The source of the call addressed to
all members of the Mystical Body to participate actively in the mission and
edification of the People of God, is to be found in the mystery of the Church.
The People of God participate in this call through the dynamic of an organic
communion in accord with their diverse ministries and charisms. The call has
been forcefully repeated in the documents of the Magisterium, particularly
since the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council [1] and thereafter. This is
especially true of the last three General Ordinary Assemblies of the Synod of
Bishops which reaffirmed the particular identities of the lay faithful and of
sacred ministers and religious, in their proper dignity and diversity of
functions. These Assemblies encouraged all the faithful to build up the Church
by collaborating, in communion, for the salvation of the world.
The necessity and importance of
apostolic action on the part of the lay faithful in present and future
evangelization must be borne in mind. The Church cannot put aside this task
because it is part of her very nature, as the 'People of God', and also because
she has need of it in order to realize her own mission of evangelization.
This call for the active
participation of all the faithful in the mission of the Church has not been
unheard. The 1987 Synod of Bishops observed "The Holy Spirit continues to
renew the youthfulness of the Church and has inspired new aspirations towards
holiness and the participation of so many lay faithful. This is witnessed, among
other ways, in the new manner of active collaboration among priests, religious
and the lay faithful; by active participation in the Liturgy; in the
proclamation of the Word of God and catechesis; in the multiplicity of services
and tasks entrusted to the lay faithful and fulfilled by them; by the
flourishing of groups, associations and spiritual movements as well as by lay
commitment to the life of the Church and in the fuller and meaningful
participation of women in the development of society".[2] This was likewise
verified in the preparation for the 1994 Synod of Bishops on Religious Life
where it is stated: "Through all, there should be a sincere desire to
instill an authentic rapport of communion and of collaboration between the
Bishops, institutes of consecrated life, the secular clergy and the
laity".[3] In the subsequent Post-Synodal Exhortation the Supreme Pontiff
confirmed the specific contribution of religious life in the mission and the
building up of the Church.[4]
In effect, a collaboration of all
the faithful exists in both orders of the Church's mission; whether it is in
the spiritual order, bringing the message of Christ and his grace to men, or,
in the temporal one, permeating and perfecting secular reality with the
evangelical spirit.[5] This is especially true in the primary areas of
evangelization and sanctification - "It is in this sphere most of all that
the lay apostolate and the pastoral ministry complete each other".[6] In
these areas, the lay faithful of both sexes, have innumerable opportunities to
be actively involved. This is possible through bearing consistent witness in
their personal, family and social lives by proclaiming and sharing the gospel
of Christ in every situation in which they find themselves, and by their
involvement with the task of explaining, defending, and correctly applying
Christian principals to the problems of today's world.[7] In particular,
Pastors are exhorted to "...acknowledge and foster the ministries, the
offices and roles of the lay faithful that find their foundation in the
Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation, indeed for a good many of them, in the
Sacrament of Matrimony".[8]
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