A Stone in the Church of God : Cephas, by Daniel Meynen, D.D.

1. In a previous work entitled The Eucharist: The Church in the Heart of Christ, I related what the Spirit of God allowed me to understand, in faith, concerning the sacrament of the Body of Christ, which is the mean or mediator of the corporeal order instituted by the Lord, in order that Mary, his Mother, might exercise her universal mediation. Since Mary is the spouse of the Pope, the Vicar of Christ on earth, I must also speak, for the sake of completeness, of the relation that exists between Christ-Eucharist and the Roman Pontiff, both of whom are, each in his own way, mediators of the corporeal order. This is the theme I propose to develop in the present work, always following in faith what the Lord communicates to me of his Light. This new book, like its contents, will thus relate directly to the previous one. For practical reasons, when it is necessary to refer to The Eucharist: The Church in the Heart of Christ, the abbreviation ECHC, followed by the number of the paragraph in question, or else followed by the page number (if it consists in a text that is not numbered), will be inserted at the proper place. In this way, one book closely linked to the other, these two books will constitute volumes one and two of a single work.

Simon Peter, the Prince of the Apostles, addresses Christ, the Son of God who was made flesh (John 1:14), and says to him, You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God. (Matt. 16:16) And what he says is what he is thinking at that moment in his mind: he has within himself an image of Christ, by way of spiritual knowledge. So, when he pronounces the words You are the Christ..., Peter is in spiritual union with Christ, by way of knowledge. But, before the occurence at Caesarea, and from their very first meeting, Christ himself had created a spiritual union, by that same way of knowledge, between himself and the future Apostle, by declaring, You are Simon, son of John. (John 1:42) However, at that starting point, Jesus gave Simon a new name: «You will be called Cephas» (this word means Rock). (ibid.) This means that Christ knows Simon spiritually by means of and through the intermediary of an appellation that is exclusively material, or corporeal, that of rock; which, in the Aramaic language, is translated as Cephas. By this fact, from its very origin, the union that the Lord created between himself and Simon Peter, while essentially spiritual, is and cannot fail to be at the same corporeal, and this mystically - that is, according to the order of Divine Will. And all this necessarily applies when Peter addresses Christ to tell him, You are the Christ, since, right after Peter's profession of faith, the Lord replies, to interiorly confirm him, You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church. (Matt. 16:18)

2. What is important to note here is that, by pronouncing the words You are the Christ..., Peter is not only in a spiritual, as well as corporeal, union with Christ, but is also, by virtue of the witness of Christ himself, in a spiritual union with the Father, He who, eternally, begets the Word of life (1 John 1:1). Indeed, after Peter had spoken, Christ said, It was not flesh and blood that have revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. (Matt. 16:17) Thus, when Peter speaks the words You are the Christ..., the Father is in him, speaking to him by mode of revelation, or of knowledge, one which is spiritual and interior. Now, while Christ-Man immediately receives from the Word, who is God in Person, all knowledge or revelation of a divine order, every other man - and thus Peter as well - can receive divine revelation only through the intermediary of Christ, the sole mediator between God and men. (1 Tim. 2:5) Moreover, it is for this reason that the spiritual union, by way of knowledge, between the Father and Peter is revealed to the latter by Christ in person. And finally, given that there exists between Christ and Peter - at the very moment when Peter pronounces the words You are the Christ... - a spiritual, as well as corporeal, union by way of knowledge or revelation, all of this allows us to say that there exists, between the Father and Peter, a spiritual union, by way of revelation, which is also and necessarily corporeal.

3. If, when Peter pronounces the words You are the Christ..., there exists a spiritual and corporeal union between the Father and Peter, and between Christ - who is the Son of God incarnate - and Peter, then there must also exist, at the same time, a spiritual and corporeal union between the Holy Spirit and Peter: if Peter is one with the Father and with the Son, then he must necessarily be one with the Spirit of the Father and the Son. This amounts to saying that there exists - in Christ and through his mediation - a union between the Most Holy Trinity and the Prince of the Apostles, a union which is, with respect to its mode (of the order of knowledge or revelation), both spiritual and corporeal; and that, by this very fact, the entire person of Peter, considered as body and soul in his union with Christ, manifests and entirely reveals the Most Holy Trinity, rendering it visible and knowable to the Church and to the World (and thus also to himself) through the public proclamation of his faith in the word of the Father, spoken without end in his Son, through the action of the Holy Spirit. This is what we may call the Trinitarian ministry of Peter in particular, and of the Pope in general. This is also the entire subject of our book, a subject which is wholly contained in the title which we have given it: A Stone in the Church of God: Cephas.

4. Cephas is the name given by Jesus to Simon, the Prince of the Apostles, a name which - because it means rock - is the verbal expression of the corporeal and spiritual union that exists between Christ and Simon Peter. And in this name Cephas resides the entire root and foundation of the Trinitarian ministry of Peter in particular, and of the Pope in general. Now, as to what concerns the corporeal union that exists between Christ and Peter, a union which is expressed by the word Cephas, it is properly and solely by means of Eucharistic communion that this corporeal union can, and truly does, exist; for on the one hand, since the human person is incommunicable, we cannot consider Christ here in his corporeal human appearance, as he is in via, and more precisely, as he is in his act of temporal elocution to Peter; and on the other hand, since the Eucharist considered as communion possesses, in itself, an aspect that is properly corporeal, permitting - in relation to the mediation of Mary (see ECHC, no. 103) - a corporeal union, of the mystical order, between Christ and the human person who receives communion. Thus, the trinitarian ministry of Peter is exercised fully and solely by means of corporeal and spiritual communion with Christ-Eucharist (see ECHC, no. 74).

5. However, we must absolutely not deny that, when Christ says to Simon You are Peter (or Cephas) (Matt. 16:18), this same Christ is present, facing Simon-Peter, in his human appearance and his physical body. Also, if the corporeal and spiritual union, expressed by the word Cephas, between Christ and Simon Peter finds its realization in Eucharistic communion, this cannot be - at the very moment when the word Cephas is spoken by Christ - according to the mode of act, but rather according to the mode of power, that is to say in a way that relates to a future time, and not the present, as is confirmed by the context in which the word Cephas is spoken: On this rock, I will build my Church (Matt. 16:18), and not I build; You will be called Cephas (John 1:42), and not you are called. By that very fact, insofar as the word Cephas is the verbal expression of the corporeal and spiritual union between Christ-Eucharist and Simon Peter, this same word Cephas signifies by itself and in itself, by the will of Christ - who is God - which this word exteriorly manifests, that the Prince of the Apostles is and must be, at the moment when Christ speaks to him, in power with respect to the sacramental act - corporeal and spiritual - of Eucharistic communion. But, given the exterior character of the word Cephas, considered in its essence as a spoken word; and, even more so, given the corporeal and material character of the word Cephas considered in its essential relation to the corporeal reality of the rock that this same word expresses; it must definitely be affirmed that the word Cephas, spoken by Christ to Simon Peter, cannot fail to signify and express, intrinsically, that Simon Peter is - with respect to the act of Eucharistic communion - in power, a power which is spiritually passive and corporeally active, and this in a manner that is indissociable and one, in virtue of the character - simple and one - of the human person, of which the word Cephas is the expression insofar as it is its name. This amounts to saying that, in telling Simon, You are Peter (or Cephas) (Matt. 16:18), Christ confers upon him the ministerial and priestly power relating to the act of Eucharistic communion, a power which is of the order of grace, since Christ had just said, Blessed are you, Simon. (Matt. 16:17)

6. Cephas is the verbal expression in virtue of which Simon Peter is able to communicate corporeally and spiritually of Christ-Eucharist. Now, given that what God says in Christ, who is the Word incarnate, He does (for it is written, He spoke, and it was done (Psalm 32:9 ; Psalm 148:5 - see ECHC, no. 37)), we must think and believe without any doubt that, by means and through the intermediary of the word Cephas, Christ - who is God - really, though mystically (see no. 1), realizes a corporeal and spiritual union between himself, considered in his Eucharist, and the person of Simon Peter. In other words, it seems clear that Cephas is the verbal expression in virtue of which Simon Peter is in the act of corporeal and spiritual communion with Christ-Eucharist. In consequence, given that the divine life, as it is revealed to us in Christ, and as it is communicated to us in the Eucharist, is, simultaneously and indissociably, in act and in power of communicating corporeally and spiritually of Christ-Eucharist.

7. In the context of the Trinitarian ministry of Peter, Cephas is the verbal expression of the corporeal and spiritual union between Christ-Eucharist and Simon Peter, a union that is at once in act as well as in power. Now, since the Eucharist is corporeally a food, and since all food is united in a manner that is absolutely simple and one - by the principle of life - to he who eats, one can say without hesitation that, in the act of corporeal and spiritual union between Christ-Eucharist and Simon Peter, the verbal expression Cephas, if it is attributed to Simon Peter, it must also necessarily be attributed to Christ-Eucharist, that is to say to Christ considered both as the Word of God and as food (see ECHC, no. 49). This is why Peter himself calls Christ the living stone (1 Peter 2:4), or the stone that, because it is food, gives life in a properly corporeal manner. Thus, Cephas cannot fail to be the verbal expression of the reciprocal corporeal union between Christ-Eucharist and Simon Peter: Cephas expresses at once both the corporeal and spiritual union of Christ - considered in the Eucharist - with Simon Peter, and the corporeal and spiritual union of Simon Peter with Christ-Eucharist.

8. While the word Cephas serves as a verbal expression of the reciprocal corporeal and spiritual union between Christ-Eucharist and Simon Peter, it also serves, similarly, as a verbal expression of the corporeal union between the Pope and the Church considered in the persons of the Cardinals in conclave, and in the whole of the People of God when recognizing the new Pontiff. Now, by the very fact that the Pope receives from the Church the name of Cephas, that is, the same name given to Simon Peter, the first Pope, it is permissible to say that the Pope, in exercising his ministry, is personally similar to Simon Peter, and this in virtue of the individual character of the human person, whose name is, intrinsically, the expression of the entire person. By this very fact, it is clear that the Pope, in the act of his election, is and must be united to Christ-Eucharist, both according to the mode of power in virtue of the action of the Church, who gives him the name of Cephas, and also - in a way that is one and indissociable (see no. 6) - according to the mode of act in virtue of the action of Christ, whom one must necessarily suppose to be acting here, as God, in a union with the Church that is simple and one, and this due to the same absolute indissociability of power and act with respect to the Eucharistic communion of the Pope in general, and of Peter in particular (see no. 6). Thus, one must clearly say that, when the Church gives the Pope the name of Cephas, she also and necessarily gives it to Christ considered in his Eucharist; the Pope and Christ-Eucharist thus being simply united with each other. But it belongs to the Pope, insofar as he ministerially resembles Simon Peter, to give Christ - in Eucharistic communion - the name of Cephas (see no. 7). In consequence, when the Church gives the name Cephas to the Pope, in giving it also to Christ-Eucharist, she acts like the Pope, and in his name. This amounts to saying that, when the Church gives the Pope the name of Cephas, the Pope himself also gives the Church the same name of Cephas, which is his own name. This is why Peter calls Christian believers living stones (1 Peter 2:5), just as he calls Christ, the living stone (1 Peter 2:4). By this very fact, Cephas is the verbal expression of the reciprocal corporeal and spiritual union between the Pope - similar, in terms of his ministry, to Simon Peter - and the Church: Cephas at all times expresses both the corporeal and spiritual union of the Church with Simon Peter (in the person of the Pope, Vicar of Christ), and the corporeal and spiritual union of Simon Peter with the Church.

9. From everything that has already been said, it is easy to conclude that, if Cephas is the verbal expression of the reciprocal corporeal and spiritual union between Christ-Eucharist and Simon Peter, and if this same appellation is the verbal expression of the mutual corporeal and spiritual union between Simon Peter and the Church, then by means of and through the intermediary of the verbal expression Cephas, the two aforementioned unions resemble each other simply, and by this very fact, Christ-Eucharist and the Church also resemble each other corporeally; that is, relative to the corporeal appellation Cephas, the Church is the body of Christ. (1 Cor. 12:27) And finally, as the appellation Cephas is nothing other than the proper name of the first Pope, and is thus that which expresses his personal being, it is beyond doubt that the person of Simon, as Peter or Cephas (that is, considered in the exercise of his Trinitarian ministry), is a mediator of the corporeal order, in a mystical manner (relative to the will of God manifested by Christ in person - see no. 1), between Christ-Eucharist (which supposes, intrinsically, the historical person of Christ), and the Church, in a fully reciprocal manner: from Christ-Eucharist to the Church, and from the Church to Christ-Eucharist. This is the entire meaning of the subtitle of our book: A Study on the Mediator of the Corporeal Order. This is also the accomplishment of what we had announced in our first volume, no. 4.

10. As we see in the episode at Caesarea, the Trinitarian ministry of Cephas is exercised, at once and indissociably, both by means of his material and organic body and by means of his spiritual soul sanctified by grace (see no. 3). That is, the Apostle Peter participates body and soul in the mystery of God, one and triune, revealed to mankind in Christ, and notably to him, Peter, during the episode at Caesarea. Now, it is beyond doubt that Peter, who is among those who - in Adam - have sinned (cf. Romans 5:12), cannot enter corporeally into participation in the Trinitarian mystery except insofar as his body is reunified by his resurrection, having thus become once again similar to the Trinity of Persons in one God (see ECHC, no.33). This is what the Lord himself had perfectly declared to Peter when He said to him, with respect to his Trinitarian ministry, It is not flesh and blood that have revealed this to you (Matt. 16:17), wanting to express in this way that it is impossible for the living body (containing the blood) of Peter to reveal by virtue of what it is: the image of God-Trinity, of whom it is the expression since the Creation, but an expression which, since the original sin, is disfigured and obscured. Thus, it is completely clear that the Trinitarian ministry of Cephas cannot be exercised in a fully corporeal manner (in a manifest and visible manner, fully corresponding to the notion of body) except at the end of time, at the Resurrection of the bodies of the dead.

But, given that Mary Mediatrix (because she is simply similar, in body and soul, to God-Trinity - see ECHC, nos. 32 and 33) is but one with the Most Holy Trinity when Cephas, at the end of time, corporeally reveals God one and triune, he cannot fail to also reveal Mary Mediatrix at the same time, and this in a fully corporeal manner. Now, in relation to the Divine Trinity (which Mary Mediatrix reveals by means of the act of Eucharistic communion - see ECHC, no. 26), this same Mary Mediatrix must be considered, intrinsically, to be the Spouse of the Roman Pontiff, and thus, the Spouse of Cephas (see ECHC, no. 69 and 74). So as, on the one hand, Mary Mediatrix is revealed corporeally by Cephas when he exercises his Trinitarian ministry of the corporeal order at the end of time; and as, on the other hand, a husband and wife are, intrinsically, one flesh (Gen. 2:24); it is thus clear that Cephas, insofar as he is mediator of the corporeal order at the end of time, reveals both Mary Mediatrix and himself (each one of them being the spouse of the other), and this, in the exercise in act of his Trinitarian ministry. By this very fact, Cephas, at the end of time, manifests openly, in a visible and material way, in the exercise of his Trinitarian ministry, the spousal union, of the mystical order, that exists between the Roman Pontiff and Mary Mediatrix.

11. But the Trinitarian ministerial action of Cephas, about which we have just spoken (see no. 10), has already been realized before the end of time, properly speaking: the mystical spousal union between the Pope and Mary Mediatrix has already received a certain material or corporeal - and thus visible and manifest - character through the publication of a book which discusses it, one written by us and entitled The Eucharist: The Church in the Heart of Christ (see, inter alia, no. 71). We can also say that what we have written concerning this spousal union between the Roman Pontiff and Mary Mediatrix is the Work of Cephas in person, and similarly, what we say in general about Mary Mediatrix herself, or about the Pope as Pope, is also his Work, since the spousal union relates to what is most intimate in the human person, and also since he who reveals what is most intimate in a person is the one who reveals what is the most common in that person, thus being the one who has penetrated all of that person's individuality.

Thus, in the first two chapters, the function of Mary Mediatrix, which intrinsically concerns the building up of the Church in Christ , will appear from the point of view of Cephas, that is to say possessing, in a manner that is simple and one, the Papal character: we shall see what Peter says about Mary Mediatrix as she papally exercises her mediation. In the following two chapters, the Trinitarian ministry of Cephas, which is intrinsically directed to the union of Christ-Eucharist and the Church, a union which gives birth to a new member of the Mystical Body of Christ, will be seen in an intimate and personal light, that of the Pope, Spouse of Mary in Christ: we will discover that what Peter says about himself when he Marianly exercises his Trinitarian ministry by means of the act of Eucharistic communion. And in the two final chapters, Cephas will reveal to us of what consists the activity of Mary Mediatrix in the bosom of the Divine Trinity: it consists in introducing him, the minister of the Eucharist, into the heart of the Three Divine Persons, in order for her to make him eternally her Spouse in Christ. Finally, in our conclusion, the proper function of the deacon will be clearly illuminated, in relation to the Trinitarian ministry of Cephas and the corporeal mediation of Mary.

12. This Work of Cephas, as a whole, deals with the sacramental act of Eucharistic communion (see ECHC, pp. 22 and 26). And the conclusion of our first volume was that this same act of Eucharistic communion intrinsically possesses an aspect which is properly corporeal (ECHC, no. 103). In that sense, the sacrament of the Eucharist considered as communion is the sacrament which permits a human being to obtain, through the grace of God, almighty and merciful, the anticipated reality of eternal salvation (see ECHC, nos. 92 to 95). In addition, it is in relation to the Trinitarian ministry of the last Pope that the Eucharist can be considered in the way we have just described (see ECHC, no. 75). Thus, it clearly seems that a thorough study - which is what we shall carry out in this book - of the mediator of the corporeal order, actualized in the corporeal person of the Pope, who exercises his ministry through the corporeal act of Eucharistic communion, must be placed - in its initial phase - within the proper context of the end of time, or even within that of the fullness of time (see no. 10).

13. After what we have just said, one could think, a priori, that the notion of fullness of time properly concerns the act of Eucharistic communion. If we consider that the notion of fullness of time signifies that time is full, for it touches the eternity of God and participates in the fullness of the Being who lacks for nothing at all, then the proposition stated above would be true (see ECHC, no.71). But if, more specifically, we place under the heading of fullness of time the fact that time is full because it has ended and there is no more time, then we must say without hesitation that the notion of fullness of time does not concern the act of Eucharistic communion at all. In fact, at the end of time, when there is no more time, the veil will be torn, God will appear in full view under his human appearance, in Christ, and all temporal signs will be abolished in the presence of the eternal reality. Now, without a sign, there would be no sacrament, and therefore no Eucharist. Thus, the notion of the fullness of time, which overlaps the notion of the end of time, does not and cannot concern the sacramental act of Eucharistic communion at all.

14. At the end of time, or in the fullness of time, we cannot make reference to the act of Eucharistic communion (see no. 13). By that very fact, the last Pope, at the end of time, must be considered to be completely incapable of exercising his Trinitarian ministry, due to lacking the means to exercise it. But since the last Pope is the Spouse of Mary in Christ (as has already been said - see no. 10), and since, by that very fact, he is - mystically (the body of the Pope and that of Mary being spiritualized - see ECHC, no.70) - but one body and soul with Mary Mediatrix, he never acts alone in the exercise of his Trinitarian ministry: Mary Mediatrix always acts conjointly and simultaneously with him. Furthermore, given that the last Pope is eternally saved - in relation to the mediation of Mary - both naturally (corporeally and spiritually) and supernaturally (see ECHC, nos. 70 and 75), and that the mediation of Mary is intrinsically governed by the rule of association, simple and one, between divine Revelation and human philosophy, an association whose working principle is human philosophy (see ECHC, nos. 39 and 40); one must certainly think and believe that, at the end of time, if the last Pope is active in a natural way (and this is precisely the case, since at that time he will be living), he is also and at the same time active in a supernatural way. Consequently, from the foregoing, it is entirely permissible to say that the last Pope, at the end of time, is and cannot fail to be in the act of mediation with respect to his own person, and this through and for Mary Mediatrix, his Spouse in Christ.

However, as we had already said earlier on, the last Pope, at the end of time, is incapable of exercising his Trinitarian ministry, due to lacking the means to do so. Therefore, we must finally conclude that, at the end of time, it is properly and solely Mary Mediatrix who exercises the Trinitarian ministry of the last Pope, her mystical Spouse; and also that, by this very fact, Mary Mediatrix, considered at the end of time as mediator of the corporeal order, carries out her mediation in a papal manner. This is what we have already stated (see no. 11); we shall look at this again later on.

15. Studying the mediator of the corporeal order considered in himself in the fullness of time (that is, at the end of time) amounts to considering Mary Mediatrix to be acting, insofar as she is a mediator of the corporeal order, in a papal manner (see no. 14). Now, Mary Mediatrix possesses, by the disposition of Divine Providence, two means through which to exercise her mediation: Holy Scripture, and the Holy Eucharist considered as communion. As we cannot make reference to the act of Eucharistic communion in the context of the fullness of time (see no. 13), Mary Mediatrix therefore uses only a single method in exercising her mediation: the book of life (Revelation 21:27), which is Holy Scripture. However, we know that the act of the proclamation of the Word of God consigned to writing, which is the act of the mediation of Mary accomplished by means of Holy Scripture, is necessarily achieved through the intermediary of the act of Eucharistic communion (refer to ECHC, no. 56). Consequently, given that the act of Eucharistic communion cannot be considered in the context of the fullness of time, and also given that, by this very fact, we can refer only to the reality which this same act of Eucharistic communion expresses and realizes sacramentally, namely the act of the Nativity of Christ (see ECHC, nos. 47 and 73 - see also no. 82); we must finally say without any doubt that Mary Mediatrix, if she exercises her mediation papally, can do so only in the act of the proclamation of Holy Scripture accomplished by means of the act of the Nativity of Christ.

16. The act of the proclamation of Holy Scripture in general is an act accomplished by the Church, acting conjointly with Christ, through the intermediary of Mary Mediatrix, and for her (refer to ECHC, nos. 51 and 52). In other words, in pronouncing the words of Holy Scripture together, Christ and the Church give birth to their common corporeal mediator, who is Mary Mediatrix (ibid.). By this very fact, there is established between Christ and the Church a corporeal union of the mystical order, that is to say in relation to the mediation of Mary (see ECHC, no. 23). However, given that all of this is realized by means of the words of Holy Scripture, words which must be considered as a food of the corporeal order (see ECHC, no. 49), it cannot be doubted that there is established between Christ and the Church a contact that is simple and one (see ECHC, no. 50). Thus, as Mary Mediatrix, during her mediation by means of Holy Scripture, must be considered solely in terms of her body (see ECHC, no. 32), and as, by that very fact, the union between Christ and the Church must be considered, fundamentally and principally, corporeal (although mystically so); we must conclude from the foregoing that the union between Christ and the Church, a union which gives birth to the corporeal mediator, Mary Mediatrix, is of the order of the spiritualized or simplified body.

17. When we examine this order of the spiritualized or simplified body in detail, we see that it refers to two distinct but mutually indissociable realities. First, in relation to the fact that the union of Christ and the Church in the act of the proclamation of Holy Scripture gives birth to their common corporeal mediator, who is Mary Mediatrix, given that the means used by Mary Mediatrix is that of Holy Scripture, and that this means is intrinsically composite and non-simple, and also given that this same means, because it is a means (or an intermediary), must fully concern Mary as mediator or intermediary of the corporeal order, it must be clearly said that this union between Christ and the Church cannot, under any circumstance, give birth to the spiritualized body of Mary Mediatrix, but rather solely to the body of Mary Mediatrix considered in a decomposed and fragmentary way, and according to a corporeal order that tends toward the infinitely small. In other words, during the proclamation of the multiple words of Holy Scripture, the conjoint and common action of Christ and the Church gives birth, mystically, to a simple corporeal element, infinitely small, which enters into the composition of the very body of Mary Mediatrix.

18. Secondly, in relation to the fact that the union of Christ and the Church in the act of the proclamation of Holy Scripture, while mystically giving birth to the body of Mary Mediatrix, also gives birth, at the same time and also mystically, to a new member of the Mystical Body of Christ, through and for Mary Mediatrix (refer to ECHC, nos. 51 and 52); given that the means used by the Church is the same as that used by Mary Mediatrix, namely that of Holy Scripture, but also given that this same means, because it is a means (or an intermediary), cannot under any circumstances concern the Church who is neither intermediary nor mediator, but rather one of the extremes of the mediation of Mary, we must say without any possible doubt that the union of Christ and the Church in the act of the proclamation of Holy Scripture, while giving mystical birth to a simple, infinitely small, corporeal element, one which enters into the composition of the body of Mary Mediatrix (see no. 17), it also gives birth, at the same time and in a mystical manner, to the spiritualized body of a new member of the Church, considered in all his or her personal individuality. This amounts to saying that, through Mary and for Mary, the building up of the Church is also realized in Mary, considered as a mediator of the corporeal order.

19. What we have just said is illustrated by a beautiful text by Saint Louis-Marie Grignon de Montfort: One must perform one's actions in Mary. In order to truly understand this practice, one must know that the Most Blessed Virgin is the true terrestrial paradise of the new Adam, and that the former terrestrial paradise was only a figure of the new. Thus, in this terrestrial paradise, there are inexplicable riches, beauties, rarities, and delights which were left there by the new Adam, Jesus Christ. It is in this paradise that he stayed for nine months, worked his wonders, and displayed his riches with the magnificence of God. That most holy place consisted of a virgin and immaculate land, from which was formed and nourished the new Adam, without any stain or blemish, through the operation of the Holy Spirit, who inhabits it. (Treatise on True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, no. 261) One must remain in the beautiful interior of Mary with delight, rest there in peace, rely on that place with confidence, to hide there in assurance and to lose oneself there without reservation, in order that, in that virginal womb, one's soul might be fed with the milk of her grace and of her motherly mercy (...), in order that the soul might be formed in Jesus Christ and that Jesus Christ might be formed in it: for her womb is, as the Fathers say, the room of the divine sacraments where Jesus Christ and all the elect were formed: Homo et homo natus est in ea This man and that are born in her (Ps. 86:5). (ibid., no. 264)

20. In relation to the mediation of Mary by means of Holy Scripture, the joint and common union of Christ and the Church mystically gives birth, on the one hand, to a simple corporeal element which enters into the composition of the body of Mary Mediatrix, and on the other hand, to a new member of the Mystical Body of Christ considered in the spiritualization or simplification of this new member's body. Now, concerning this latter reality, given that a spiritualized or simplified body must be assimilated to a reality of the spiritual order, which is intrinsically characterized by simplicity and unity, it is altogether clear that the union which gives birth to a new member of the Church is also characterized by that same simplicity and unity. Consequently, by virtue of the simple and unique character enjoyed by Christ and the Church in the act of the proclamation of Holy Scripture through and for Mary Mediatrix, these two realities issuing from this union together form but one reality. In other words, by means of the words of Holy Scripture, the building up of the Church intrinsically realizes, mystically, a simple corporeal element which enters into the composition of the body of Mary Mediatrix, and thus, given the individual character of the human person, each of these new members of the Church mystically realizes a specific element in the body of Mary Mediatrix.

21. Within the context of the end of time, or of the fullness of time, a context which intrinsically requires the concept of the spiritualized or simplified body (with respect to the last Pope, the model of believers - refer to ECHC, nos. 70 and 75), one must think and believe, given all of the foregoing, that the totality of the members of the Mystical Body of Christ, a totality which is stable and definitive because of the absolute absence of time, mystically realizes as many simple elements of the body of Mary Mediatrix as are then persons chosen by God making up the Mystical Body of Christ. But, given that Mary Mediatrix - because she is the first of the faithful - possesses, from the beginning of the building of the Church, all of her body, and this in a fully natural manner; and also given that the mediation of Mary is intrinsically governed by the rule of association, simple and one, between divine Revelation and human philosophy, an association in which the basic reference is human philosophy (refer to ECHC, nos. 39 and 40); it is clear that, if Mary Mediatrix naturally possesses her whole body, then she also and necessarily must mystically possess that same body in its total and full integrality.

Thus, due to the stable and definitive character of the quantity of members of the Mystical Body of Christ considered at the end of time, or in the fullness of time, it is permissible to conclude, finally, that the quantity of simple corporeal elements, which enter into the composition of the body of Mary Mediatrix and are mystically realized by each of the members of the Mystical Body of Christ considered in its fullness, is the same, without any possible variation in number, as that which makes up the entire body of Mary Mediatrix, and this in a mystical manner, fully in relation to the mediation of Mary.

22. In the fullness of time, there is, in relation to the mediation of Mary by means of Holy Scripture, a mystical identification between the body of Mary Mediatrix and the totality of the members who make up the Mystical Body of Christ (see no. 21). Now, all of this intrinsically supposes that between Christ and the Church - the two extremes of the mediation of Mary - there exists a contact that is absolutely simple and one, and this in relation to the mediation of Mary by means of Holy Scripture (see no. 16). Thus, one must say without any doubt that between the body of Mary Mediatrix and the totality of the members of the Church, there is a simple identification, of the mystical order; that is to say in relation to the mediation of Mary. By this very fact, it is absolutely clear that, in the fullness of time, Mary Mediatrix, considered solely in terms of her body, must by considered as a simple believer - the model of all other believers - whose body is mystically realized through the totality of the members of the Church.

23. If we consider Mary Mediatrix as a simple believer, she is, like other believers for whom she is the model, in a union, simple and one, with Christ (see no. 16). Now, given that the simple union between Christ and the Church is accomplished by means of Holy Scripture (ibid.), and thus that, by this very fact, this simple union is fully in relation to the mediation of Mary, one must say that the union, simple and one, between Christ and Mary Mediatrix is realized through the intermediary of Mary Mediatrix herself, considered as a mediator of the corporeal order. This amounts to saying that, when Mary Mediatrix, in her simple union with Christ, is considered as one of the extremes of her mediation (these extremes being Christ and the Church - that is, the believers in Christ), this same Mary Mediatrix does not ever cease to be the middle term or intermediary of her mediation, and she must be considered as such. Now, in a mediation of the corporeal order (as in this case), when one of the extremes is also at the same time the middle term or intermediary, this means, without any doubt, that the other extreme is also - at the same time as the first extreme - the middle term or intermediary, and this in a fully corporeal manner.

Consequently, one may assert from all the foregoing that, if Mary Mediatrix, being, as a simple believer, one extreme of her mediation, is also necessarily a middle term or intermediary of this same mediation, then similarly Christ, while being the other extreme of the mediation of Mary, is also, and at the same time, a middle term or intermediary of this same mediation of Mary. In other words, in relation to the union, simple and one, between Christ and Mary Mediatrix, one must clearly say that there is a simple identification between the body of Christ and the body of Mary Mediatrix, and this in an altogether mystical manner, that is to say in relation to the mediation of Mary.

24. In conclusion, let us say that, since there is a simple identification between the body of Christ himself and the body of Mary Mediatrix, and since there is, at the same time, a simple identification between the body of Mary Mediatrix and the entirety of the members of the Mystical Body of Christ, then Christ himself, Mary Mediatrix, and the Church considered in all her fullness together make up but one body, and this in a mystical manner, fully in relation to the mediation of Mary, Mary being considered a mediator of the corporeal order. By this very fact, this allows us to clearly state that, if the building up of the Church in Christ - a building up which is the result of the union of Christ and the Church - is carried out in Mary Mediatrix when she exercises her mediation by means of Holy Scripture (see no. 18), then the building up of the Church in Christ is also necessarily carried out with Mary Mediatrix in the principal exercise of her mediation, that is to say in the realization of the act of the Nativity of Christ (see no. 15): that is the entire development of what we have sketched out in our Preliminaries (ECHC, no. 74).

Finally, one is still permitted to say, due to what has been said to this point, that, if Christ himself, Mary Mediatrix, and the Church in her fullness together make up but one body, then there must necessarily exist a verbal expression, and thus also a proper concept, by which this one body is named by our mouth after having been conceived in our spirit. Now, given that, in the context of the fullness of time, Mary Mediatrix must be considered as a simple believer (see no. 22), it is clear that the one body we are speaking of is, on one hand, that of Christ himself, and on the other hand, that of the Church considered in her fullness, and thus considered mystically as the full and complete integrality of the very body of Mary Mediatrix (see no. 21). Thus, we must finally think and believe that the verbal expression proper to this one body of Christ himself and of the Church in her fullness is nothing other than Cephas (cf. John 1:42), since this expression is applicable, corporeally, both to Christ and to the Church (see no. 9), and since this same expression is the only one that can be applied to them, as we shall see in the following pages, in order to be able to say without any possible doubt that Mary Mediatrix exercises her mediation papally.

25. In the fullness of time, in relation to the mediation of Mary, Christ himself, Mary Mediatrix, and the Church considered in the fullness of her members make up but one single body. Now, manifestly, as all this is in relation to the mediation of Mary by means of Holy Scripture (see no. 15), of the three elements that make up this one body, it is clear that Mary Mediatrix is the mediating element, and that Christ himself and the Church in her fullness are the two extremes that the mediating element unites together. Thus, we can say that Christ himself and the Church in the fullness of her members make up but one single body through the intermediary of Mary Mediatrix considered as mediator of the corporeal order. But to say that Christ himself and the Church in her fullness make up but a single body amounts to saying that Christ himself and the Church in her fullness are corporeally similar and identical, although in an altogether mystical way, that is, fully in relation to the mediation of Mary. In addition, given that Christ is the first-born among many brethren (Rom. 8:29), it is not Christ himself who is, intrinsically, corporeally similar to the Church in her fullness, but rather the Church in the fullness of her members who is corporeally similar to Christ himself, her model: it is in this sense that the Church in her fullness is mystically the body of Christ. (1 Cor. 12:27) Consequently, from what has already been said, one must conclude that, in relation to the three elements which make up a single and unique body, Mary Mediatrix is the mediating element of the corporeal order, who unites, on the one hand, Christ himself, and on the other hand, also Christ himself considered in his corporeal identity, of the mystical order, with the Church in the fullness of her members. In other words, Christ's own mediation considered in all its fullness - that is, the realization in act of the union, of the corporeal and mystical order, between Christ and the fullness of the members of the Church - is necessarily accomplished through the intermediary of Mary Mediatrix considered as mediator of the corporeal order, in the fullness of time.

26. As we have just seen, in the fullness of time, Christ's own mediation with respect to the Church in the fullness of her members is mystically accomplished through the intermediary of Mary (see no. 25). Now, Christ's mediation is realized, intrinsically, by means of and through the intermediary of the Humanity of Christ, the mediating element between God, in the Word, and the fullness of human persons chosen from all eternity to make up the Church, the Mystical Body of Christ. In addition, Christ-Man, insomuch as he makes up a single body with Mary Mediatrix and with the Church in the fullness of her members, must be considered, in relation to the mediation of Mary, not only as one of the extremes of this same mediation of Mary, but also, necessarily, as the mediating element, of the corporeal order, of this mediation (see no. 23). Consequently, we cannot fail to say, from what has already been said, that Christ's own mediation between God, in the Word, and the Church in her fullness is accomplished and is realized, in a primary manner, through the intermediary of Mary Mediatrix' own body, and in a secondary manner, through the intermediary of Christ's own body, and this, in an identification, simple and one, between body of Christ himself and the body of Mary Mediatrix, in the proper context of the fullness of time (see no. 23). Finally, this amounts to saying that, in the fullness of time, Christ's mediation and Mary's mediation are one. As the mediation of Mary is properly of the corporeal order, Christ's own mediation, in the fullness of time, is also properly of the corporeal order: it is through the intermediary of his body, as well as through that of his spiritual soul sanctified by grace, that Christ reveals to the Church and to the world the entire Mystery of the Holy Trinity. This is why, in the fullness of time, the following spiritual words of Christ find their full corporeal realization: I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, but by me (...) He who has seen me, has seen the Father (...) Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. (John 14:6,9,11)

27. In the fullness of time - that is, at the end of time - the mediation of Christ and that of Mary will be but one in order to reveal to the Church and to the world, in a manner both corporeal and spiritual, the entire Mystery of the Holy Trinity (see no. 26 - see also ECHC, no. 33). Now, we cannot at all deny that Mary Mediatrix - since, contrary to Christ who is at once God and Man, this same Mary Mediatrix is only a human person and not divine - exercises her Trinitarian mediation, intrinsically, in her faith and through her faith in the Mystery which is not of her own nature. In addition, given that we are dealing with the mediation of Mary by means of Holy Scripture (see no. 15), and that, by this very fact, the faith in which and through which Mary Mediatrix exercises her mediation possesses, intrinsically, both an aspect that is properly spiritual - an aspect which fully relates to the subject who believes spiritually - and also an aspect that is properly corporeal - an aspect which fully relates to the object which is believed, and, thus, an aspect which fully relates to the body of the human person who believes spiritually - (refer to ECHC, no. 54), we must think and believe that, if Mary Mediatrix exercises, in faith and through faith, her Trinitarian mediation, then she does so in a way that is as much corporeal as spiritual, and this, relative to the virtue of faith in its relation to the Mystery of the Holy Trinity. However, we cannot fail to assert that, in the fullness of time, or at the end of time, the virtue of faith cannot exist with respect to the subject who believes (since we will then have a clear - unveiled - vision of God-Trinity), but rather and solely with respect to the object which is seen in and through this same virtue of faith. In other words, in the fullness of time, we cannot speak of the spiritual aspect of the virtue of faith, but only of its corporeal aspect, of the mystical order: that is to say, in full relation to the mediation of Mary. Consequently, insomuch as, in the fullness of time, it is one with the mediation proper to Christ, the Trinitarian mediation of Mary Mediatrix is exercised in and through her corporeal faith in the Mystery which she reveals to the Church and the world: it is through she who, spiritually and corporeally, believed in the fulfillment of the words which were addressed to her by the Lord (Luke 1:45), words which are none other than the multiple words of God written down in the Holy Scriptures, that the Mystery of God one and triune is corporeally (and also spiritually) manifested and revealed in Christ the Lord.

28. Through her faith, in its properly corporeal aspect, Mary Mediatrix - in her union with Christ Mediator - reveals to the Church and to the world, both corporeally and spiritually, all the Mystery of the Holy Trinity, and this in the proper context of the fullness of time (see no. 27). Now, this means that Mary Mediatrix, as mediator of the corporeal order, exercises her mediation insofar as she herself believes, in a corporeal and thus mystical manner, in God, one and triune, fully revealed in Christ in person. Or, to put it another way: Mary Mediatrix, while being the mediating element of her mediation, exercises this same mediation as an extreme - that is, as a simple believer, insofar as she is a believer - in Christ - in the Mystery of God one and triune. But, we have already seen that, when Mary is considered both as a mediating element and as an extreme (that is, as a simple believer), this same Mary Mediatrix is then, intrinsically, the human person whose body is mystically realized through the fullness of the members of the Church, the Mystical Body of Christ. Thus, we can clearly say that, in the fullness of time, Mary Mediatrix exercises her own mediation, which is one with the mediation of Christ himself, absolutely and exclusively to the extent that the body of this same Mary Mediatrix is considered in its simple identification, of the mystical order, with the fullness of the members of the Church. Finally, all this permits us to conclude that, if Mary Mediatrix, insomuch as she believes corporeally - in her union to Christ Mediator - in the Mystery of God one and triune, reveals corporeally (as well as spiritually), through the intermediary of her body considered as mediator of the corporeal order, all the Mystery of the Holy Trinity, then the Church in the fullness of her members also reveals, corporeally (and also spiritually), through the intermediary of the body of Mary Mediatrix to which she identifies herself in a mystical manner, the Mystery of God, one and triune, fully revealed in Christ.

By this very fact, in relation to the mediation of Mary which is one, in the fullness of time, with the mediation of Christ himself, there exists a mediation proper to the Church considered in the fullness of her members, a mediation which is also one with the mediation proper to Christ. It is thus that the following words of the Council of Vatican II are accomplished in fullness, which teach us that: the Church, in her apostolic work also, justly looks to her, who, conceived of the Holy Spirit, brought forth Christ, who was born of the Virgin that through the Church He may be born and may increase in the hearts of the faithful also. (Council of Vatican II, Lumen Gentium, no. 65)

29. In relation to the mediation of Mary by means of the Holy Scriptures, the Church in the fullness of her members exercises her mediation, in the fullness of time, by revealing corporeally - in a mystical manner - all the Mystery of the Holy Trinity (see no. 28). This means that, in a union, simple and one, with Christ, who is at once both God and Man, the Church in her fullness corporeally reveals the Trinitarian Mystery, in the fullness of time, by proclaiming the multiple words of God written materially, or corporeally, in the Holy Scriptures: at the end of time, the Church in the fullness of her members participates corporeally, in Christ, in the eternal act of the generation of the Word, the Word of God in the Holy Spirit, and this by means of the multiple words of God written in the Holy Scriptures. By that very fact, we can say that, in the fullness of time, the Church considered in the fullness of her members, and considered in terms of her body, as mediator of the corporeal order, is of the order of act a se - like the Most Holy Trinity itself - and this in a manner that is absolutely mystical - that is, in relation to the mediation of Mary by means of Holy Scripture. However, given that, in virtue of the rule of association, simple and one, between divine Revelation and human philosophy, a rule which intrinsically governs the exercise of the mediation of Mary (see ECHC, nos. 39 and 40), the identification, simple and one, between the Church in the fullness of her members and the body of Mary Mediatrix must be understood both in a mystical manner and in a natural and human manner (see no. 21), we must necessarily take into account the fact that, naturally, according to human philosophy, the body of one person in particular, and, in general, the Church in the fullness of her members considered in her simple identification with the very body of the person of Mary Mediatrix, is and must be of the order of act ab alio, since the body is informed by the spiritual soul which animates it (anima is the Latin word for soul). Thus, in virtue of the rule of association, simple and one, between divine Revelation and human philosophy, a rule whose basic reference is human philosophy, we must think and believe that the Church in her fullness, considered corporeally as mediator of the corporeal order, is, in the exercise of her Trinitarian mediation at the end of time, both of the order of act ab alio and of the order of act a se. Now, all this can be thought only if we admit that this other being, upon whom the action of the Church, considered corporeally in her fullness, depends, is and must be this same Church considered corporeally in the fullness of her members. In other words, in the exercise of her Trinitarian mediation at the end of time, the Church in her fullness, considered as mediator of the corporeal order, simply resembles the transcendent Being - that is, the Divine Trinity itself.

30. In virtue of all we have just said, it is clear that the Church considered in the fullness of her members, at the end of time, resembles and is identical to - in a manner that is simple and one - both the Divinity, one and triune, and Mary Mediatrix considered mystically according to her body, that is in relation to her mediation in her corporeal aspect. By this very fact, we can say that, in relation to the mediation of the Church, there exists a similitude, simple and one, between the Holy Trinity and Mary Mediatrix considered solely according to her body, something which we have already shown in our Preliminaries (ECHC, no. 32), and which has since been further explained and clarified. But, given that the similitude, simple and one, between the Church in her fullness and the body of Mary Mediatrix is fundamental and primary, and that, by that very fact, the similitude, simple and one, between the Church in her fullness and the Divine Trinity is secondary and mediate, we can also say that the relation of identity between the Divinity, one and triune, and the Church in her fullness modifies, necessarily and absolutely (in virtue of the notion of oneness and simplicity), the proper notion which characterizes the Church, in her fullness, in her relation of identity with Mary Mediatrix considered solely according to her body. Now, as, in the fullness of time, Mary Mediatrix considered solely according to her body must be considered as a reality that is properly of the corporeal order (see no. 17); and as, intrinsically, Mary Mediatrix considered solely according to her body is a mediator of the corporeal order, we see that the notion which fundamentally and principally characterizes the Church in her fullness, in virtue of her relation of identity with the body of Mary Mediatrix, is that of dimension, since this is the notion which permits the concept of mediator or of corporeal or material midpoint to have its full meaning (see ECHC, no. 52). In addition, it is also clear that the Divinity, one and triune, which is spirit (John 4:24) and is thus the transcendent spiritual being, completely incommensurable, without limit, and infinite, can only modify the notion of dimension by reducing it, necessarily, to absolute nonexistence. In consequence, from all that has said to this point, we must think and believe that the Church in her fullness considered, at the end of time, in similitude, simple and one, firstly with the body of Mary Mediatrix, and secondly with the Divinity one and triune, must be considered, absolutely and exclusively, as a reality, of the corporeal and material order, which does not intrinsically possess any dimension. In other words, in the fullness of time, the Church in her fullness must be considered as being, intrinsically, corporeally and materially, a mathematical point which, by definition, has no dimension.

31. To the extent that, in the fullness of time, the Church in the fullness of her members exercises her mediation, mystically (that is, in union with the mediation of Mary, which is one with the mediation of Christ - see no. 28), insofar as she is corporeally and materially a mathematical point, then, in virtue of her similitude, simple and one, with the Holy Trinity, the Church in her fullness reveals to the world this same Holy Trinity by means of and through the intermediary of the properly corporeal reality of the mathematical point: in other words, through the mediation proper to the Church, the Trinitarian spiritual Divinity appears in the material world under the properly corporeal form of the mathematical point. But if the Most Holy Trinity - which is one of the extremes of the mediation of the Church - is one, in a simple manner, with the Church - the mediating element - in her fullness, it follows absolutely from this that the entire world - which is the other extreme of the mediation of the Church - is also one with the Church in her fullness, in a manner that is completely simple and one. Thus, given that, corporeally (though mystically), the Church in the fullness of her members must be considered, in the fullness of time, as a mathematical point, it is clear that the entire world must thus be considered as a mathematical point when it is placed, by means of mystical mediation, in relation to the Holy Trinity, from which, as a creature, it emanates. This means that, when the Church considers in God, who is light (1 John 1:5), the entire world, the world mystically appears to her under the form of a point, without any dimension. The Patriarch of monks, Saint Benedict, was allowed to experience this one day; Saint Gregory the Great, in the Life of the Saint, recounts that Benedict, the man of God (...), in the middle of the night, saw a light which, spreading out from above, chased away all the shadows and shone with such splendor that this light, which had come forth from the darkness, surpassed the light of day. And an astounding thing then occurred in this vision. As he later recounted it, the entire world presented itself before his eyes as if everything in it had been gathered together under a single ray of sunshine; and Saint Gregory arrived at the following conclusion: For the soul that sees the Creator, all of creation becomes but a point. So little has it seen of the light of the Creator, that all of creation becomes little. (Saint Gregory the Great, Dialogues, Book II, no. 35)

32. To say that the mathematical point, insofar as it the mystical expression, of the corporeal order, of the Church considered in the fullness of her members, materially manifests in the world, by mode of similitude, simple and one, all of the Mystery of the Holy Trinity (see no. 31), presupposes, intrinsically, that the Church in her fullness is, at the end of time, in corporeal union - of the mystical order - with the Holy Trinity itself (see no. 29). Now, given that the mediation of the Church is one with Christ's own mediation (see no. 28), the corporeal union between the Most Holy Trinity and the Church necessarily includes the spiritual union between these same elements. In addition, the spiritual union between the Holy Trinity and each and every one of the human persons who make up the Church in her fullness necessitates the gift of divine grace, freely received and possessed by these same human persons who have thus become pleasing to God. Consequently, if, in the context of the mediation of the Church at the end of time, there exists a reality of the corporeal order simply similar to the Divinity, one and triune, which is uncreated Grace, then there must also necessarily exist a reality of the corporeal order which is similar, in a manner that is simple and one, to created grace, the gift of God to the human persons who make up the Church in her fullness. Now, given that divine grace is essentially spiritual, this same grace of God is absolutely one, in a simple manner, with each and every one of the human persons who make up the Church in her fullness. Also, from what has already been said, one can conclude that, at first sight, the reality of the corporeal order simply similar to divine grace is nothing other than that of the mathematical point considered as a mystical expression, of the corporeal order, of the Church in the fullness of her members.

33. However, based on what we have just said, one must absolutely take into account the fact that divine grace, because it is created, is a mean and an intermediary between the Most Holy Trinity and the Church in her fullness. Thus, in virtue of the fact that, necessarily, the grace of God possesses a similitude, simple and one, in a reality of the corporeal order (as we have said above - see no. 32), one must clearly think and believe that the reality of the corporeal order, simply similar to divine grace, is characterized, intrinsically, by the proper notion of the mediator of the corporeal order. Consequently, one can say without hesitation that the grace of God, in relation to the mediation of the Church at the end of time, finds its similitude, simple and one, in the reality, corporeal and material, of the mathematical point considered as mediator of the corporeal order. But then, in this case, one must admit without any possible question that the reality, of the corporeal order, which is simply similar to divine grace is nothing other than a mathematical point which, in its relation, simple and one, with divine grace, truly possesses - although mystically - a dimension, and this in virtue of the proper notion of the mediator of the corporeal order, whose very foundation is the concept of dimension and of measure (see no. 30). Now, mathematically, and thus naturally, the point has, by definition, no dimensions. In addition, as we are dealing with the mediation of the Church inasmuch as it is considered in its simple union with the Mary's own mediation; and as this same mediation of Mary is governed, intrinsically, by the rule of association, simple and one, between divine Revelation and human philosophy (see ECHC, nos. 39 and 40); we must necessarily consider that the mathematical point, which is simply similar to divine grace, both possesses a dimension - mystically - and does not possess any - naturally - both of these together and at the same time. Consequently, to reconcile all that we have just said, we must absolutely think and believe that the reality of the corporeal order simply similar to the grace of God, in relation to the mediation of the Church, is, intrinsically, that of the mathematical point circumscribed spatially by a sphere whose radius tends toward the infinitely small: in other words, divine grace finds its similitude, simple and one, of the corporeal order, in the volume called a sphere considered in its maximal - quasi-infinite - identity with the mathematical point.

34. What we have just said is admirably confirmed by the two following testimonies, in which the spiritual soul, sanctified by the grace of God and united simply to this same grace, is represented by a sphere or by a globe. The first of these testimonies is the continuation of the vision recounted above (see no. 31) which was bestowed upon Saint Benedict: While the venerable Father had his eyes fixed on the splendor of that dazzling light, he saw the soul of Germanus, the bishop of Capua, taken up into heaven by angels in the form of a sphere of fire. (Saint Gregory the Great, Dialogues, Book II, no. 35) The second testimony, one which we have cited in our first volume (no. 11), is that of the apparition of the Immaculate Virgin to Saint Catherine Labouré, in 1830. According to one of the seer's biographers, Our Lady held a ball in her hands, which represented the globe (...) Catherine herself had said (...): The Virgin offered the globe to Our Lord. It is impossible to put into words. It would be impossible for me to express. (René Laurentin, Vie authentique de Catherine Labouré (The True Life of Catherine Labouré), pp. 184 and 268) Finally, from all of these reflections on both uncreated Grace and created grace, it is permissible to conclude that, if the Church in the fullness of her members, considered directly in her relation with the Divinity, one and triune, must be considered mystically, at the end of time, as a mathematical point (see no. 30), then, in a parallel manner, when she is considered indirectly - by means of and through the intermediary of created grace - in her relation with the Divinity, one and triune, this same Church in her fullness - in virtue, on one hand, of the union, simple and one, between the grace of God and the spiritual soul of every human person, and on the other hand, of the simple inclusion, through the principle of life, of the soul in the body of every living human being - must be considered, just as mystically, as a sphere whose radius tends toward the infinitely small, and this in the proper context of the fullness of time.

35. Inasmuch as divine grace serves as a means and intermediary for the union between the Divinity, one and triune, and the Church considered in the fullness of her members, this same divine grace possesses, in relation to the mediation of the Church in the proper context of the fullness of time, a similitude, simple and one, in the corporeal and material reality of the sphere considered in its maximal identity with the mathematical point (see no. 33) Now, the grace of God, as a divine gift freely possessed by the Church considered in the fullness of her members, and thus, considered necessarily after the act of original sin, is and cannot fail to be a divine gift freely possessed by the Church inasmuch as she is composed, intrinsically (with the exception of the Immaculate Virgin Mary), of human beings who, in Adam, have all sinned (Rm. 5:12). Thus, in virtue of this priority - in time - of original sin with respect to the grace of God considered at the end of time, this same divine grace, before being a means and intermediary for the union of the Church to God, is - firstly and fundamentally - a remedy of the spiritual order serving, not to destroy, but to neutralize, the obstacle and hindrance produced by original sin with respect to the union of the Church to God. By this very fact, if the grace of God, considered as a means and intermediary for the purpose of the union of the Church to God, necessarily possesses a similitude, simple and one, in a corporeal and material reality, then it seems clear that, firstly and fundamentally (in the order of spiritual realities), this same grace of God, considered as the remedy to the obstacle - produced by original sin - preventing the union of the Church to God, must also possess, in relation to the mediation of the Church, a similitude, simple and one, in a corporeal and material reality, essentially different from that of the sphere considered in its maximal identity with the mathematical point.

36. As for this corporeal reality which is different from the sphere, a reality which is simply similar to divine grace, given that this same divine grace, though it must be considered here in terms of its function of neutralizing the obstacle produced by original sin, still remains, in an essential manner (as a divine good given to the human person), a means and intermediary, of divine origin and directed to God, permitting the union of the Church to the Divinity, one and triune, one must clearly say that it is a dimensional and spatial volume, a mediator of the corporeal order, containing within itself the mathematical point, insomuch as it is the mystical expression of the Church considered at the end of time in the fullness of her members, a mathematical point which is the center of the volume in question, and to which this same volume must be considered to be almost identical, if it were possible, just as is the case with the sphere (see no. 33). However, given that - in virtue of the function of grace in its neutralization of the obstacle produced by original sin, a function which is essentially different from that through which grace permits the union of the Church to God - one must think and believe that the volume we are discussing is, as we have already said, essentially different from that of the sphere. Now, the latter has, as one of the geometric properties that characterizes it, the property of having absolutely no planar surfaces and no angular points on its exterior surface. Consequently, from all that has been said to this point, it is permissible for one to say that the volume we are dealing with here is a regular prism, which intrinsically possesses planar surfaces (as well as angular points), and which - because its surfaces are regular - is the only one among the prisms (which can be regular or irregular) which can be nearly identical to the mathematical point which it contains within itself.

37. It remains for us to discover which type of regular prism we are referring to. In order to do this, let us return to the fundamental characteristic which links this volume to the mathematical point which is its center: this volume, which is dimensional and spatial, confers a certain dimension - tending towards the infinitely small - to the mathematical point, the center of this same volume (in virtue of the comparison between this volume and the sphere - see no. 36 - see also no. 33). This therefore permits us to say that the mathematical point, which is, intrinsically, at the center of the volume, is also, at the same time, found on the surface of this same volume. Now, given that this volume must be considered in its maximal identity with the mathematical point which is its center, that is to say that the dimensions of this volume must tend toward the infinitely small, it automatically follows that, if the mathematical point, the center of the volume, is also, at the same time, found on the surface of this same volume, it can only be at the center of each and every one of the multiple planar surfaces which make up this volume, since the distance between the center of each face of the volume and the center of this same volume - which is called the orthonormal distance - is the shortest distance. However, if we base ourselves on the mathematical principle which defines a point as being the intersection of two lines (or line segments) or the intersection of a line (or line segment) and a plane (or any other similar assimilable surface), one must clearly say that the mathematical point, when it is at the center of each of the faces of the volume, is necessarily characterized by the orthonormality of the shortest distance which links each face of the volume to the center of this same volume. Consequently, given that the orthonormal distance tends, intrinsically, towards the infinitely small (in virtue of the maximal identity, quasi-infinite, between the volume in question and the mathematical point which is its center), one must conclude, from all that precedes, that the orthonormality, which characterizes the mathematical point when it is on the surface of the volume, also necessarily characterizes this mathematical point when it is at the center of this same volume, and that, by this very fact, since we are dealing here with an orthonormality that is fully relative to each and every one of the orthonormal distances of the volume, this same volume must be a cube: that is, a regular prism with square faces, each of whose orthonormal distances is perpendicular to the orthonormal distance with respect to the contiguous face.

38. In the fullness of time, in relation to the mediation of the Church, if divine grace - in its function which permits the union of the Church to God - possesses a similitude, simple and one, of the corporeal order, in the proper reality of the sphere (see no. 33), then on the other hand, this same divine grace - in its function which neutralizes the obstacle, produced by original sin, that prevents the union of the Church to God - possesses a similitude, simple and one, of the corporeal order, in the proper reality of the cube (see nos. 36 and 37). Now, given that the function of grace, through which it neutralizes the obstacle produced by original sin which prevents the union of the Church to God, is first and fundamental - in the order of spiritual realities - with respect to the function of grace which permits the union of the Church to God, one must acknowledge that, spiritually speaking, the proper reality of the cube, in relation to the mediation of the Church at the end of time, is included in the proper reality of the sphere. However, contrary to what we have just said, given that the sphere and the cube about which we are speaking have, on the one hand, a diameter, and on the other, a side, which are completely identical to each other (since both tend towards the infinitely small), one must acknowledge that, corporeally speaking, the proper reality of the sphere, still in relation to the mediation of the Church at the end of time, is included in the proper reality of the cube. Consequently, with respect to the Church in the fullness of her members (who are living human persons, that is, considered as body and soul), given that this same Church in her fullness - in relation to divine grace in its function of permitting the union of the Church to God - finds its mystical expression in the proper reality of the sphere considered in its maximal identity with the mathematical point (see no. 34), one must think and believe, in virtue of all that has been said to this point, that the Church in the fullness of her members finds - in a manner that is simple and one (through the principle of life which unites the organic body and the spiritual soul) - her mystical expression in the proper reality of the cube considered, in like manner, in its maximal identity with the mathematical point.

39. What has just been said on the subject of the Church in her mystical expression, of the corporeal order, at the end of time is divinely confirmed by the following passage taken from the Apocalypse of Saint John: Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues, and spoke to me, saying, Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb. And in the Spirit he carried me away to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God (...) And he who talked to me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city and its gates and walls. The city lies foursquare, its length the same as its breadth; and he measured the city with his rod, twelve thousand stadia; its length and breadth and height are equal. (Revelation 21: 9-11, 15-16) The holy City, the celestial Jerusalem, thus has at the end of time, materially and corporeally, a cubic form. Moreover, the Old Testament had already announced the same shape. In addition to the vision of the Prophet Ezekiel (Ezek. 40:1-3; 42:15,20), which is very similar to that of Saint John, one must mention the proper shape of the Sanctuary - the Holy of Holies - in the Temple of Solomon, that Sanctuary which gave a solid form, as it were, to the very commands of the Lord to Moses, in the desert (see Exodus 26). Thus the Sanctuary of the Temple of Solomon was twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and twenty cubits high (1 Kings 6:20).

40. In concluding this chapter, as well as our analysis of the mediation of the Church in the fullness of time, let us say that - the proper mediation of the Church being one, in a simple manner, with the proper mediation of Mary, and thus, the proper characteristics of the former being at the same time those of the latter - Mary Mediatrix exercises her mediation - by means of the multiple words of God set down in the Holy Scriptures - in a cubic manner, that is, inasmuch as her body, which is one with the Church considered in the fullness of her members, is mystically a cube, including corporeally within itself a sphere, considered in its maximal identity, quasi-infinite, with a mathematical point. Now, it is manifest, from the testimony of the Holy Scriptures, that the Church in her fullness, that is, the holy City, the celestial Jerusalem, is mystically, at the end of time, a stone of cubic form: the holy city Jerusalem... its radiance like a most rare jewel... The wall was built of jasper.... The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every jewel... (Revelation 21:10,11,18,19) Thus, one must clearly say, in conclusion, that Mary Mediatrix exercises her mediation, in the fullness of time, insomuch as she is corporeally, as well as mystically, a cubic stone, and thus a cornerstone, just like Christ, a cornerstone chosen and precious (1 Peter 2:6): in short, Mary Mediatrix - as we have said (see no. 24) - papally exercises her mediation, and does so in the fullness of time.

41. Mary Mediatrix, at the end of time, papally exercises her mediation: the mediator of the corporeal order, considered in the person of Mary Mediatrix, exercises her mediation, in the fullness of time, insomuch as she is a cubic stone, or in other words, Cephas. This is what we have demonstrated, with a few details, in the preceding pages. Now, given that husband and wife are no longer two but one (Matt. 19:6), and that, by this very fact, the husband is in the wife, and the wife in the husband, it is manifest that, if Mary Mediatrix (who is the Wife of the last Pope - see no. 14) papally exercises her mediation, in a fully corporeal manner (though mystically - see no. 40), then the last Pope, Husband of Mary in Christ, carries out his Trinitarian ministry Marianly, in a manner that is both corporeal and mystical. But - as we shall demonstrate below - to the very extent that, in the fullness of time, the last Pope exercises his Trinitarian ministry Marianly, then, in virtue of the properly Marian aspect which characterizes the exercise of his ministry, this same last Pope (and in him, every Pope, who is Husband of Mary - refer to ECHC, nos. 69 and 70) carries out his Trinitarian ministry in an equally Marian manner in the time of grace, from the Incarnation of the Word until the final instant before the Parousia of Christ, as we have said at the beginning of this treatise (see no. 11).

42. As a matter of fact, to say that Mary Mediatrix, in the fullness of time, papally exercises her mediation permits one to say, by this very fact, that the last Pope, who, by and of himself, is incapable - at the end of time - to carry out his Trinitarian ministry, exercises this same ministry through and in the person of Mary Mediatrix (see no. 14): in the fullness of time, the last Pope carries out his Trinitarian ministry Marianly. Now, in virtue of the identity, simple and one, between the proper mediation of Christ and that of Mary Mediatrix (when both are considered in the fullness of time - see no. 26), if Mary Mediatrix papally exercises her mediation, then Christ himself also exercises his own mediation in a papal manner. By this very fact, one must think and believe that, in the fullness of time, the last Pope carries out his Trinitarian ministry through and in the person of Christ himself. But, as to the fact we have mentioned above, namely that the last Pope carries out his Trinitarian ministry through and in Mary Mediatrix, this fact cannot be conceived except in virtue of the spousal relation, of the mystical order, existing between the last Pope and Mary Mediatrix, a relation through which and according to which these two distinct persons - the last Pope and Mary Mediatrix - are corporeally but one. Consequently, one should be led to think and believe, a priori, that this other fact, which is that the last Pope carries out his Trinitarian ministry through and in the person of Christ himself, could not be conceived except in virtue of the spousal relation, of the mystical order, existing between Christ himself and the last Pope, a spousal relation which would thus be the proper model of the spousal relation which mystically unites - through divine grace - Christ and the Church considered in each and every one of her members (concerning this, see ECHC, no. 75).

43. However, given that all this is fully relative to the mediation of Mary (which is one with the proper mediation of Christ); and also given that the mediation of Mary is governed, intrinsically, by the rule of association, simple and one, between divine Revelation and human philosophy; it is clear that, if there is a mystical spousal relation between the last Pope and Mary Mediatrix, there is necessarily also a natural spousal relation between these two same persons: this means that, since Mary Mediatrix is naturally a woman, the last Pope is and must naturally be a man. Also, one must clearly say, in virtue of what has already been said, that the fact that the last Pope carries out his Trinitarian ministry through and in the person of Christ himself can in no case be conceived in virtue of the spousal relation, of the mystical order, existing between Christ himself and the last Pope, since both are naturally men and thus cannot be united by any natural spousal relation. Consequently, one can conclude that, if the last Pope, in the fullness of time, carries out his Trinitarian ministry through and in the person of Christ himself, this fact - which (as we have just said) cannot be conceived in terms of the spousal relation, of the mystical order (that is, of the order of grace), existing between the Christ himself and the last Pope - must be conceived, intrinsically, in terms of the sacramental relation - considered in the reality of the episcopal character (since character is the only sacramental reality that survives beyond time, and since the episcopal character is fully relative to the ministry of the Roman Pontiff) - necessarily existing between Christ himself and the last Pope, the Bishop of Rome.

44. According to what we have established above, it seems clear that, if Mary Mediatrix papally exercises her mediation in the fullness of time, then, on one hand, the last Pope, in the carrying out of his Trinitarian ministry, must be considered in his spousal relation, of the mystical order, with Mary Mediatrix, and on the other hand, the same last Pope must be considered in his priestly relation, of the sacramental order (in the reality of the episcopal character), with Christ himself. But, given that all this is founded on the identity, simple and one, between the proper mediation of Christ and that of Mary Mediatrix (see no. 42), what we have just said also permits one to say, conjointly and simultaneously, that, if Mary Mediatrix papally exercises her mediation in the fullness of time, then, on one hand, the last Pope (in carrying out his Trinitarian ministry) must be considered - by means of the mediation of Mary - in his spousal relation, of the mystical order, with Christ himself, and on the other hand, the same last Pope must be considered - by means of the mediation of Christ - in his priestly relation, of the sacramental order (in the reality of the episcopal character), with Mary Mediatrix. Consequently, one may firmly state that, in relation to the exercise in act of the mediation of Mary carried out papally at the end of time (in union, simple and one, with the proper mediation of Christ), the episcopal character sacramentally configures one both to Christ himself and to Mary Mediatrix in person, that is, both to Christ and to the Church considered in the fullness of her members (in virtue of the identity, simple and one, between the body of Mary Mediatrix and the Church in her fullness, an identity that is fundamental with respect to the union, simple and one, between the proper mediation of Christ and that of Mary - see no. 28); in short, the episcopal character sacramentally configures one both to Christ the Head and Christ the Body: it configures to Christ the Whole.

45. Finally, to the extent that the last Pope is united to Mary Mediatrix - not only in the order of grace, by means of the spousal union included simply in the mystical union (of a spousal type) existing between Christ and this same last Pope (see no. 44), but also in the sacramental order, by means of the episcopal character which configures one both to Christ and to Mary Mediatrix (ibidem) - one must think and believe without hesitation that the last Pope, and, in him, every Pope, exercises his Trinitarian ministry Marianly in the time of grace, ever since the Incarnation of the Word in Mary, because everything that is properly sacramental - in this case, the episcopal character - finds its existential origin in this same time of grace.

46. As Mary is the first of all of Christ's faithful, and thus their model, the fact that the Pope exercises his Trinitarian ministry Marianly in the time of grace must be understood in the sense that he carries out this same ministry in a primary manner, inasmuch as he is the first of all priests, whether they be of the first or second order (see ECHC, no. 46). But if the Roman Pontiff is the first of all priests, he is also therefore their model as Vicar of Christ, so that this title, which is proper to the Pope, can also be attributed to each bishop, to each priest, and even to each of the baptized (in relation to the common priesthood of the faithful): Every bishop is a Vicar of Christ for the Church in his care. The Pope is Vicar of Christ for the Church of Rome and, through her, for every Church in communion with her (...) But if we use this title to suggest the special dignity of the Bishop of Rome, we cannot do so without evoking at the same time the dignity of the entire episcopal College, to which it is very tightly linked, as well as that of each bishop, each priest and each of the baptized. (H.H. John Paul II, Crossing the Threshold of Hope, p. 37) Consequently, it is completely permissible to say that, in the time of grace, each bishop, each priest, as Vicar of Christ, exercises his priestly ministry Marianly.

47. The Pope, who is the Vicar of Christ par excellence, carries out his Trinitarian ministry, in the time of grace, in a Marian manner (that is, in relation to the mediation of Mary), by means of the act of Eucharistic communion (see no. 4 - see also ECHC, no. 74). This means that, in the exercise of his ministry, the Pope communicates of the Eucharist Marianly. But, given that the act of Eucharistic communion is nothing other than the sacramental realization of the act of the Nativity of Christ (read ECHC, nos. 47 and 73), which is the first and fundamental act of the mediation of Mary (refer to ECHC, nos. 45 and 82), the Marian character of the Eucharistic communion of the Roman Pontiff is and cannot fail to be the specific character of the act of the Nativity of Christ considered in its relation, simple and one, (since it is sacramental) with the act of Eucharistic communion as such. Now, as the mutual relation which exists between the act of the Nativity of Christ and that of Eucharistic communion is properly of the corporeal order (see ECHC, no. 48), it is easy to see that the specific character of the act of the Nativity of Christ lies in the fact that the Lord Christ corporeally comes out from Mary, his Mother, who brings him into the world. Thus, if the Pope, as Vicar of Christ, communicates of Christ-Eucharist Marianly, this means that, through and in this sacramental action, Christ enters into the person of the Roman Pontiff, and comes out from him, indissociably and simultaneously, and this in a corporeal and mystical manner, that is, in relation to the mediation of Mary. In other words, and by this very fact, every Vicar of Christ who, in the proper exercise of his ministry, communicates of Christ-Eucharist, corporeally sends Christ - the Word of Life incarnate - into the world, thus mystically giving this same Christ existence and life on earth, in whatever human person happens thus to be the Vicar of Christ: the act of Eucharistic communion ministerially accomplished, in a Marian manner, by every Vicar of Christ sacramentally produces the growth of the Church, the universal Vicar of Christ.

48. To the extent that the Church sacramentally builds herself up through the Eucharistic communion of the Vicar of Christ acting Marianly in the time of grace, it seems clear that the sacramentum Ecclesiae, that is, the Church-Sacrament (refer to ECHC, no. 57), is truly realized, but in the most excellent possible manner, through the Eucharistic communion of Cephas, acting Marianly, as the first of all the Popes, and thus, as the first among priests par excellence. Now, in relation to the act of Eucharistic communion, Cephas, the first Pope, can only act Marianly if he exercises his Trinitarian ministry in a properly corporeal manner - though mystically - in relation to the mediation of Mary (see no. 47). But, we have already noted that Cephas can only corporeally exercise his Trinitarian ministry at the end of time, at the time of the Resurrection of the Bodies of the dead (see no. 10). Consequently, given, on one hand, that Cephas truly lived at the time of Pentecost, during the birth of the Church; and on the other hand, given that this same Cephas, who - like all of the Popes - is the Husband of Mary in Christ, truly exercised his Trinitarian ministry, in a corporeal and Marian manner, by means of the act of Eucharistic communion; one must think and believe, in order to be able to conciliate everything we have said to this point, that Cephas, the first Pope, exercises his Trinitarian ministry Marianly - and thus corporeally - by means of the act of Eucharistic communion, from the time of Pentecost until the time of the Resurrection of the Bodies of the dead.

49. However, since Cephas died some thirty years after Pentecost (around the year 67), one can only entertain the thought that he continues to corporeally exercise his Trinitarian ministry by means of Eucharistic communion if one supposes that he acts, intrinsically, through a person who is interposed, through the intermediary of someone who speaks and works in his name. As every Pope is called and declares himself to be the successor of Peter, it is clear that it is through the intermediary of the Roman Pontiff, the successor of Peter, that Cephas continues to corporeally exercise his Trinitarian ministry by means of Eucharistic communion. By this very fact, it is just as clear that the building up of the sacramentum Ecclesiae is realized, intrinsically, through and in the act of Eucharistic communion of the Vicar of Christ, acting, not only Marianly, but also in a manner that is properly Petrine, in relation to the very person of Cephas. All of this then permits one to say that, in relation to the Marian ministry of the Vicar of Christ, the realization of the sacramentum Ecclesiae cannot fail to be founded on the living Tradition of the Church.

50. Now, here is what is said by the living Tradition of the Council of Vatican II: ...the priest alone can complete the building up of the Body in the eucharistic sacrifice. Thus are fulfilled the words of God, spoken through His prophet: 'From the rising of the sun until the going down thereof my name is great among the gentiles, and in every place a clean oblation is sacrificed and offered up in my name'. (Mal. 1:11) In this way the Church both prays and labors in order that the entire world may become the People of God, the Body of the Lord and the Temple of the Holy Spirit, and that in Christ, the Head of all, all honor and glory may be rendered to the Creator and Father of the Universe. (Lumen Gentium, no. 17) From this beautiful text, we see that two sacraments cooperate in the building up of what we have called the sacramentum Ecclesiae: these are the sacraments of Holy Orders and of the Eucharist.

This is what had already been taught by the Council of Trent, although a little less clearly, that is, by seeing the building up of the Mystical Body of Christ only in the remission of the venial sins committed daily by the faithful: «In Coena novissima, qua nocte tradebatur (1 Cor. 11:23), ut dilectae sponsae suae Ecclesiae visibile (sicut hominum natura exigit) relinqueret sacrificium (...) quo (Sacrificii Crucis) salutaris virtus in remissionem eorum, quae a nobis quotidie committuntur, peccatorum applicaretur: sacerdotem secundum ordinem Melchisedech se in aeternum (Ps. 109:4) constitutum declarans, (Deus et Dominus noster) corpus et sanguinem suum sub speciebus panis et vini Deo Patri obtulit ac sub earundem rerum symbolis Apostolis (quos tunc Novi Testamenti sacerdotes constituebat), ut sumerent, tradidit, et eisdem eorumque in sacerdotio successoribus, ut offerrent, praecepit per haec verba: Hoc facite in meam commemorationem, etc. (Luke 22:19; 1 Cor. 11:24), uti semper catholica Ecclesia intellexit et docuit.» (Session XXII, ch. 1 - Denzinger. no. 1740) At the Last Supper, on the night he was delivered up, (our Lord and God) wanted to leave to the Church, his beloved spouse, a visible sacrifice, as human nature requires,... (a sacrifice) whose salutary virtue would apply to the redemption of the sins we commit each day. Declaring that he was constituted a priest of the order of Melchizedek of all eternity (Ps. 109:4), he offered to God the Father his body and blood under the species of bread and wine and, under these same signs, he distributed them to the Apostles for them to eat, and he then established these Apostles as priests of the New Testament; to them and to their successors in the priesthood, he gave the order to offer them with these words: Do this in memory of me (Luke 22:19), as the Church has always understood and taught. (Council of Trent, Session XXII, ch. 1 - Dumeige, no. 766)

51. Thus, the sacraments of Holy Orders and the Eucharist are directed to the building up of the sacramentum Ecclesiae. However, it is the Eucharist which is the sacrament that principally contributes toward this common end, and the sacrament of Holy Orders is at the service of the Eucharist: I reaffirm the tight link between the priest and the Eucharist, as the Church teaches us, and I reaffirm with conviction, and also with an intimate joy of the soul, that the priest is above all the man of the Eucharist: the servant and the minister of Christ in this sacrament, in which - according to the Council, which summarizes the doctrine of the early Fathers and Doctors - is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church (Presbyterorum ordinis, no. 5); each priest is the servant and minister of the

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