"Holy Church is both one in all its members and complete in each of them."

Have you ever wondered why the congregation responds to the priest's greeting, "The Lord be with you," with the response, "And with your spirit," rather than "and also with you"? Have you ever wondered why the Confiteor has us say, "and you, my brothers and sisters," even when we are alone?

Doctor of the Church St. Peter Damian (1007-1073) addresses this and other questions in a letter written 1000 years ago—an important work on prayer and ecclesiology, and powerful affirmation that the Church is present in her individual faithful.

Links

Translation courtesy of Holy Family Hermitage in Bloomingdale, Ohio, as found in their volume Camaldolese Spirituality: https://www.faithandfamily.pub/camaldolese-spirituality/

Theme music: 2 Part Invention, composed by Mark Christopher Brandt, performed by Thomas Mirus. ©️2019 Heart of the Lion Publishing Co./BMI. All rights reserved.