By Bailey Ziegler
Looking at the role of the laity in the life of the Church, we must begin with the Church’s mission: to spread the Gospel and carry on Christ’s work of salvation on earth. The Second Vatican Council’s document on the laity, “Apostolicam actuositatem” states, “All activity of the Mystical Body directed to the attainment of this goal is called the apostolate, which the Church carries on in various ways through all her members. For the Christian vocation by its very nature is also a vocation to the apostolate. No part of the structure of a living body is merely passive but has a share in the functions as well as life of the body” (AA, 2).
None of us are off the hook for this mission. Each of us has our vocation in the Church — some are called to ordained ministry, others to religious life and the majority of us as lay faithful of the Church. We participate in this mission because we are called to holiness through our baptism. The laity are co-responsible for the Church, and we have a special call to live out our faith in the world.
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Call to holiness
The laity share in a universal call to holiness: “These faithful are by baptism made one body with Christ and are constituted among the People of God; they are in their own way made sharers in the priestly, prophetical, and kingly functions of Christ; and they carry out for their own part the mission of the whole Christian people in the Church and in the world” (Lumen Gentium, 31). Holiness is not reserved for a select few but is accessible to everyone, regardless of their state in life. It involves a deep relationship with God, a commitment to living out the Gospel values and a dedication to serving others. By striving for holiness, individuals contribute to the sanctification of the world and the building up of the Church.
2. Co-responsible and active participants
The laity are not merely passive recipients of activities or sacraments of the Church, but active participants in the Church’s life and mission. We are not consumers of our churches, receiving sacraments and faith formation in exchange for our time, talent and treasure, leaving the work of sharing the Gospel to the priests and deacons. Our call to holiness brings us into active participation in that mission and we are all responsible for this. We do this through a variety of ministries in our parishes and schools and through our spiritual and corporal works of mercy in our communities.
There has also been a growing role for lay ecclesial ministers in the Church. These ministers are regular people who are called to serve the Church, along with the clergy, in a bigger way by sharing their gifts to further the mission and to help our parish and school communities thrive.
According to the U.S. bishop’s document “Co-workers in the Vineyard of the Lord,” some of us do this by working in the Church and “focusing on the building of ecclesial communion, which has among its purposes the transformation of the world.”
This ministry and involvement is not done in place of our clergy or because of a shortage of these vocations. Lay people share responsibility of the spiritual life and work of the Church, working together to serve that mission with the ordained, each contributing his or her own unique gifts.
3. Witness and evangelization in the world
The laity, defined as all members of the Church who are not ordained clergy, holds a special call to live as people of faith in the world. If we recall that mission of the Church from the start — to continue Christ’s work in the world — the laity do this in the world in a different way than the ordained and lay ecclesial ministers.
“[The laity] live in the world, that is, in each and in all of the secular professions and occupations. They live in the ordinary circumstances of family and social life, from which the very web of their existence is woven. They are called there by God that by exercising their proper function and led by the spirit of the Gospel they may work for the sanctification of the world from within as a leaven. In this way they may make Christ known to others, especially by the testimony of a life resplendent in faith, hope and charity” (LG, 31).
The lay faithful intersect in a special way with the world and share in the responsibility for living out a witness of the Gospel in all aspects of that life. The laity are recognized as co-responsible for the Church’s mission, alongside the clergy. This means they are encouraged to participate more actively in the Church’s teachings, ministries and outreach efforts.
This is a big call in our already busy lives. Juggling families, jobs and increasing demands of our attention, it is important to remember that we do this in a variety of ways. No one person can fulfill every call and every role in the Church and the world. Simply, practicing and sharing our faith through actions, words and relationships and living out values like love, compassion, justice and humility in our work, family and social life helps demonstrate the presence of God in the world.
Pictured above: Kevin Kroll attends Mass with two of his children at Immaculate ConceptionParish in St. Anna. (Photo by Dianne Towalski)
“Co-Workers in the Vineyard of the Lord” is a resource for diocesan bishops and for all others who are responsible for guiding the development of lay ecclesial ministry in the United States. Read it online or download a free copy at https://www.usccb.org/resources/co-workers-vineyard-lay-ecclesial-ministry-2005.pdf
Follow up on these Second Vatican Council documents:
Lumen Gentium: https://bit.ly/43Dsd7q
Apostolicam actuositatem: https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_decree_19651118_apostolicam-actuositatem_en.html
GUIDING PRINCIPLE
Engaging the Laity: God has given each person a unique set of gifts and charisms to live out their individual vocation. Through revitalized prayer and formation opportunities, encounters with family, friends,
co-workers and neighbors, we can welcome new faces into the fold.
We are guided by our strengths to stimulate renewal in the Church.
Listening as a way of being Church is one of the guiding principles in the
All Things New pastoral plan. To learn more, visit stcdio.org/all-things-new/.