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Implementing
the Documents of Vatican II
A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to
the Philippians 2:1-5
Imitating Christ's Humility
If you have any encouragement from being united with
Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit,
if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being
like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility
consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not
only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your
attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus
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documents.
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The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church regarding
the laity
The following quotations come from The Dogmatic Constitution
on the Church regarding the laity. The entire chap. 4 follows these
excerpts. If youir Pastor or Bishop quarrel with these quotations, gently
ask him to look up the definition of "dogmatic" as it's used in the title
above. To quarrel with this document is to court heresy.
Art. 30 - The Pastors know well how much the laity contribute
to the welfare of the whole Church. Pastors know that they themselves
were not established by Christ to undertake alone the whole salvific mission
of the Church..., and with one mind they cooperate in the common task.
Art. 32 - ...there remains,nevertheless, a true equality between all with
regard to the dignity and to the activity which is common to all the faithful
in the building up of the Body of Christ.
Art. 33 - ...the laity can be called in different ways to more immediate
cooperation in the apostolate of the hierarchy...
Therefore may the way be clear for them to share diligently in the salvific
work of the Church according to their ability and the needs of the times.
Art. 35 - ...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.
Art. 36 - ...let them work earnestly in order that created goods...be
more suitably distributed among all men...to universal progress in human
and Christian liberty.
Art. 37...the laity should disclose their needs and desires with that
liberty and confidence which befits children of God and Brothers of Christ.
By reason of the knowledge, competence, or pre-eminence which they have,the
laity are empowered --- indeed sometimes obliged --- to manifest their
opinion on those things which pertain to the good of the Church.
The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church
Chapter III
On the Hierarchical Structure of the Church and in Particular on the Episcopate
27. Sent as he is by the Father to govern his family,
a bishop should keep before his eyes the example of the Good Shepherd,
who came not to be waited upon but to serve (cf. Mt. 20:28; Mk. 10:45)
and to lay down his life for his sheep (cf. Jn. 10:11). Taken from among
men and oppressed by the weakness that surrounds him, he can compassionate
those who are ignorant and erring (cf. Heb. 5:1-2). He should not refuse
to listen to his subjects whose welfare he promotes as of his very own
children and whom he urges to collaborate readily with him. Destined to
render an account for their souls to God (cf. Heb. 13:17), by prayer,
preaching and all good works of charity he should be solicitous both for
their welfare and for that too of those who do not belong to the unique
flock, but whom he should regard as entrusted to him in the Lord. Since,
like St Paul, he is in duty bound to everyone, he should be eager to preach
the Gospel to all (cf. Rom. 1:14-15), and to spur his faithful on to apostolic
and missionary activity. As to the faithful, they should be closely attached
to the bishop as the Church is to Jesus Christ, and as Jesus Christ is
to the Father, so that all things may conspire towards harmonious unity,[61]
and bring forth abundant fruit unto the glory of God (cf. 2 Cor. 4:15).
The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church
Chapter IV: The Laity
30. Having set forth the functions of the hierarchy, the Sacred Council
gladly turns its attention. to the state of those faithful called the
laity. Everything that has been said above concerning the People of God
is intended for the laity, religious and clergy alike. But there are certain
things which pertain in a special way to the laity, both men and women,
by reason of their condition and mission. Due to the special circumstances
of our time the foundations of this doctrine must be more thoroughly examined.
For their pastors know how much the laity contribute to the welfare of
the entire Church. They also know that they were not ordained by Christ
to take upon themselves alone the entire salvific mission of the Church
toward the world. On the contrary they understand that it is their noble
duty to shepherd the faithful and to recognize their miniseries and charisms,
so that all according to their proper roles may cooperate in this common
undertaking with one mind. For we must all "practice the truth in love,
and so grow up in all things in Him who is head, Christ. For from Him
the whole body, being closely joined and knit together through every joint
of the system, according to the functioning in due measure of each single
part, derives its increase to the building up of itself in love".(190)
31. The term laity is here understood to mean all the faithful except
those in holy orders and those in the state of religious life specially
approved by the Church. 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.
What specifically characterizes the laity is their secular nature. It
is true that those in holy orders can at times be engaged in secular activities,
and even have a secular profession. But they are by reason of their particular
vocation especially and professedly ordained to the sacred ministry. Similarly,
by their state in life, religious give splendid and striking testimony
that the world cannot be transformed and offered to God without the spirit
of the beatitudes. But the laity, by their very vocation, seek the kingdom
of God by engaging in temporal affairs and by ordering them according
to the plan of God. They 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. Therefore, since they are tightly
bound up in all types of temporal affairs it is their special task to
order and to throw light upon these affairs in such a way that they may
come into being and then continually increase according to Christ to the
praise of the Creator and the Redeemer.
32. By divine institution Holy Church is ordered and governed with a wonderful
diversity. "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,
but severally members one of another".(191) Therefore, the chosen People
of God is one: "one Lord, one faith, one baptism"(192); sharing a common
dignity as members from their regeneration in Christ, having the same
filial grace and the same vocation to perfection; possessing in common
one salvation, one hope and one undivided charity. There is, therefore,
in Christ and in the Church no inequality on,the basis of race or nationality,
social condition or sex, because "there is neither Jew nor Greek: there
is neither bond nor free: there is neither male nor female. For you are
all 'one' in Christ Jesus".(193)
If therefore in the Church everyone does not proceed by the same path,
nevertheless all are called to sanctity and have received an equal privilege
of faith through the justice of God.(194) And if by the will of Christ
some are made teachers, pastors and dispensers of mysteries on behalf
of others, yet all share a true equality with regard to the dignity and
to the activity common to all the faithful for the building up of the
Body of Christ. For the distinction which the Lord made between sacred
ministers and the rest of the People of God bears within it a certain
union, since pastors and the other faithful are bound to each other by
a mutual need. Pastors of the Church, following the example of the Lord,
should minister to one another and to the other faithful. These in their
turn should enthusiastically lend their joint assistance to their pastors
and teachers. Thus in their diversity all bear witness to the wonderful
unity in the Body of Christ. This very diversity of graces, ministries
and works gathers the children of God into one, because "all these things
are the work of one and the same Spirit".(195)
Therefore, from divine choice the laity have Christ for their brothers
who though He is the Lord of all, came not to be served but to serve.(196)
They also have for their brothers those in the sacred ministry who by
teaching, by sanctifying and by ruling with the authority of Christ feed
the family of God so that the new commandment of charity may be fulfilled
by all. St. Augustine puts this very beautifully when he says: "What I
am for you terrifies me; what I am with you consoles me. For you I am
a bishop; but with you I am a Christian. The former is a duty; the latter
a grace. The former is a danger; the latter, salvation" (1*).
33. The laity are gathered together in the People of God and make up the
Body of Christ under one head. Whoever they are they are called upon,
as living members, to expend all their energy for the growth of the Church
and its continuous sanctification, since this very energy is a gift of
the Creator and a blessing of the Redeemer.
The lay apostolate, however, is a participation in the salvific mission
of the Church itself. Through their baptism and confirmation all are commissioned
to that apostolate by the Lord Himself. Moreover, by the sacraments, especially
holy Eucharist, that charity toward God and man which is the soul of the
apostolate is communicated and nourished. Now the laity are called in
a special way to make the Church present and operative in those places
and circumstances where only through them can it become the salt of the
earth (2*). Thus every layman, in virtue of the very gifts bestowed upon
him, is at the same time a witness and a living instrument of the mission
of the Church itself "according to the measure of Christ's bestowal".(197)
Besides this apostolate which certainly pertains to all Christians, the
laity can also be called in various ways to a more direct form of cooperation
in the apostolate of the Hierarchy (3*). This was the way certain men
and women assisted Paul the Apostle in the Gospel, laboring much in the
Lord.(198) Further, they have the capacity to assume from the Hierarchy
certain ecclesiastical functions, which are to be performed for a spiritual
purpose.
Upon all the laity, therefore, rests the noble duty of working to extend
the divine plan of salvation to all men of each epoch and in every land.
Consequently, may every opportunity be given them so that, according to
their abilities and the needs of the times, they may zealously participate
in the saving work of the Church.
34.The supreme and eternal Priest, Christ Jesus, since he wills to continue
his witness and service also through the laity, vivifies them in this
Spirit and increasingly urges them on to every good and perfect work.
For besides intimately linking them to His life and His mission, He also
gives them a sharing in His priestly function of offering spiritual worship
for the glory of God and the salvation of men. For this reason the laity,
dedicated to Christ and anointed by the Holy Spirit, are marvelously called
and wonderfully prepared so that ever more abundant fruits of the Spirit
may be produced in them. For all their works, prayers and apostolic endeavors,
their ordinary married and family life, their daily occupations, their
physical and mental relaxation, if carried out in the Spirit, and even
the hardships of life, if patiently borne-all these become "spiritual
sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ".(199) Together with
the offering of the Lord's body, they are most fittingly offered in the
celebration of the Eucharist. Thus, as those everywhere who adore in holy
activity, the laity consecrate the world itself to God.
35. Christ, the great Prophet, who proclaimed the Kingdom of His Father
both by the testimony of His life and the power of His words, continually
fulfills His prophetic office until the complete manifestation of glory.
He does this not only through the hierarchy who teach in His name and
with His authority, but also through the laity whom He made His witnesses
and to whom He gave understanding of the faith (sensu fidei) and an attractiveness
in speech(200) so that the power of the Gospel might shine forth in their
daily social and family life. They conduct themselves as children of the
promise, and thus strong in faith and in hope they make the most of the
present,(201) and with patience await the glory that is to come.(202)
Let them not, then, hide this hope in the depths of their hearts, but
even in the program of their secular life let them express it by a continual
conversion and by wrestling "against the world-rulers of this darkness,
against the spiritual forces of wickedness.(203)
Just as the sacraments of the New Law, by which the life and the apostolate
of the faithful are nourished, prefigure a new heaven and a new earth,(204)
so too the laity go forth as powerful proclaimers of a faith in things
to be hoped for,(205) when they courageously join to their profession
of faith a life springing from faith. This evangelization, that is, this
announcing of Christ by a living testimony as well as by the spoken word,
takes on a specific quality and a special force in that it is carried
out in the ordinary surroundings of the world.
In connection with the prophetic function, that state of life which is
sanctified by a special sacrament obviously of great importance, namely,
married and family life. For where Christianity pervades the entire mode
of family life, ala gradually transforms it, one will find there both
the practice and an excellent school of the lay apostolate. In such a
home husbands and wives find their proper vocation in being witnesses
of the faith and love of Christ to one another and to their children.
The Christian family loudly proclaims both the present virtues of the
Kingdom of God and the hope of a blessed life to come. Thus by its example
and its witness it accuses the world of sin and enlightens those who seek
the truth.
Consequently, even when preoccupied with temporal cares, the laity can
and must perform a work of great value for the evangelization of the world.
For even if some of them have to fulfill their religious duties on their
own, when there are no sacred ministers or in times of persecution; and
even if many of them devote all their energies to apostolic work; still
it remains for each one of them to cooperate in the external spread and
the dynamic growth of the Kingdom of Christ in the world. Therefore, let
the laity devotedly strive to acquire a more profound grasp of revealed
truth, and let them insistently beg of God the gift of wisdom.
36. Christ, becoming obedient even unto death and because of this exalted
by the Father,(206) entered into the glory of His kingdom. To Him all
things are made subject until He subjects Himself and all created things
to the Father that God may be all in all.(207) Now Christ has communicated
this royal power to His disciples that they might be constituted in royal
freedom and that by true penance and a holy life they might conquer the
reign of sin in themselves.(208) Further, He has shared this power so
that serving Christ in their fellow men they might by humility and patience
lead their brethren to that King for whom to serve is to reign. But the
Lord wishes to spread His kingdom also by means of the laity, namely,
a kingdom of truth and life, a kingdom of holiness and grace, a kingdom
of justice, love and peace (4*). In this kingdom creation itself will
be delivered from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory
of the sons of God.(209) Clearly then a great promise and a great trust
is committed to the disciples: "All things are yours, and you are Christ's,
and Christ is God's"(210)
The faithful, therefore, must learn the deepest meaning and the value
of all creation, as well as its role in the harmonious praise of God.
They must assist each other to live holier lives even in their daily occupations.
In this way the world may be permeated by the spirit of Christ and it
may more effectively fulfill its purpose in justice, charity and peace.
The laity have the principal role in the overall fulfillment of this duty.
Therefore, by their competence in secular training and by their activity,
elevated from within by the grace of Christ, let them vigorously contribute
their effort, so that created goods may be perfected by human labor, technical
skill and civic culture for the benefit of all men according to the design
of the Creator and the light of His Word. May the goods of this world
be more equitably distributed among all men, and may they in their own
way be conducive to universal progress in human and Christian freedom.
In this manner, through the members of the Church, will Christ progressively
illumine the whole of human society with His saving light.
Moreover, let the laity also by their combined efforts remedy the customs
and conditions of the world, if they are an inducement to sin, so that
they all may be conformed to the norms of justice and may favor the practice
of virtue rather than hinder it. By so doing they will imbue culture and
human activity with genuine moral values; they will better prepare the
field of the world for the seed of the Word of God; and at the same time
they will open wider the doors of the Church by which the message of peace
may enter the world.
Because of the very economy of salvation the faithful should learn how
to distinguish carefully between those rights and duties which are theirs
as members of the Church, and those which they have as members of human
society. Let them strive to reconcile the two, remembering that in every
temporal affair they must be guided by a Christian conscience, since even
in secular business there is no human activity which can be withdrawn
from God's dominion. In our own time, however, it is most urgent that
this distinction and also this harmony should shine forth more clearly
than ever in the lives of the faithful, so that the mission of the Church
may correspond more fully to the special conditions of the world today.
For it must be admitted that the temporal sphere is governed by its own
principles, since it is rightly concerned with the interests of this world.
But that ominous doctrine which attempts to build a society with no regard
whatever for religion, and which attacks and destroys the religious liberty
of its citizens, is rightly to be rejected (5*).
37. The laity have the right, as do all Christians, to receive in abundance
from their spiritual shepherds the spiritual goods of the Church, especially
the assistance of the word of God and of the sacraments (6*). They should
openly reveal to them their needs and desires with that freedom and confidence
which is fitting for children of God and brothers in Christ. They are,
by un of tho knowledge, competence or outstanding ability which they may
enjoy, permitted and sometimes even obliged to express their opinion on
those things which concern the good of the Church (7*). When occasions
arise, let this be done through the organs erected by the Church for this
purpose. Let it always be done in truth, in courage and in prudence, with
reverence and charity toward those who by reason of their sacred office
represent the person of Christ.
The laity should, as all Christians, promptly accept in Christian obedience
decisions of their spiritual shepherds, since they are representatives
of Christ as well as teachers and rulers in the Church. Let them follow
the example of Christ, who by His obedience even unto death, opened to
all men the blessed way of the liberty of the children of God. Nor should
they omit to pray for those placed over them, for they keep watch as having
to render an account of their souls, so that they may do this with joy
and not with grief.(211)
Let the spiritual shepherds recognize and promote the dignity as well
as the responsibility of the laity in the Church. Let them willingly employ
their prudent advice. Let them confidently assign duties to them in the
service of the Church, allowing them freedom and room for action. Further,
let them encourage lay people so that they may undertake tasks on their
own initiative. Attentively in Christ, let them consider with fatherly
love the projects, suggestions and desires proposed by the laity.(8*)
However, let the shepherds respectfully acknowledge that just freedom
which belongs to everyone in this earthly city.
A great many wonderful things are to be hoped for from this familiar dialogue
between the laity and their spiritual leaders: in the laity a strengthened
sense of personal responsibility; a renewed enthusiasm; a more ready application
of their talents to the projects of their spiritual leaders. The latter,
on the other hand, aided by the experience of the laity, can more clearly
and more incisively come to decisions regarding both spiritual and temporal
matters. In this way, the whole Church, strengthened by each one of its
members, may more effectively fulfill is mission for the life of the world.
38. Each individual layman must stand before the world as a witness to
the resurrection and life of the Lord Jesus and a symbol of the living
God. All the laity as a community and each one according to his ability
must nourish the world with spiritual fruits.(212) They must diffuse in
the world that spirit which animates the poor, the meek, the peace makers-whom
the Lord in the Gospel proclaimed as blessed.(213) In a word, "Christians
must be to the world what the soul is to the body."(9*)
The link below will take you to the Catholic Information
Network which has a search facility and maintains all of the Vatican II
documents.
Catholic Information Network
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