United States Catholic Catechism for Adults

120 • Part I. The Creed: The Faith Professed

FROM THE CATECHISM

1. How did the Second Vatican Council relate Christ as the light of humanity to the Church? “Christ is the light of humanity. . . . By proclaiming his Gospel to every creature, it may bring to all . . . that light of Christ which shines out visibly from the Church.” . . . By choosing this starting point the Council demonstrated that the article of faith about the Church depends entirely upon the articles concerning Jesus Christ. (CCC, no. 748, citing LG, no. 1) The images taken from the Old Testament are variations of a profound theme: the People of God. In the New Testament, all these images find a new center because Christ has become the head of his people, which hence forth is his Body. Around this center are grouped images taken “from the life of the shepherd or from cultivation of the land, from the art of building or from family life and marriage.” (CCC, no. 753, citing LG, no. 6) 3. How is the Church the Temple of the Holy Spirit? “What the soul is to the human body, the Holy Spirit is to the Body of Christ, which is the Church” (St. Augustine, Sermon 267, 4). . . . The Holy Spirit is “the principle of every vital and truly saving action in each part of the Body” (Pope Pius XII, The Mystical Body [ Mystici Corporis ]: DS 3808). (CCC, nos. 797-798) 2. What do we learn from the scriptural images of the Church, such as Body of Christ, sheepfold, cultivated field, and temple?

freedom is sometimes in tension with belonging to the Church as a com munity of believers. When it comes to the Church, some claim that its institutional needs take a toll on the values of community and relationships. Institutions