CATECHETICAL LESSON 3: COMMUNION: BEING CONNECTED I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing (Jn 15:5).
Introduction These simple words reveal the mystery of communion that serves as the unifying bond between the Lord and his disciples, between Christ and the baptized: a living and life-giving communion through which Christians no longer belong to themselves but are the Lord's very own, as the branches are one with the vine.
“Communion' speaks of a double, life-giving participation: the incorporation of Christians into the life of Christ, and the communication of that life of charity to the entire body of the Faithful, in this world and in the next; in union with Christ and in Christ, and union among all Christians and the Church” (Pope Paul VI, 1966). Church communion then is a gift, a great gift of the Holy Spirit, to be gratefully accepted by the lay faithful. At the same time, it is to be lived with a deep sense of responsibility. This is concretely realized through their participation in the life and mission of the Church, at whose service the lay faithful put their varied and complementary ministries and charisms. A member of the lay faithful "can never remain in isolation from the community, but must live in a continual interaction with others, with a lively sense of fellowship, rejoicing in equal dignity and with common commitment to bring to fruition the immense treasure that each has inherited” (CL 20).
Photo from the Diocese of Cubao
The communion of Christians with Jesus has the communion of God as Trinity, namely, the unity of the Son, the Father, and the Holy Spirit, as its model, source, and the means to achieve this communion. United to the Son in the Spirit's bond of love, Christians are united to the Father. This communion is a wonderful reflection and participation in the mystery of the intimate life of love in God as Trinity that is revealed by the Lord Jesus. For this communion Jesus prays: "that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that You have sent Me" (Jn 17: 21).
Such communion is the very mystery of the Church, as the Second Vatican Council recalls the celebrated words of Saint Cyprian: "The Church shines forth as 'a people made one with
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