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laity: the term "laity" is
here understood to mean all the faithful except those in
Holy Orders and those who belong to a religious state
approved by the Church. That is, the faithful who by
baptism are incorporated into Christ, are placed in the
People of God, and in their own way share the priestly,
prophetic and kingly office of Christ, and to the best
of their ability carry on the mission of the whole
Christian people in the Church and in the world. Their
secular character is proper and peculiar to the laity. .
. By reason of their special vocation it belongs to the
laity to seek the Kingdom of God by engaging in temporal
affairs and directing them according to God's will.
(Lumen Gentium)
laity:
as described by the Church's Code of Canon Law, are an
those members of the faithful who are not sacred
ministers, i.e. clerics. By reason of their baptismal
incorporation into Christ and the Church, they share in
Christ's mission, according to the diversity described
by St. Paul. "For just as in one body we have many
members, yet all the members have not the same function,
so we the many are one body in Christ" (Rom 12:4-5).
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In
the Church there is a diversity of ministry but a
oneness of mission.
Christ
conferred on the Apostles and their successors the duty
of teaching, sanctifying, and ruling in His name and
power.
But the
laity likewise share in the priestly, prophetic, and
royal office of Christ and
therefore have their own share in the mission of the
whole people of God in the Church and in the world.”
—
from the decree Apostolicam Actuositate
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“The laity derive the right and duty to
the apostolate from their union with Christ the head;
incorporated into Christ's Mystical Body through Baptism
and strengthened by the power of the Holy Spirit through
Confirmation,
they are assigned to the apostolate by
the Lord Himself.
They are consecrated for the royal priesthood and the
holy people not only that they may offer spiritual
sacrifices in everything they do but also that they may
witness to Christ throughout the world. The sacraments,
however, especially the most holy Eucharist, communicate
and nourish that charity which is the soul of the entire
apostolate.” – from the decree
Apostolicam Actuositate. |
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What
is the mission of the laity?
Quite simply, in
addition to intimately sharing in
the universal call to holiness, the lay faithful are
called to take God into temporal realities such as the
family, work, culture, the communication media,
politics, sports, etc. They do this from within society,
in and for the ordinary realities that make up their
lives.
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LAITY IN THE CHURCH
"The apostolate of the laity is a sharing in
the salvific mission of the Church. Through
Baptism and Confirmation all are appointed to
this apostolate by the Lord himself. Moreover,
by the sacraments and especially by the
Eucharist, that love of God and man
which is the soul of the apostolate is
communicated and nourished. The laity, however,
are given this special vocation: to make the
Church present and fruitful in those places and
circumstances where it is only through them that
she can become the salt of the earth. Thus,
every lay person, through those gifts given to
him, is at once the witness and the living
instrument of the mission of the Church itself
according to the measure of Christ's bestowal'
(Eph 4:7)." Vatican Council II, Dogmatic
Constitution On the Church, n. 33
"Therefore, even when occupied by temporal
affairs, the laity can, and must, do valuable
work for the evangelization of the world. But
if, when there are no sacred ministers or when
these are impeded under persecution, some lay
people supply sacred functions to the best of
their ability, or if, indeed, many of them
expend all their energies in apostolic work,
nevertheless the whole laity must cooperate in
spreading and in building up the kingdom of
Christ. Let the laity, therefore, diligently
apply themselves to a more profound knowledge of
revealed truth and earnestly beg of God the gift
of wisdom." Vatican Council II, Dogmatic
Constitution On the Church, n. 35
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Suggested Reading
-
Lumen
Gentium, Document of Vatican II
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A
Shepherd Speaks, Bishop Fabian
Bruskewitz - Ignatius Press
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In
the Midst of Our World by Paul Josef
Cordes, Ignatius Press
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Male and Female He Created Them by
Cardinal Jorge Medina-Estevez, Ignatius
Press
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Brave New Family, G.K. Chesterton,
Edited by Alvaro de Silva, Ignatius Press
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First Comes Love (VHS), Scott Hahn,
Ignatius Press
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Love and Responsibility by Karol Wojtyla,
Ignatius Press
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Real Love by Mary Beth Bonacci, Ignatius
Press
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The
Everyday Apostle by Fr. Edward Garesché,
Sophia Press
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By
Love Refined by Dr. Alice von
Hildebrand, Sophia Press
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The
Mystery of Love for the Single by Fr.
Dominic J. Unger OFM Cap., Tan Books
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Three to Get Married, Fulton J. Sheen,
Scepter
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The
Fulfillment of All Desire, Ralph Martin,
Emmaus Road Publishing
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Boys to Men: The Transforming Power of
Virtue
by Tim Gray and Curtis Martin,
Emmaus Road Publishing
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Catholic For A Reason: Scripture and the
Mystery of the Family of God,
Scott
Hahn, Emmaus Road Publishing
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