I think most people answering that question would do a quick Google search and find that there are about 2.5 billion Christians around the world, around 1.4 billion of which are Catholic. That would be a good answer, and even those numbers are staggering. Still, that answer would be technically and truthfully incomplete.
What is the Church? As St. Paul tells us in his letter to the Corinthians, “Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it” (12:27). The Church then, is most basically the body of Christ – those human beings who have been joined to him by the saving grace of Baptism, the infusion of the Holy Spirit, and the bond of Charity. This unity is far deeper than the unity of a club or social organization, though it is more distinct than the unity of the parts of a physical body. As members of the Church, we make up a mystical body of Christ.
It is true, therefore, that all 2.5 billion Christians on earth are in some way tied to this body, at various levels of “attachment.” As Catholics, we joyfully believe that we possess all the sacramental means of remaining rooted in this body, as well as the fulness of the Truth that Jesus desires to light our way as members of his body. The body, however, is even bigger than this!
In fact, the Church has always maintained that our “membership” with the body is not ended after death. Heaven itself can simply be seen as an ultimate and perfected union with Christ’s body. All those in Purgatory too, those who will be in heaven but are in need of further purification after death, are members of this body.
If this is true (and it is!), then the answer to that question, “How many people are in the Church?” is a number far higher than we can count. Every human being who has died in the grace of God now lives as a member of Christ’s body in eternal life.
Yesterday, the Church celebrated the feast of All Saints, on which we remember all those who are currently in Heaven. We recognize our unity with them still and our ability to relate to them, speak to them, and rely on their prayers for us. They are perfectly united with Jesus and await our ever deeper union with them during our lives on Earth and one day in Heaven with them.
Today, the Church celebrates the feast of All Souls, on which we remember all those who have died in God’s grace but are still being purified. They joyfully suffer this purification as their souls near the eternal rest of Heaven. We recognize our unity with them still and our ability to pray for them.
A couple weeks ago I explained that St. Augustine taught that we, the body, are all one with Christ our Head. He called this unity the totus Christus – “the whole Christ.” We see through today’s teaching that this totus Christus includes not only all those members of the earthly pilgrim Church, but also the suffering Church of Purgatory, and the triumphant Church of Heaven. We are one body, one Church, united in Christ. We pray for one another, we speak to one another, and we await a true and lasting union in Heaven with our Head, Jesus Christ.
The proper response to the magnitude of this reality is wonder and awe! I pray that you only grow to appreciate this unity more and more. God bless you on this All Souls Day.