As the  church mourned  the beloved pontiff, Pope John the XXIII, who had inaugurated the Second Vatican Council, who had passed away after a battle with stomach cancer, Catholics across the world turned to his successor the newly elected Pope Paul VI for hope and answers on  how the church would reach out in a broken world a world wounded by war and divided by already existing conflicts.

Lumen Gentium, one of the four main documents from the Second Vatican Council, was officially presented by Pope Paul VI on November 21, 1964. The title Lumen Gentium means “Light of the Nations.” This document has deeply shaped our understanding of the Catholic Church, especially its mission in the modern world. It also influenced the theology, preaching, and decisions of many popes since the Council, including Pope John Paul II and Pope Francis.

One of the first areas that this document addressed was the dignity of the baptized. It is a call  to holiness and a mission that  is not reserved only for priests and religious, but one that calls every baptised individual  to be partakers in the Life and Mission of the Church. The lay faithful were called to be agents of change, protagonists in the church’s mission to the world. Therefore to truly bring people into the consciousness of  being the church in the world, the bishops described the church as both mystery and sacrament.  

The council also describes the Church as The Body of Christ , The Body sacrificed on the Cross for the salvation of the world. The Church is also described by a powerful imagery from the Old Testament which was taken from the doctrinal thesis of Pope Benedict XVI. In his thesis he described the Church as The People of God who are incorporated into the body of Christ through the Eucharist, and through the celebration of the sacraments. Thus you cannot really have the church as the people of God without acknowledging it as the body of Christ.  

Vatican 2 reaffirmed Christ as head of the body who established for his people shepherds who would lead them through the bishops of the church. They succeed the Apostles and thus become a college themselves. Lumen Gentium would speak of the collegiality of the bishops so that together with the Pope the Bishop of Rome and never without him, they shepherd the people of God.

Lumen Gentium deals with The Hierarchical Structure of the Church and the Episcopate, the role of the Laity, The Universal Call to Holiness, the Role of Religious Life and other aspects of life in the Church. It emphasises the nature of the Church as a Pilgrim Church and emphasises the role of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Church. In the next episode, we will examine each chapter and understand how we are all called to be a light to the Nations.