The Church is called the sacrament of Christ because it is a visible reality which Christ has formed in this world as a sacred sign of His presence. It is the sign and also the means He uses to give us the unity and holiness He actually confers through it. It is a sacrament of His presence because He is …

When we speak of the Church in Heaven, we do not mean the Church in the condition in which it is a sign, with ministers and sacraments; these will cease. As signs and instruments, they will be absorbed into the heavenly realities which they now serve. When we speak of the Church in Heaven, we mean the union of the …

The Catholic Church belongs entirely to Christ, because He is the Head of the Church, its Founder, its Spouse, and its Savior. He continues to do His saving work in and through the Church. In the New Testament we see Christ’s preparation for the Church, His promises concerning it, and the beginning of their rich fulfillment. Christ is the Light …

The Catholic always sees the Church in its relationship to Christ. It is not the Church as such that is the primary object of Catholic faith. The Catholic believes in Christ and in His Father and in the Holy Spirit. In the Creed, the Catholic professes his belief in “the holy catholic Church” precisely because he sees the Church as …

The Church is a living continuation of Christ on earth because Christ spiritually and mystically lives and acts through the Church. It is a living organism, not just an organization. Christ organized the Church to carry on His work in the world and to bring His ministry and truth to all men and all ages. It is Christ Who accomplishes …