Monday, June 1, 2015

Reflection - Communion of saints

Source (book): "Faithful to the end", Question 4, Page 41.
By Robert M. Solomon, Bishop of the Methodist Church in Singapore from 2000 - 2012


The Communion of Saints
PHOTO: The Communion of Saints
Paul, Peter, Charles Lwanga, Maria Goretti, Agatha
Tapestry One, South Wall (detail)
The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels
All images Our Lady of the Angels Cathedral Copyright 2000 by Archdiocese of Los Angeles
All images Communion of Saints Tapestries ©John Nava. All Rights Reserved.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzt523qqbkfrpiptqq0qjz77zGUn2y1OdTs7pyS0Ilk5pr27IVrypCEq5K0gB0lHmGIpvK-zL7uUIqNAm-7N3J8rmQi_vmXtaGdT4Qa9M1JNfLaR2wBGSgbThooVtjc09tQIyVJJ-9TVM/s1600/saints2-1.jpg
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHEsDrUpodKTLcaflgihhfFC3AHNQ9q1MAWE4oo_nJbNB4u-M_rNASwzeOzZo4mSS_vhANYQ_WD0zYryt045VjI59_SRbBI2fiJgaIkp6Mu3Ph8aw1rFKUoEA0abd6GwV-8GlwnGBS99nW/s1600-h/saints2.jpg
http://whispersintheloggia.blogspot.sg/2009/10/saints-and-souls.html


Why is the "communion of saints" an important part of the Apostles' Creed? How do you understand the phrase and how does it influence your worship and your walk with the Lord?

How Creeds Came About in Church History [1]
Creeds were written since the early church to encapsulate the Christian faith. They usually arose out of a need to correct false teaching, and to ground believers in what are the most important elements of faith.

They are wholly biblical, and some details are added along the way to exclude erroneous beliefs that had cropped up. The Creeds written before the Reformation in the 16th century are shorter and more basic, such as the Apostles' Creed reproduced below (not written by the Apostles). The Creeds and Confessions written after the Reformation include doctrinal stands of the church. [1]


Creeds were written since the early church to encapsulate the Christian faith.

PHOTO: Creeds were written since the early church to encapsulate the Christian faith. They usually arose out of a need to correct false teaching, and to ground believers in what are the most important elements of faith. They are wholly biblical, and some details are added along the way to exclude erroneous beliefs that had cropped up.
Posted by Ehud Would on 13 May 2015
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBBc8OTIjseLlHqSUvnzDPD2QyuEpABE0rABSm84qwXdr5fS8d0hKzg0m9KpQyfegzoMx6g0m9dE_B5P6rCm6zL62IV-kj3fAhuA5DGQzcISnRzrgQrQendChyphenhyphenE9AkVQRkWYqHkIxnylc/s1600/2.-The-Apostles-Creed.jpg
http://faithandheritage.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/2.-The-Apostles-Creed.jpg
http://faithandheritage.com/2015/05/a-kinist-commentary-on-the-apostles-creed-part-2/


The Apostles' Creed [1]
"I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he decended into hell (Hades); the third day he rose again from the dead, he ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; the Holy Catholic Church; the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen." [1]


The Apostles Creed

PHOTO: The Apostles Creed 
Posted by Marilynn Hughes, The Out-of-Body Travel Foundation!, http://outofbodytravel.org, Common Catholic Prayers
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguRcPFlzFWo9p93doGyEZdTDs3Y8MOmOCxhTtq_P3U1mxajI-RdkBzuoJIEGr9jMKW56kFFbwAH6bk_IvRsKbYMtfBmgJBUuGNnoKFSmFYABOjGTo9KB5fceEPVCQ2LZEqUD8pE5grYpI/s1600/37893fc3-d96a-401b-b412-8e993efcb4de.jpg
https://static.suite.io/article_images/orig/37893fc3-d96a-401b-b412-8e993efcb4de.jpg
https://suite.io/marilynn-hughes/16y428q


Why is the "communion of saints" an important part of the Apostles' Creed?
Meaning of "Communion of Saints" [3]
The word communion means “an act or instance of sharing.” When the Apostles’ Creed speaks of the “communion of the saints,” it is not just specifically referring to the Lord's Supper/Holy Communion in which believers come together to remember Jesus’ sacrifice through the bread and the wine. The communion of the saints is much deeper than this important ordinance.


I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.

PHOTO: I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.
Picture from Damsel of the Faith
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3bmPk3DV7TgJFz1ryyHul69aYBa_1W1lkknKOy3xDb3wjaWFfjJ2-3Okgy0iPspyVOpK1BfPuqzyYLdC0A-PBeL5m3LM359DXcXTKeIoFGp-KTiTZDDMyeD2fNyfmJIO_lJJ-jJhjwMw/s1600/creed-7.jpg
https://i1.wp.com/www.catholictradition.org/Children/creed-7.jpg
https://damselofthefaith.wordpress.com/2015/04/24/what-every-catholic-must-believe/


The communion of the saints refers to believers in the past, believers in the present, and believers in the years to come sharing a common salvation in our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ. Those who have passed from this world into the presence of Christ at the death of their body have the same salvation as believers who are alive today. Those who will come after us will have the same salvation we have. [3]


The communion of the saints refers to believers in the past, believers in the present, and believers in the years to come sharing a common salvation in our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ.
PHOTO: The communion of the saints refers to believers in the past, believers in the present, and believers in the years to come sharing a common salvation in our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ.
Picture posted by Bro. Andrew on 12 October 2014
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCojfVtcDoNeHeRvWxwVUYwA2A9E1rppwtzP-dt1F1gwYhvKuCV9_guVIS7qvdyyuYT0o3SSKBfQYrZ9v_5FattNl4-_VJt6YozmP2cZF7Nd6uxYO1XtlunHxtgzDWwdBjONJlYbtgrns/s1600/rapture.jpg
http://king-of-the.net/images/rapture.jpg
http://king-of-the.net/rapture2.html


Importance of "communion of saints"
The communion of saints is all what each one of us has in common with all other believers.
  • We have been forgiven through His death and saved by His life (Romans 5:10), set free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2), and passed from spiritual death to eternal life (1 John 3:16).
  • We have all been permanently adopted as children of God by the will of God (John 1:12-13).
  • We have become God's handiwork to do good works that He has prepared for us (Ephesians 2:10)
  • We have all been given an eternal home in the New Jerusalem in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ, our Lamb, our Temple, and our Light (Revelation 21:22–27).
These are only a few of the blessings we have in common with all other believers. [3]


The communion of saints is all what each one of us has in common with all other believers

PHOTO: The communion of saints is all what each one of us has in common with all other believers
Picture from wikiHow
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTA4pgSREONzpkUtIfiGeP9U9dDp3IoMvEJ_JIYpTpAAQmBf-MlpKMrd5L_MOVTZqDPF1MUjyNo3ImYWsG9hcKs2-GAik5piy8OE8S-Kn_dKg2RAGth6KIc6TuHP7QZCJI5OdsYrbJs0c/s1600/670px-Thank-God-for-Every-Blessing-He-Has-Given-Us-Step-01.jpg
http://pad1.whstatic.com/images/thumb/c/c4/Thank-God-for-Every-Blessing-He-Has-Given-Us-Step-01.jpg/670px-Thank-God-for-Every-Blessing-He-Has-Given-Us-Step-01.jpg
http://www.wikihow.com/Thank-God-for-Every-Blessing-He-Has-Given-Us


How do you understand the phrase ("communion of saints") ?
In Catholic terminology, the communion of saints is thus said to comprise the church militant (those alive on earth), the church penitent (those undergoing purification in purgatory in preparation for heaven), and the church triumphant (those already in heaven). The damned are not a part of the communion of saints. [4]

Churches practice asking the intercession of saints in heaven through prayers to help fellow Christians on earth. Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches refer to this doctrine in support of the practice of praying for the dead.

Purgatory, according to Catholic Church doctrine, is an intermediate state after physical death in which those destined for heaven "undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven"


Purgatory, an intermediate state after physical death in which those destined for heaven 'undergo purification'

PHOTO: Purgatory, an intermediate state after physical death in which those destined for heaven "undergo purification"
Picture posted by Ave Maria! on 13 November 2007
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlEAqkLxvWJWgiLlGSaCVYYgD_Z3ImcVTd3nGnuD65kxm3aNOK3qd3D9TMR4waJybAkGPSZyN8IGickfi6G2w9uL8KpO_mfG7eqplpn123eimoju9StyRx4vjOmzdulvmbHiHw_8aDDJA/s1600/06a0e5f0b5900dae3f9124bc246e3eca.jpg
http://blogimg.goo.ne.jp/user_image/00/ae/06a0e5f0b5900dae3f9124bc246e3eca.jpg
http://blog.goo.ne.jp/thomasonoda/e/8ca58b4b5b6a7546d4b13e54fc38f4ee


How does it ("communion of saints") influence your worship and your walk with the Lord?
[5]Paragraph 1. All saints that are united to Jesus Christ, their head, by his Spirit, and faith, although they are not made thereby one person with him, have fellowship in his graces, sufferings, death, resurrection, and glory;1  and, being united to one another in love, they have communion in each others gifts and graces,2 and are obliged to the performance of such duties, public and private, in an orderly way, as do conduce to their mutual good, both in the inward and outward man.3  


All saints that are united to Jesus Christ have fellowship in his graces, sufferings, death, resurrection, and glory
PHOTO: All saints that are united to Jesus Christ have fellowship in his graces, sufferings, death, resurrection, and glory
Picture posted by Numerología Integra on 1 Jan 2014 at 8:59 PM
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdAo24o-f-2dHoN4My6eRGtNivTVctBQWDii46TZhn-93UgoPoTy50i6CShyphenhyphenm009E-KctXfU4URLa4Aq7Hc60p8Sa2o1yVvxrxW_xzS0SxD9a8FWpUGGfnbl1k7VfC-0dtuPKkqwk9T2w/s1600/Bc8xTZHCUAEglx-.jpg+large.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Bc8xTZHCUAEglx-.jpg:large
https://twitter.com/poderynumeros/status/418607499902590976


Paragraph 2. Saints by profession are bound to maintain a holy fellowship and communion in the worship of God, and in performing such other spiritual services as tend to their mutual edification;4 as also in relieving each other in outward things according to their several abilities, and necessities;5 which communion, according to the rule of the gospel, though especially to be exercised by them, in the relation wherein they stand, whether in families,6 or churches,7 yet, as God offers opportunity, is to be extended to all the household of faith, even all those who in every place call upon the name of the Lord Jesus; nevertheless their communion one with another as saints, does not take away or infringe the title or propriety which each man has in his goods and possessions.8  
6 Eph. 6:4  
Saints by profession are bound to maintain a holy fellowship and communion in the worship of God

PHOTO: Saints by profession are bound to maintain a holy fellowship and communion in the worship of God
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, St. Helena, the subject of Waugh's 1950 novel
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixcbuxZ4s9oKQ9gNSsCHrogY7FRRtigESprRbs2a0gfJM3h5cUMuEdze5Tr2bMIXh0j1VaVVY-aFc0MNNayPiTBtvQG-pnr_PPWBoo6mpbAImmbevxIWAS9xPQRj8rc7qpJhC-iK3jv6o/s1600/Helena_of_Constantinople_%2528Cima_da_Conegliano%2529.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ec/Helena_of_Constantinople_%28Cima_da_Conegliano%29.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evelyn_Waugh

By Robert M. Solomon, Bishop of the Methodist Church in Singapore from 2000 - 2012


All Saints Day and All Souls Day - celebrate the Communion of Saints

PHOTO: All Saints Day and All Souls Day - celebrate the Communion of Saints
Praise be to God, who fills our lives with joy.
As we observe All Saints Day and All Souls Day, let us remember that God unites all his followers, living and dead, in the communion of saints.
On All Saints Day we remember those who are living with God.
On All Soul's Day we pray for those who are in purgatory.
God, help us to live our faith in service to others so that we may grow closer to you.
God, help us to follow in the footsteps of the saints, who have shown us how to serve the Kingdom of God right here on earth.
God, help us to remember those who are already with you in heaven and help us to pray for those who are still waiting to be with you.
God, thank you for the sacraments, especially the sacrament of the Eucharist, which unites us, your followers, in the communion of saints.
Prayer posted by © 2013 Loyola Press
http://www.loyolapress.com/sharing-a-communion-of-saints-prayer-with-my-family.htm

Picture posted by Aquinas and More Catholic Goods, Girl's First Communion Prayer Card
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFY2JEqwK2uKGkrEqm0qgaINqX6jlL8uxxIj5uGhn9Bzxkd_CA_wD6bfesamG3FbNPch0jFQsqaCO2KNFI7hbYfTtjKBI0AH4KQCseSyvBOObwqhAxgTepXTxHJLgwg7bPEDmiSSnK3s0/s1600/Girls-First-Communion-Prayer-Card-16087xl.png
http://www.aquinasandmore.com/images/items/girls-first-communion-prayer-card-16087xl.png
http://www.aquinasandmore.com/catholic-gifts/girls-first-communion-prayer-card/sku/16087

Note: The Eucharist (also called Holy Communion, the Lord's Supper, and other names) is a rite considered by most Christian churches to be a sacrament. According to some New Testament books, it was instituted by Jesus Christ during his Last Supper.


Reference
[1] From "Faithful to the end" A Preacher's Exposition of 2 Timothy, Copyright © 2014 by Robert M. Solomon, ISBN 978-1-62707-241-0, PART ONE: UNITED WITH CHRIST, Chapter 2 "I know whom I have believed" (2 Timothy 1:1-18), Page 17.

[2] From "Faithful to the end" A Preacher's Exposition of 2 Timothy, Copyright © 2014 by Robert M. Solomon, ISBN 978-1-62707-241-0, PART ONE: UNITED WITH CHRIST, Chapter 3 "I know my Heritage" (2 Timothy 1:3-7), Page .

[3] What does "communion of the saints" mean in the ancient creeds?,
http://www.gotquestions.org/communion-of-the-saints.html, © Copyright 2002-2015 Got Questions Ministries, www.gotquestions.org - Bible Questions Answered.

[4] Communion of saints, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communion_of_saints, From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, Wikipedia®, last modified on 17 May 2015, at 22:48.

[5] OF THE COMMUNION OF THE SAINT, CHAPTER 7, http://www.reformed.org/documents/index.html?mainframe=http://www.reformed.org/documents/baptist_1689.html, THE BAPTIST CONFESSION OF FAITH OF 1689 WITH SCRIPTURE PROOFS.

Purgatory - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purgatory


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