St. Norbert took this notion of Church from St. Augustine, who first formed a community of clerics in his home. Over the centuries, the notion of Church has had many forms, and in our time, the theology of Vatican II s Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, guides Norbertine understanding that the Church is People, gathering, assembly, pilgrims on a journey. The Church is most who it is when gathered together in liturgy, where the whole Church is made present. A Norbertine community is an ecclesiola, a little church, which must strive to grow daily in and into Christ. Being of this church ,in union with all other Norbertine churches, and in union with all other churches, is the bedrock of Norbertine spirituality.
Norbertine spirituality requires communio.
Norbertines most clearly base their self understanding, our spirituality, on the ecclesial specific of communio, both as reality and as mystery. To build communio is never a given, but must be worked at every day, struggled with constantly, and is achieved ultimately not by human efforts, but is a gift of God in the Spirit. Not only does a Norbertine surrender himself to a particular church, but he also vows to live the common life with the brothers who are the People of God in that church. 1. the prophetic ministry of hearing and announcing the Word of God . Liturgy is Christ Himself praying, dying, rising and glorifying the Father.