For the purpose of assisting the work of the common priesthood of the Faithful, other particular ministries also exist, not Consecrated by the sacrament of Holy Orders; their functions are determined by the bishops, in accord with liturgical traditions and pastoral needs. "Servers, readers, commentators, and Members of the choir also Exercise a genuine liturgical function." 14

Since the Faithful departed now being purified are also Members of the same Communion of saints, one way we can help them is to obtain indulgences for them, so that the temporal punishments due for their sins may be remitted.

"One is constituted a member of the episcopal body in virtue of the sacramental consecration and by the hierarchical Communion with the Head and Members of the college." 39 The character and collegial nature of the episcopal order are evidenced among other ways by the Church's ancient practice which calls for several bishops to participate in the consecration of a new bishop. 40 In our day, the lawful ordination of a bishop requires a special intervention of the Bishop of Rome, because he is the supreme visible bond of the communion of the particular Churches in the one Church and the guarantor of their freedom.

"Christ, whom the Father hallowed and sent into the world, has, through his apostles, made their successors, the bishops namely, sharers in his consecration and Mission; and these, in their turn, duly entrusted in varying degrees various Members of the Church with the office of their ministry." 43 "The function of the bishops' ministry was handed over in a subordinate degree to priests so that they might be appointed in the order of the priesthood and be co-workers of the episcapal order for the proper fulfillment of the apostolic mission that had been entrusted to it by Christ." 44

It is here that the Father of the Family, the mother, children, and all Members of the family Exercise the priesthood of the baptized in a privileged way "by the reception of the Sacraments, prayer and thanksgiving, the witness of a holy life, and self-denial and active Charity." 168 Thus the home is the first school of Christian life and "a school for human enrichment." 169 Here one learns endurance and the joy of work, fraternal love, generous - even repeated - forgiveness, and above all divine worship in prayer and the offering of one's life.

Sacramentals do not confer the Grace of the Holy Spirit in the way that the Sacraments do, but by the Church's prayer, they prepare us to receive grace and dispose us to cooperate with it. "For well-disposed Members of the Faithful, the liturgy of the sacraments and sacramentals sanctifies almost every event of their lives with the divine grace which flows from the Paschal mystery of the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Christ. From this source all sacraments and sacramentals draw their power. There is scarcely any proper use of material things which cannot be thus directed toward the sanctification of men and the praise of God." 174

A farewell to the deceased is his final "commendation to God" by the Church. It is "the last farewell by which the Christian Community greets one of its Members before his body is brought to its tomb." 191 The Byzantine tradition expresses this by the kiss of farewell to the deceased:

This sacrament reconciles us with the Church. Sin damages or even breaks fraternal Communion. the sacrament of Penance repairs or restores it. In this sense it does not simply heal the one restored to ecclesial communion, but has also a revitalizing effect on the life of the Church which suffered from the sin of one of her Members. 76 Re-established or strengthened in the communion of saints, the sinner is made stronger by the exchange of spiritual goods among all the living members of the Body of Christ, whether still on pilgrimage or already in the heavenly homeland: 77

Christ instituted the sacrament of Penance for all Sinful Members of his Church: above all for those who, since Baptism, have fallen into grave sin, and have thus lost their baptismal Grace and wounded ecclesial Communion. It is to them that the sacrament of Penance offers a new possibility to convert and to recover the grace of justification. the Fathers of the Church present this sacrament as "the second plank [of Salvation] after the shipwreck which is the loss of grace." 47

The Lord Jesus Christ, physician of our souls and bodies, who forgave the Sins of the paralytic and restored him to bodily health, 3 has willed that his Church continue, in the power of the Holy Spirit, his work of healing and Salvation, even among her own Members. This is the purpose of the two Sacraments of healing: the sacrament of Penance and the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick.

The Liturgy of the Hours is intended to become the prayer of the whole People of God. In it Christ himself "continues his priestly work through his Church." 50 His Members participate according to their own place in the Church and the circumstances of their lives: priests devoted to the pastoral ministry, because they are called to remain diligent in prayer and the Service of the word; religious, by the charism of their Consecrated lives; all the Faithful as much as possible: "Pastors of souls should see to it that the principal hours, especially Vespers, are celebrated in common in church on Sundays and on the more solemn feasts. the laity, too, are encouraged to recite the divine office, either with the priests, or among themselves, or even individually." 51

Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit (vitae spiritualis ianua), 4 and the door which gives access to the other Sacraments. Through Baptism we are freed from Sin and reborn as Sons of God; we become Members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her Mission: "Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration through water in the word." 5

Baptism makes us Members of the Body of Christ: "Therefore . . . we are members one of another." 71 Baptism incorporates us into the Church. From the baptismal fonts is born the one People of God of the New Covenant, which transcends all the natural or human limits of nations, cultures, races, and sexes: "For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body." 72

The Eucharist is also the sacrifice of the Church. the Church which is the Body of Christ participates in the offering of her Head. With him, she herself is offered whole and entire. She unites herself to his intercession with the Father for all men. In the Eucharist the sacrifice of Christ becomes also the sacrifice of the Members of his Body. the lives of the Faithful, their praise, sufferings, prayer, and work, are united with those of Christ and with his total offering, and so acquire a new value. Christ's sacrifice present on the altar makes it possible for all generations of Christians to be united with his offering.

To the offering of Christ are united not only the Members still here on earth, but also those already in the Glory of heaven. In Communion with and commemorating the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the saints, the Church offers the Eucharistic sacrifice. In the Eucharist the Church is as it were at the foot of the cross with Mary, united with the offering and intercession of Christ.

At the Last Supper the Lord himself directed his disciples' attention toward the fulfillment of the Passover in the kingdom of God: "I tell you I shall not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom." 240 Whenever the Church celebrates the Eucharist she reMembers this promise and turns her gaze "to him who is to come." In her prayer she calls for his coming: "Marana tha!" "Come, Lord Jesus!" 241 "May your Grace come and this world pass away!" 242

First, the common good presupposes respect for the perSon as such. In the name of the common good, public authorities are bound to respect the fundamental and inalienable rights of the human person. Society should permit each of its Members to fulfill his vocation. In particular, the common good resides in the conditions for the Exercise of the natural freedoms indispensable for the development of the human vocation, such as "the right to act according to a sound norm of conscience and to safeguard . . . privacy, and rightful freedom also in matters of religion." 27

Finally, the common good requires peace, that is, the stability and security of a just order. It presupposes that authority should ensure by morally acceptable means the security of Society and its Members. It is the basis of the right to legitimate perSonal and collective defence.

The Family should live in such a way that its Members learn to care and take responsibility for the young, the old, the sick, the handicapped, and the poor. There are many families who are at times incapable of providing this help. It devolves then on other perSons, other families, and, in a subsidiary way, Society to provide for their needs: "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained from the world." 12

For Christians a special gratitude is due to those from whom they have received the gift of Faith, the Grace of Baptism, and life in the Church. These may include parents, grandparents, other Members of the Family, pastors, catechists, and other teachers or friends. "I am reminded of your Sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you." 28

Education in the Faith by the parents should begin in the child's earliest years. This already happens when Family Members help one another to grow in faith by the witness of a Christian life in keeping with the Gospel. Family catechesis precedes, accompanies, and enriches other forms of instruction in the faith. Parents have the Mission of teaching their children to pray and to discover their vocation as children of God. 35 The parish is the Eucharistic Community and the heart of the liturgical life of Christian families; it is a privileged place for the catechesis of children and parents.

"In its various forms - material deprivation, unjust oppression, physical and psychological illness and death - human misery is the obvious sign of the inherited condition of frailty and need for Salvation in which man finds himself as a consequence of original Sin. This misery elicited the compassion of Christ the Savior, who willingly took it upon himself and identified himself with the least of his brethren. Hence, those who are oppressed by poverty are the object of a preferential love on the part of the Church which, since her origin and in spite of the failings of many of her Members, has not ceased to work for their relief, defense, and liberation through numerous works of Charity which remain indispensable always and everywhere." 247

The Old Testament attests that God is the source of all truth. His Word is truth. His Law is truth. His "Faithfulness endures to all generations." 254 Since God is "true," the Members of his people are called to live in the truth. 255

"It is necessary that all Members of Society meet the demands of justice and Charity in this domain. They should help, through the means of social communication, in the formation and diffusion of sound public opinion." 286 Solidarity is a consequence of genuine and right communication and the free circulation of ideas that further knowledge and respect for others.

The Law entrusted to Israel never sufficed to justify those subject to it; it even became the instrument of "lust." 330 The gap between wanting and doing points to the conflict between God's Law which is the "law of my mind," and another law "making me captive to the law of Sin which dwells in my Members." 331

Thanksgiving characterizes the prayer of the Church which, in celebrating the Eucharist, reveals and becomes more fully what she is. Indeed, in the work of Salvation, Christ sets creation free from Sin and death to consecrate it anew and make it return to the Father, for his Glory. the thanksgiving of the Members of the Body participates in that of their Head.

The relationships within the Family bring an affinity of feelings, affections and interests, ariSing above all from the Members' respect for one another. the family is a privileged Community called to achieve a "sharing of thought and common deliberation by the spouses as well as their eager cooperation as parents in the children's upbringing." 11

In creating man and woman, God instituted the human Family and endowed it with its fundamental constitution. Its Members are perSons equal in dignity. For the common good of its members and of Society, the family necessarily has manifold responsibilities, rights, and duties.

The conjugal Community is established upon the consent of the spouses. Marriage and the Family are ordered to the good of the spouses and to the procreation and education of children. the love of the spouses and the begetting of children create among Members of the same family perSonal relationships and primordial responsibilities.

It is incumbent on those who Exercise authority to strengthen the values that inspire the confidence of the Members of the group and encourage them to put themselves at the Service of others. Participation begins with education and culture. "One is entitled to think that the future of humanity is in the hands of those who are capable of providing the generations to come with reaSons for life and optimism." 34

Through the power of the Holy Spirit we take part in Christ's Passion by dying to Sin, and in his Resurrection by being born to a new life; we are Members of his Body which is the Church, branches grafted onto the vine which is himself: 36

The term "merit" refers in general to the recompense owed by a Community or a Society for the action of one of its Members, experienced either as beneficial or harmful, deserving reward or punishment. Merit is relative to the virtue of justice, in conformity with the principle of equality which governs it.

Thus a true filial spirit toward the Church can develop among Christians. It is the normal flowering of the Baptismal Grace which has begotten us in the womb of the Church and made us Members of the Body of Christ. In her motherly care, the Church grants us the mercy of God which prevails over all our Sins and is especially at work in the sacrament of reconciliation. With a mother's foresight, she also lavishes on us day after day in her liturgy the nourishment of the Word and Eucharist of the Lord.

Because they are Members of the Body whose Head is Christ, 89 Christians contribute to building up the Church by the constancy of their convictions and their moral lives. the Church increases, grows, and develops through the Holiness of her Faithful, until "we all attain to the Unity of the Faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." 90

Incredulity is the neglect of revealed truth or the willful refusal to assent to it. "Heresy is the obstinate post-Baptismal denial of some truth which must be believed with divine and catholic Faith, or it is likewise an obstinate doubt concerning the same; apostasy is the total repudiation of the Christian faith; schism is the refusal of subMission to the Roman Pontiff or of Communion with the Members of the Church subject to him." 11

The fourth commandment is addressed expressly to children in their relationship to their Father and mother, because this relationship is the most universal. It likewise concerns the ties of kinship between Members of the extended Family. It requires honor, affection, and gratitude toward elders and ancestors. Finally, it extends to the duties of pupils to teachers, employees to employers, subordinates to leaders, citizens to their country, and to those who administer or govern it. This commandment includes and presupposes the duties of parents, instructors, teachers, leaders, magistrates, those who govern, all who Exercise authority over others or over a Community of perSons.

We can adore the Father because he has caused us to be reborn to his life by adopting us as his children in his only Son: by Baptism, he incorporates us into the Body of his Christ; through the anointing of his Spirit who flows from the Head to the Members, he makes us other "Christs."

"These three parts are distinct although connected with one another. According to a compariSon often used by the Fathers, we call them articles. Indeed, just as in our bodily Members there are certain articulations which distinguish and separate them, so too in this profession of Faith, the name "articles" has justly and rightly been given to the truths we must believe particularly and distinctly." 6 In accordance with an ancient tradition, already attested to by St. Ambrose, it is also customary to reckon the articles of the Creed as twelve, thus symbolizing the fullness of the apostolic faith by the number of the apostles. 7

The body's Unity does not do away with the diversity of its Members: "In the building up of Christ's Body there is engaged a diversity of members and functions. There is only one Spirit who, according to his own richness and the needs of the ministries, gives his Different gifts for the welfare of the Church." 222 The unity of the Mystical Body produces and stimulates Charity among the Faithful: "From this it follows that if one member suffers anything, all the members suffer with him, and if one member is honored, all the members together rejoice." 223 Finally, the unity of the Mystical Body triumphs over all human divisions: "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus." 224

Christ unites us with his Passover: all his Members must strive to resemble him, "until Christ be formed" in them. 227 "For this reaSon we . . . are taken up into the mysteries of his life, . . . associated with his sufferings as the body with its Head, suffering with him, that with him we may be glorified." 228

The Unity of Christ and the Church, Head and Members of one Body, also implies the distinction of the two within a perSonal relationship. This aspect is often expressed by the image of bridegroom and bride. the theme of Christ as Bridegroom of the Church was prepared for by the prophets and announced by John the Baptist. 234 The Lord referred to himself as the "bridegroom." 235 The Apostle speaks of the whole Church and of each of the Faithful, members of his Body, as a bride "betrothed" to Christ the Lord so as to become but one spirit with him. 236 The Church is the spotless bride of the spotless Lamb. 237 "Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her." 238 He has joined her with himself in an everlasting covenant and never stops caring for her as for his own body: 239

"What the soul is to the human body, the Holy Spirit is to the Body of Christ, which is the Church." 243 "To this Spirit of Christ, as an invisible principle, is to be ascribed the fact that all the parts of the body are joined one with the other and with their exalted Head; for the whole Spirit of Christ is in the head, the whole Spirit is in the body, and the whole Spirit is in each of the Members." 244 The Holy Spirit makes the Church "the temple of the living God": 245

The Holy Spirit is "the principle of every vital and truly saving action in each part of the Body." 247 He works in many ways to build up the whole Body in Charity: 248 by God's Word "which is able to build you up"; 249 by Baptism, through which he forms Christ's Body; 250 by the Sacraments, which give growth and healing to Christ's Members; by "the Grace of the apostles, which holds first place among his gifts"; 251 by the virtues, which make us act according to what is good; finally, by the many special graces (called "charisms"), by which he makes the Faithful "fit and ready to undertake various tasks and offices for the renewal and building up of the Church." 252

Charisms are to be accepted with gratitude by the perSon who receives them and by all Members of the Church as well. They are a wonderfully rich Grace for the apostolic vitality and for the Holiness of the entire Body of Christ, provided they really are genuine gifts of the Holy Spirit and are used in full conformity with authentic promptings of this same Spirit, that is, in keeping with Charity, the true measure of all charisms. 253

From the beginning, this one Church has been marked by a great diversity which comes from both the variety of God's gifts and the diversity of those who receive them. Within the Unity of the People of God, a multiplicity of peoples and cultures is gathered together. Among the Church's Members, there are Different gifts, offices, conditions, and ways of life. "Holding a rightful place in the Communion of the Church there are also particular Churches that retain their own traditions." 263 The great richness of such diversity is not opposed to the Church's unity. Yet Sin and the burden of its consequences constantly threaten the gift of unity. and so the Apostle has to exhort Christians to "maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." 264

Believers who respond to God's word and become Members of Christ's Body, become intimately united with him: "In that body the life of Christ is communicated to those who believe, and who, through the Sacraments, are united in a hidden and real way to Christ in his Passion and glorification." 220 This is especially true of Baptism, which unites us to Christ's death and Resurrection, and the Eucharist, by which "really sharing in the body of the Lord, . . . we are taken up into Communion with him and with one another." 221

The compariSon of the Church with the body casts light on the intimate bond between Christ and his Church. Not only is she gathered around him; she is united in him, in his body. Three aspects of the Church as the Body of Christ are to be more specifically noted: the Unity of all her Members with each other as a result of their union with Christ; Christ as Head of the Body; and the Church as bride of Christ.

In the Church this Communion of men with God, in the "love [that] never ends," is the purpose which governs everything in her that is a sacramental means, tied to this pasSing world. 192 "[The Church's] structure is totally ordered to the Holiness of Christ's Members. and holiness is measured according to the 'great mystery' in which the Bride responds with the gift of love to the gift of the Bridegroom." 193 Mary goes before us all in the holiness that is the Church's mystery as "the bride without spot or wrinkle." 194 This is why the "Marian" dimension of the Church precedes the "Petrine." 195

God calls Moses from the midst of a bush that burns without being consumed: "I am the God of your Father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." 9 God is the God of the fathers, the One who had called and guided the patriarchs in their wanderings. He is the Faithful and compassionate God who reMembers them and his promises; he comes to free their descendants from slavery. He is the God who, from beyond space and time, can do this and wills to do it, the God who will put his almighty power to work for this plan.

Christ enables us to live in him all that he himself lived, and he lives it in us. "By his Incarnation, he, the Son of God, has in a certain way united himself with each man." 193 We are called only to become one with him, for he enables us as the Members of his Body to share in what he lived for us in his flesh as our model:

Jesus asked the religious authorities of Jerusalem to believe in him because of the Father's works which he accomplished. 373 But such an act of Faith must go through a mysterious death to self, for a new "birth from above" under the influence of divine Grace. 374 Such a demand for conversion in the face of so surpriSing a fulfilment of the promises 375 allows one to understand the Sanhedrin's tragic misunderstanding of Jesus: they judged that he deserved the death sentence as a blasphemer. 376 The Members of the Sanhedrin were thus acting at the same time out of "ignorance" and the "hardness" of their "unbelief". 377

This final stage stays closely linked to the first, that is, to his descent from heaven in the Incarnation. Only the one who "came from the Father" can return to the Father: Christ Jesus. 537 "No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended from heaven, the Son of man." 538 Left to its own natural powers humanity does not have access to the "Father's house", to God's life and happiness. 539 Only Christ can open to man such access that we, his Members, might have confidence that we too shall go where he, our Head and our Source, has preceded us. 540

Thus the Church's Mission is not an addition to that of Christ and the Holy Spirit, but is its sacrament: in her whole being and in all her Members, the Church is sent to announce, bear witness, make present, and spread the mystery of the Communion of the Holy Trinity (the topic of the next article):

Because the Holy Spirit is the anointing of Christ, it is Christ who, as the Head of the Body, pours out the Spirit among his Members to nourish, heal, and organize them in their mutual functions, to give them life, send them to bear witness, and associate them to his self-offering to the Father and to his intercession for the whole world. Through the Church's Sacraments, Christ communicates his Holy and sanctifying Spirit to the members of his Body. (This will be the topic of Part Two of the Catechism.)

Certain things are required in order to respond adequately to this call: - a permanent renewal of the Church in greater fidelity to her vocation; such renewal is the driving-force of the movement toward Unity; 280 - conversion of heart as the Faithful "try to live holier lives according to the Gospel"; 281 for it is the unFaithfulness of the Members to Christ's gift which causes divisions; - prayer in common, because "change of heart and Holiness of life, along with public and private prayer for the unity of Christians, should be regarded as the soul of the whole ecumenical movement, and merits the name 'spiritual ecumenism;"' 282 -fraternal knowledge of each other; 283 - ecumenical formation of the faithful and especially of priests; 284 - dialogue among theologians and meetings among Christians of the Different churches and communities; 285 - collaboration among Christians in various areas of Service to mankind. 286 "Human service" is the idiomatic phrase.

"The Church . . . is held, as a matter of Faith, to be unfailingly holy. This is because Christ, the Son of God, who with the Father and the Spirit is hailed as 'alone holy,' loved the Church as his Bride, giving himself up for her so as to sanctify her; he joined her to himself as his body and endowed her with the gift of the Holy Spirit for the Glory of God." 289 The Church, then, is "the holy People of God," 290 and her Members are called "saints." 291

"Since all the Faithful form one body, the good of each is communicated to the others.... We must therefore believe that there exists a Communion of goods in the Church. But the most important member is Christ, since he is the Head.... Therefore, the riches of Christ are communicated to all the Members, through the Sacraments." 478 "As this Church is governed by one and the same Spirit, all the goods she has received necessarily become a common fund." 479

Communion in Charity. In the sanctorum communio, "None of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself." 487 "If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually Members of it." 488 "Charity does not insist on its own way." 489 In this solidarity with all men, living or dead, which is founded on the communion of saints, the least of our acts done in charity redounds to the profit of all. Every Sin harms this communion.

Communion with the dead. "In full consciousness of this communion of the whole Mystical Body of Jesus Christ, the Church in its pilgrim Members, from the very earliest days of the Christian religion, has honored with great respect the memory of the dead; and 'because it is a holy and a wholesome thought to pray for the dead that they may be loosed from their Sins' she offers her suffrages for them." 498 Our prayer for them is capable not only of helping them, but also of making their intercession for us effective.

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 mystery of the Church. "The Virgin Mary . . . is acknowledged and honored as being truly the Mother of God and of the redeemer.... 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." 500 "Mary, Mother of Christ, Mother of the Church." 501

It is the whole Community, the Body of Christ united with its Head, that celebrates. "Liturgical Services are not private functions but are celebrations of the Church which is 'the sacrament of Unity,' namely, the holy people united and organized under the authority of the bishops. Therefore, liturgical services pertain to the whole Body of the Church. They manifest it, and have effects upon it. But they touch individual Members of the Church in Different ways, depending on their orders, their role in the liturgical services, and their actual participation in them." 7 For this reaSon, "rites which are meant to be celebrated in common, with the Faithful present and actively participating, should as far as possible be celebrated in that way rather than by an individual and quasi-privately." 8

The celebrating assembly is the Community of the baptized who, "by regeneration and the anointing of the Holy Spirit, are Consecrated to be a spiritual house and a holy priesthood, that . . . they may offer spiritual sacrifices." 9 This "common priesthood" is that of Christ the sole priest, in which all his Members participate: 10

Already dedicated to him through Baptism, the perSon who surrenders himself to the God he loves above all else thereby consecrates himself more intimately to God's Service and to the good of the Church. By this state of life Consecrated to God, the Church manifests Christ and shows us how the Holy Spirit acts so wonderfully in her. and so the first Mission of those who profess the evangelical counsels is to live out their consecration. Moreover, "Since Members of institutes of consecrated life dedicate themselves through their consecration to the service of the Church they are obliged in a special manner to engage in missionary work, in accord with the character of the institute." 474

Alongside the Different forms of Consecrated life are "societies of apostolic life whose Members without religious vows pursue the particular apostolic purpose of their Society, and lead a life as brothers or sisters in common according to a particular manner of life, strive for the perfection of Charity through the observance of the constitutions. Among these there are societies in which the members embrace the evangelical counsels" according to their constitutions. 473

By a "life perfectly and entirely Consecrated to [such] sanctification," the Members of these institutes share in the Church's task of evangelization, "in the world and from within the world," where their presence acts as "leaven in the world." 471 "Their witness of a Christian life" aims "to order temporal things according to God and inform the world with the power of the gospel." They commit themselves to the evangelical counsels by sacred bonds and observe among themselves the Communion and fellowship appropriate to their "particular secular way of life." 472

"The Church on earth is endowed already with a sanctity that is real though imperfect." 295 In her Members perfect Holiness is something yet to be acquired: "Strengthened by so many and such great means of Salvation, all the Faithful, whatever their condition or state - though each in his own way - are called by the Lord to that perfection of sanctity by which the Father himself is perfect." 296

"Christ, 'holy, innocent, and undefiled,' knew nothing of Sin, but came only to expiate the sins of the people. the Church, however, clasping sinners to her bosom, at once holy and always in need of purification, follows constantly the path of penance and renewal." 299 All Members of the Church, including her ministers, must acknowledge that they are sinners. 300 In everyone, the weeds of sin will still be mixed with the good wheat of the Gospel until the end of time. 301 Hence the Church gathers sinners already caught up in Christ's Salvation but still on the way to Holiness:

The whole Church is apostolic, in that she remains, through the successors of St. Peter and the other apostles, in Communion of Faith and life with her origin: and in that she is "sent out" into the whole world. All Members of the Church share in this Mission, though in various ways. "The Christian vocation is, of its nature, a vocation to the apostolate as well." Indeed, we call an apostolate "every activity of the Mystical Body" that aims "to spread the Kingdom of Christ over all the earth." 377

The very differences which the Lord has willed to put between the Members of his body serve its Unity and Mission. For "in the Church there is diversity of ministry but unity of mission. To the apostles and their successors Christ has entrusted the office of teaching, sanctifying and governing in his name and by his power. But the laity are made to share in the priestly, prophetical, and kingly office of Christ; they have therefore, in the Church and in the world, their own assignment in the mission of the whole People of God." 387 Finally, "from both groups [hierarchy and laity] there exist Christian Faithful who are Consecrated to God in their own special manner and serve the salvific mission of the Church through the profession of the evangelical counsels." 388

"This college, in so far as it is composed of many Members, is the expression of the variety and universality of the People of God; and of the Unity of the flock of Christ, in so far as it is assembled under one Head." 407

In the Church, "lay Members of the Christian Faithful can cooperate in the Exercise of this power [of governance] in accord with the norm of law." 449 and so the Church provides for their presence at particular councils, diocesan synods, pastoral councils; the exercise in solidum of the pastoral care of a parish, collaboration in finance committees, and participation in ecclesiastical tribunals, etc. 450

The Faithful should "distinguish carefully between the rights and the duties which they have as belonging to the Church and those which fall to them as Members of the human Society. They will strive to unite the two harmoniously, remembering that in every temporal affair they are to be guided by a Christian conscience, Since no human activity, even of the temporal order, can be withdrawn from God's dominion." 451

"From the God-given seed of the counsels a wonderful and wide-spreading tree has grown up in the field of the Lord, branching out into various forms of the religious life lived in solitude or in Community. Different religious families have come into existence in which spiritual resources are multiplied for the progress in Holiness of their Members and for the good of the entire Body of Christ." 457

But "the Members do not all have the same function." 12 Certain members are called by God, in and through the Church, to a special Service of the Community. These servants are chosen and Consecrated by the sacrament of Holy Orders, by which the Holy Spirit enables them to act in the perSon of Christ the Head, for the service of all the members of the Church. 13 The ordained minister is, as it were, an "icon" of Christ the priest. Since it is in the Eucharist that the sacrament of the Church is made fully visible, it is in his presiding at the Eucharist that the bishop's ministry is most evident, as well as, in Communion with him, the ministry of priests and deacons.