To whom the Church is not a mother, God is not a father. Who said this and how to understand it?translated

This statement belongs to St. Cyprian of Carthage (200-258) and in its original version it sounds like this: “He can no longer have God as a Father who does not have the Church as a mother.” Let's figure out what its meaning is.

Priest Evgeny MURZIN

editor of the direction "Faith and Church"

The Apostle Paul calls the Church the Body of Christ (see Eph 1:22–23; Col 1:18), and the Lord Himself speaks of Himself as a vine, with which its branches remain in unity (John 15:1–6). It follows from this that the salvation of the soul and the acquisition of the Kingdom of God (and this is the task that faces every Christian) occurs only in unity with Christ, which is realized in the Church through reading the Gospel, participation in the sacraments, congregational prayer and mutual communication of believers.

Calling the Church a mother, Saint Cyprian uses a very clear image. Just as a mother gives birth and raises a child, the Church in Baptism gives birth to a person for eternal life, feeds him with the word of God, the Body and Blood of Christ, helps him grow spiritually, heals him from spiritual ailments in the sacrament of Repentance. It is in this sense that she becomes a mother for every Christian.

When the saint says that he who does not consider the Church...