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"I believe in the Holy Ghost, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints…"
- The Apostles' Creed (1)
Recently my friend and pastor died suddenly in a car accident. I took the news pretty hard--so hard it took me by surprise. I grieved more for his absence than some of my own relatives. But as someone aptly pointed out in his remembrance service, he was always “for” his congregation. I can think of numerous times he displayed his advocacy “for” me in my ministry, in my hard times, and beyond.
A comfort to me during this time of grieving and loss has been the widely professed belief in the communion of saints—“a fellowship between Christians living and dead” (2).
Affirmed in The Apostles' Creed, this tenet of faith suggests that fellowship amongst believers transcends time and space and that every Christian, living and dead, seen and unseen, is part of this mystical communion (3).
I’m consoled by this access to the presence of those who have passed on, especially since we are inextricably linked with our departed brothers and sisters through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
If you are grieving the loss of a loved one or perhaps simply want to pay homage to those who have departed this life, it may be meaningful for you to participate in these ways of engaging with the communion of saints.
A comfort to me during this time of grieving and loss has been the widely professed belief in the communion of saints—“a fellowship between Christians living and dead” (2).
Affirmed in The Apostles' Creed, this tenet of faith suggests that fellowship amongst believers transcends time and space and that every Christian, living and dead, seen and unseen, is part of this mystical communion (3).
I’m consoled by this access to the presence of those who have passed on, especially since we are inextricably linked with our departed brothers and sisters through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
If you are grieving the loss of a loved one or perhaps simply want to pay homage to those who have departed this life, it may be meaningful for you to participate in these ways of engaging with the communion of saints.
3 Ways to Engage with the Communion of Saints
wit1. Worship in Community
Inherent in the communion of saints is togetherness. Whether you go to a church service or host your own gathering in your home, you can worship with Christians across the world, with those seen and unseen. And beyond the act of praise and thanksgiving, you can be cheered on by the “great cloud of witnesses” (Heb 12:1, NIV) as you do life with other Christians, being united in love and building up each other’s “gifts and graces” (4).
2. Take Communion
“Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?” (1 Cor 10:16, NIV) When we participate in the sacrament of Holy Communion we not only commemorate Christ’s physical body broken for us, but also the body of Christ--the Church universal. When we eat and drink at Christ’s table, we do so with all those who make up Christ's Church: past, present, and future believers (5).
3. Pray
Pope Francis puts it best: “Prayer is always born again: each time we join our hands and open our hearts to God, we find ourselves in the company of anonymous saints and recognized saints who pray with us and who intercede for us as older brothers and sisters who have preceded us on this same human adventure” (6).
Inherent in the communion of saints is togetherness. Whether you go to a church service or host your own gathering in your home, you can worship with Christians across the world, with those seen and unseen. And beyond the act of praise and thanksgiving, you can be cheered on by the “great cloud of witnesses” (Heb 12:1, NIV) as you do life with other Christians, being united in love and building up each other’s “gifts and graces” (4).
2. Take Communion
“Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?” (1 Cor 10:16, NIV) When we participate in the sacrament of Holy Communion we not only commemorate Christ’s physical body broken for us, but also the body of Christ--the Church universal. When we eat and drink at Christ’s table, we do so with all those who make up Christ's Church: past, present, and future believers (5).
3. Pray
Pope Francis puts it best: “Prayer is always born again: each time we join our hands and open our hearts to God, we find ourselves in the company of anonymous saints and recognized saints who pray with us and who intercede for us as older brothers and sisters who have preceded us on this same human adventure” (6).
References
(1) "The Apostles Creed," BCP Online. https://www.bcponline.org/General/Apostles_Creed.html
(2) "Communion of Saints," Lexico powered by Oxford. https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/communion_of_saints
(3) Ask the UMC, "What does communion of saints mean?" United Methodist Church. https://www.umc.org/en/content/ask-the-umc-what-does-communion-of-saints-mean
(4) Westminster Confession of Faith, "Chapter 26: Of the communion of saints," Crown Covenant Church. http://crowncovenantchurch.org/confessions/WestminsterCOF.aspx?QuestionID=26&pageid=0&confession=true&q=Chapter+26+-+Of+the+Communion+of+the+Saints.; Casey Culbreth, "Cloud of Witnesses," Seedbed. https://www.seedbed.com/cloud-of-witnesses/
(5) Charles Erlandson, "What do we mean by the communion of saints?" Patheos. https://www.patheos.com/blogs/giveusthisday/mean-communion-saints/; Ask the UMC, "What does communion of saints mean?" United Methodist Church. https://www.umc.org/en/content/ask-the-umc-what-does-communion-of-saints-mean
(6) Pope Francis, "Read: Pope Francis explains prayer and the communion of saints," American Magazine. https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2021/04/07/pope-francis-explains-commmunion-saints-prayer-240398
(1) "The Apostles Creed," BCP Online. https://www.bcponline.org/General/Apostles_Creed.html
(2) "Communion of Saints," Lexico powered by Oxford. https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/communion_of_saints
(3) Ask the UMC, "What does communion of saints mean?" United Methodist Church. https://www.umc.org/en/content/ask-the-umc-what-does-communion-of-saints-mean
(4) Westminster Confession of Faith, "Chapter 26: Of the communion of saints," Crown Covenant Church. http://crowncovenantchurch.org/confessions/WestminsterCOF.aspx?QuestionID=26&pageid=0&confession=true&q=Chapter+26+-+Of+the+Communion+of+the+Saints.; Casey Culbreth, "Cloud of Witnesses," Seedbed. https://www.seedbed.com/cloud-of-witnesses/
(5) Charles Erlandson, "What do we mean by the communion of saints?" Patheos. https://www.patheos.com/blogs/giveusthisday/mean-communion-saints/; Ask the UMC, "What does communion of saints mean?" United Methodist Church. https://www.umc.org/en/content/ask-the-umc-what-does-communion-of-saints-mean
(6) Pope Francis, "Read: Pope Francis explains prayer and the communion of saints," American Magazine. https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2021/04/07/pope-francis-explains-commmunion-saints-prayer-240398