What is Our Relationship With the Glorious Saints?

What is Our Relationship With the Glorious Saints! In speaking of devotion to the saints, it is important to understand who we are in the first place . . . and who they are in the second place. Therefore, this All Saints Conference begins by looking at the Body of Christ itself. Note the expression. The Church is the Mystical Body of Christ. St. Augustine helps us understand this expression further. He describes the whole Body of Christ this way. Jesus is the head. And we are the body’s members. Understand that there is a fundamental oneness. There is one life within the body. And that is the life of Jesus. There is a fundamental oneness with the shared life of Jesus. The conference further explains this idea. Shared Life of Jesus This shared life has some properties we also need to understand. Despite the discussions one might hear in modern language about your relationship with Jesus, there is a fundamental truth. You do not have a relationship with Christ that is completely separate from mine. It is important to comprehend this truth. Salvation doesn’t happen because Jesus saves me! Rather, I am saved because Jesus saves us! There is a difference. Some Christians believe Jesus saves me, and Jesus saves others and somehow, we come together to form His body. No, that is not accurate. Jesus saves us, by making us His people . . . by making us His body. He doesn’t save people individually, then gathers them. He saves individuals by bringing them into His people. The conference goes into further details and explains why this truth is important. The conference explains how this truth helps explain who we are within the Church. The Three Elements of the Body of Christ When we die, we are still members of the body of Christ. Death changes the connection somewhat, but we remain a member. When we are live, we can physically touch and see one another. When we die, or connection changes . . . but we remain a member of the body. Typically, we speak of three levels of the Church, or three elements of the Body of