,” the Pope encouraged, “walk through this earthly history, marked by the maturation of good but also by injustices and sufferings, without being either deluded or despairing; they live guided by the promise received from the One who will ‘make all things new.’”
In this context, the Pope emphasized that the Church realizes her mission between the “already” of the beginning of the Kingdom of God in Jesus, and the “not yet” of the promised and anticipated fulfilment.
‘All Christians form a single Church’
Pope Leo also urged the faithful to understand the relationship between the Christians who are carrying out their mission today, and those who have already completed their earthly existence and are in a state of purification or beatitude.
“Lumen gentium, in fact,” the Holy Father reiterated, “affirms that all Christians form a single Church, that there is communion and sharing of spiritual goods founded on the union with Christ of all believers, a fraterna sollicitudo between the earthly Church and the heavenly Church: that communion of saints that is experienced in particular in the liturgy.”
“By praying for the departed and following in the footsteps of those who have already lived as disciples of Jesus, we too,” the Pope reminded, “are sustained on our journey and strengthen our worship of God: marked by the one Spirit and united in the one liturgy, together with those who have gone before us in faith, we praise and give glory to the Most Holy Trinity.”
Pope Leo concluded by saying “Let us be grateful to the Council Fathers for reminding us of this most important and beautiful aspect of being Christian, and may we strive to cultivate it in our lives.”
