33. THE QUESTION WAS: The Catholic Church has
always been comprised of three parts. What are they?
ANSWER
1. The Church
Triumphant (souls in heaven)
Of
course, starting on the last day of Earth, there will only be one place for the
faithful: heaven.
But for now, we are taught that the Christian church on earth, is
supposed to be engaged in a constant warfare against its enemies. (Websters Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1998))
As Catholics, our lives
should not be seen as "business as usual" but warfare
"constant warfare". We are not regular citizens or noncombatants, but
soldiers in the war against Satan; a war which has both spiritual and physical
dimensions. (Source: Peter Miller: article in the Seattle Catholic, 2/26/02)
All soldiers are called to a particular cause, traditionally the glory of
a king, emperor or state. As Catholics soldiers, we are called to fight for the
glory of Christ the King and the triumph of His will. (ibid)
(Full article at http://www.seattlecatholic.com/article_20011123_True_Soldiers_in_the_Church_Militant.html)
Another tidbit:
The head of the Church in heaven is God.
The head of the Church in purgatory is God.
The head of the Church on Earth is the pope (also known as the Bishop of Rome, or successor of St. Peter).
The supreme head of the WHOLE CHURCH (all three parts together) is GOD.
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