The Ecclesiological Reality of Reception Considered as a Solution to the Debate Over the Ontological Priority of the Universal Church

Book excerpt: This study considers two significant but seemingly unrelated ecclesiological discussions: 1) the hotly debated claim that the universal church is ontologically prior, and 2) the rediscovery of reception as an ecclesiological reality. Part one offers a through status quaestionis for both discussions, identifying their contributions and their shortcomings. Part two turns to Scriptures, Tradition, and the Magisterium in an exploration of the ecclesiological reality of reception as a solution to the ontological-priority debate. When we consider the ecclesial reception of the Word and the Eucharistic, a consistent threefold dynamic emerges: 1) our being received into Christ's body; 2) our receiving fullness in and through that body; 3) our mutual reception of each other as members of Christ. While all three dimensions occur simultaneously, it is our being received into Christ's risen flesh that causes all other acts of reception, regardless of how active they are. Part three presents a theological and philosophical synthesis, suggesting a new direction to both contemporary discussions, and concluding with a consideration of the relevance of this study to other themes such as the reception of councils (including Vatican II), the Petrine ministry, the College of Bishop, the sensus fidelium, evangelization, inculturation, and ecumenism.