cormacburke.me.ke

Bride of Christ (OSV Encyc. 1997)
The Church is referred to as the Bride of Christ (CCC 796; 808). In the Old Testament, God's love for his people is expressed at times in terms of the husband's love for his bride (Is 61:8-10; Hos 2:16-20). St. Paul intensifies the image to show the relationship between Christ and his Church: "Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her" (Eph 5:25; cf. Apoc 21:2,9).
The spousal image emphasizes certain major ecclesiological truths. It stresses the loving and enriching nature of the election that Christ has made of his Church. He chose her out of love, and wishes to be united to her. Through this spousal union, the Church is endowed with all of Christ's riches. Indissolubly bound to Christ, she posesses all things in common with him. United to Christ, she is also called to be fruitful: we are all begotten into divine life in the Church, as a result of her union with Jesus Christ. For this reason too we refer to the Church as our Mother: "our holy Mother the Church". In fact it is hard to feel "at home" in the Church unless one sees in her one's Mother. Further, the image of Bride highlights the Church's call to be faithful to her Spouse, as Christ is always faithful to her and to us (cf. 2 Tim 2:13).
As an image, Body of Christ stresses the extent of the union between Our Lord and his Church. Bride of Christ keeps it clear that the union, however close, is in fact nevertheless between two.