The Communion of Saints

By Ann Marie Eckert

In the summer time, I spend a lot of time in Canada at my family's cottage on the shores of Lake Erie. My mom's great-uncle worked for the railroad that originally owned the land. When it was offered to employees in 1932, my great, great-uncle Steve became one of the first cottagers at Beckley Beach. He and his unmarried siblings all used the cottage during the summers and they invited their nephew (my grandfather) to bring his family up to the cottage as well. My mom has spent every summer of her life at the cottage, and so have I. My nieces are the 5th generation to spend summers at the beach.

In my own life, that cottage has gone through some changes — mostly caused by Lake Erie storms. It now sits a good 50 feet further from the water than it did when I was a kid. It also has a whole new wall, since a November storm in 1985 sent waves crashing through the front of the cottage. But in many ways it is still the same place it has always been. As we head towards the 4th of July weekend, my whole family will be gathered at our little cottage, with every couch and bed filled to capacity. We will come together to live in community, telling stories to the children from the "old days" when we were kids and making new memories that will last long past my own life. Last year, my 11-year-old niece figured out that someday that cottage would belong, in part, to her. I pray that we will have done enough to pass on the history and stories that fill every corner of the place to my nieces so that they can pass down not only the building, but also the story of their ancestors, to their own children.

Anyone who knows me knows of my love for the cottage. It is the place I feel most connected to my own spirit, but also to the spirits of those who have come before me. When I am there, I feel the presence of people I have never met but know through my mom's stories, both members of my own family and the neighbors who have also been Beckley Beach cottagers for over 70 years.

It is through the cottage that I have come to understand the communion of saints. The communion of saints is the name given to all of us, living and dead, who form the church. It includes my great, great-uncle Steve, long deceased, and my five-year-old niece. It includes the apostles, the saints and martyrs, and the millions of everyday people who have come before us. Our church, like my cottage, isn't just about the people who occupy it today, but also the faithful who have gone before us and those who will follow in our footsteps.

In the words of the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

#962 "We believe in the communion of all the faithful of Christ, those who are pilgrims on earth, the dead who are being purified, and the blessed in heaven, all together forming one church; and we believe that in this communion, the merciful love of God and his saints is always [attentive] to our prayers." (Paul VI, CPG 30)

It is through the church that we come to recognize that everything we do in charity profits all those who form this communion of saints and everything we do that is sinful harms them. I think being connected to the history of my own family helps me to recognize this truth. We are not alone or independent. We are connected to each other in the love of God in ways that we sometimes cannot even imagine. This is both a blessing and a responsibility.

Matt Maher sings a beautiful Litany that reminds us of many of the great saints who have gone before us and whom we can turn to for strength, example, and prayers. As you listen to "Litany," pray also to all your own relatives who have helped form and shape you into the person you are today.

Spirit Compass reflections are developed in partnership
with the Center for Ministry Development.