Congregatis vobis | Assembled

„When you are assembled and the power of our Lord Jesus is present” (1 Cor 5:4).

 

In his First Letter to the Corinthians, Saint Paul declares: "When you are assembled and the power of our Lord Jesus is present (1 Cor 5:4)". These words illuminate the mystery of what we celebrate each time we gather as the Church.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us that the word "Church" - from the Latin ecclesia - signifies "convocation" or "assembly." This is no only human gathering, but rather a divine convocation. As Saint Cyril of Jerusalem instructed in his Catechetical Lectures, the Church is "rightly named Ecclesia because it calls forth and assembles together all men."

We are assembled as a community not by human initiative, but by the God’s Word. The Church exists as the people whom God calls and gathers from every corner of the earth. Through the sacraments of faith and baptism, we have been incorporated into Christ's Mystical Body, becoming children of God and temples of the Holy Spirit. Even when the Christians are geographically separated, the Holy Spirit maintains the spiritual unity.

The early Church Fathers, particularly Saint Ignatius of Antioch and Saint Cyprian of Carthage, emphasized that each particular Church participates in the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. Our local community is thus a manifestation of the universal Church.

In this sacred gathering, assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we better understand the Church's mission. We intercede for the salvation of souls, particularly for those in spiritual danger. We seek deliverance from sin and pray earnestly "that their spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord (v. 5)".

Saint Paul also teaches in his Letter to the Romans: "So in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others (Rom 12:5)". It happens in the sacred liturgy, most especially in the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, where Christ himself becomes present among his people. Here, the Church becomes the assembly of the saved, called together by the Word of God and united in the power of the Holy Spirit.

May we never forget the dignity of our calling as members of Christ's Body. May we always pray for one another and support in every situation of our life. Amen.

Reflection on 1 Corinthians 5:1-5 by Józef Trzebuniak.

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