To enter into the communion of the mystical body is to enter into a union that is in transit (𝑖𝑛 𝑣𝑖𝑎). That is, the Church on earth is on pilgrimage to its heavenly destination. To be drawn ever more deeply into the mystical body is to be drawn into an eschatological body. Ecclesial union in via is, in Bonaventure’s own words, “consummated in eternal glory [𝑖𝑛 𝑎𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑎 𝑔𝑙𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑎], according to what the Lord prays, ‘that they may be one, just as we are on; and I in them, and you in me, that they may be consummated into one’ [John 17:22-23]; this unity is consummated through the bond of charity [𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑢𝑙𝑢𝑚 𝑐𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑠].
In a word, then, the mystical body that is the Church, which “contains in it the entirety of those who are to be saved (𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑚 𝑠𝑎𝑙𝑣𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑜𝑟𝑢𝑚), is on pilgrimage to its consummation in eternal glory, which consummation is brought about ultimately by the charity of the Eucharist: “that they may be one’…𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑢𝑙𝑢𝑚 𝑐𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑠.
Therefore, in the Eucharist one is offered a foretaste of heavenly glory—a “foretaste of the heavenly liturgy…toward which we journey as pilgrims,” as 𝑆𝑎𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑡𝑢𝑚 𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑢𝑚 teaches. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐮𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐬 𝐮𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧.
-The New Resourcement, Thomas Anthony Piolata, OFM Cap., 𝑅𝑜𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑜 𝐺𝑢𝑎𝑟𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑖, 𝐵𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑎 𝐸𝑢𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑐 𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝐻𝑜𝑝𝑒
