We are the Body of Christ

The Church came into being when Christ died on the Cross, but the advent of the Spirit happened on Pentecost, when He sent the Holy Spirit as He had promised. St. Paul speaks of all Believers as members of Christ, so that with Him, they form one Body and we (Cf. 1 Cor 12:12-31; Col 1:18; 2:18-20; Eph. 1:22-23; 3:19; 4:13). There is no church or organisation that represents the members of the body but the individual believers.

The Church, the Body, exists on this earth, and is called the Church redeemed, because its members struggle against the world, the flesh and the devil. The Church triumphant is the Church in heaven. The unity and cooperation of the members of the Church on earth, in Heaven is also called the Communion of Saints. When St. Paul uses the word "Saints" in opening an Epistle, he does not mean they are morally perfect. He has in mind Hebrew qadosh, which means set aside for God, or coming under the covenant. Being such means of course they are called to moral perfection which happens through the union with the Head, the Christ Himself.

The word "Saint" in the modern sense means someone who has been set apart for God and not as canonized by the so called organised Churches, or was accepted as such by the Church. The foolish churches consider saints as a person is shown to have practiced heroic virtue--beyond what people in general do - in all virtues, the title "Venerable" is given; with two miracles by that one's intercession, the title is "Blessed"; two more miracles can lead to canonization and the title of Saint. For them they are popes!!

We are the body of Christ!