Pope reflects on Lumen Gentium, highlighting the Church as a pilgrim people, a sign of salvation, and a voice against injustice in history.
Newsroom (06/05/2026 Gaudium Press ) In a recent catechesis centered on the Second Vatican Council’s Lumen Gentium, attention was drawn to a defining yet often overlooked dimension of the Church: its eschatological character. The Church, described as a pilgrim people, moves through history with its gaze fixed firmly on its ultimate destination—the heavenly homeland.
This perspective frames the Church not as a static institution but as a dynamic community journeying toward the fulfillment of God’s Kingdom. Rooted in the proclamation of Jesus, who inaugurated a Kingdom of love, justice, and peace, the Church’s mission unfolds within history while always oriented toward its final realization.
At the heart of this teaching lies a tension between the present and the future—what has already begun and what has yet to be fulfilled. The Church lives in what is described as the “already” and the “not yet”: the Kingdom has been initiated in Christ, yet its fullness remains a promise. This forward-looking vision calls believers to evaluate all aspects of life through the lens of that ultimate horizon.
The Constitution Lumen Gentium defines the Church as the “universal sacrament of salvation,” emphasizing its role as both sign and instrument of God’s promise of life and peace. However, this definition also underscores a crucial distinction: the Church is not identical with the Kingdom of God but serves as its seed and beginning. Full realization, it affirms, will come only at the end of time, encompassing all humanity and creation.
Within this mission, the Church operates in history by proclaiming the promise of the Kingdom, celebrating it through the sacraments—especially the Eucharist—and embodying it in relationships marked by love and service. At the same time, it recognizes that God’s saving action extends beyond its visible boundaries through the Holy Spirit.
This understanding carries ethical and social implications. As the guardian of hope, the Church is called to speak clearly against all that undermines human dignity. It is tasked with rejecting injustice and standing in solidarity with the poor, the exploited, and victims of violence and war. In doing so, it interprets the events of history through the Gospel, denouncing evil while proclaiming salvation.
Yet the Church’s mission is accompanied by an awareness of its own limitations. Its institutions, shaped within time and history, are marked by human fragility and are never absolute. Lumen Gentium calls for continual conversion, renewal of structures, and reform of relationships to ensure fidelity to its mission.
Another key dimension highlighted is the unity of the Church across earthly and heavenly realities. All believers—those living, those undergoing purification, and those in glory—are united in what is known as the communion of saints. This bond is expressed most fully in the liturgy, where the faithful pray for the departed and seek the intercession of those who have gone before them.
Through this shared spiritual life, the Church becomes a community that transcends time, united in praise of God and sustained by a common hope. The faithful, guided by this vision, continue their journey strengthened by the example of past disciples and the promise of future fulfillment.
Ultimately, the catechesis presents a Church that does not proclaim itself but points beyond itself—to salvation in Christ. As a pilgrim people, it walks through history with realism about suffering and injustice, yet without despair, sustained by the promise of renewal: that all things will be made new.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Vatican News
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