The Nature and Missionary Role of the Lay People in the Light of Vatican II; Convenience or Conviction? (original) (raw)
Related papers
Illustrating the theme of laity today, more than fifty years after the conclusion of the Second Vatican Council, after the constitution Lumen Gentium, the decree Apostolicam Actuositatem, Paul VI's exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi, John Paul II's Christifideles laici and Pope Francis' Evangelii Gaudium, is a significant opportunity. Already some theologians of the Nouvelle Théologie such as Congar , lay people such as Guitton , other theologians such as Philips , and the pontifical magisterium itself with Pius XI , had drawn attention to the need on the part of pastors to help the lay Christian faithful to grow and mature in their awareness of their vocation and mission. The teaching of John Paul II in Christifideles Laici, made a synthesis by identifying in the binomial vocation - mission, the key to retaining the decisive factors proper to the historical development of the theology of the laity .
Fifty-four years after Vatican II, it seems to the researcher that the role of the laity in the Roman Catholic Church is still problematic to some clergy and the laity. Some clergy and the laity still see the laity's role in the Roman Catholic Church as passive and overstretching their bounds when they wish to participate fully in the mission of the Church as priests, prophets and kings. There is an underlying tension between some clergy and the laity as to the proper role of the laity in the Church and in the world, whereas Vatican II clearly defined the role of the laity in the Church and in the world. In this article, the researcher seeks to lay bare the role of the laity in the Roman Catholic Church and in the world as prophetic, priestly and kingly; and to point out that there are some places in the world, such as the family, socio-cultural, politics, economics and so on, where only the laity are more qualified and competent and can more effectively preach the gospel by their words and deeds. Therefore, the article recommends that the clergy and the laity are both called by their baptism and confirmation to take active roles in the Church and collaborate in the mission of Christ for the spreading of the kingdom of God on earth.
The Decree Apostolicam Actuositatem. Highlights of Vatican II's Teaching on Laity
Annales Theologici, 2017
1. Introduction We often speak of a mutual illumination between history and theology. By that we mean that if historical reality usually precedes theology, theology in turn enriches succeeding historical reality. Indeed, the history of theology and the theology of history are interwoven and mutually reinforce each other. This interesting connection is particularly highlighted in the topic we are reflecting on today. On the one hand, we can say that the life and ecclesial role of the laity preceded theology, and that the theology of the Council encouraged and developed these later on. On the other hand, however, we see that this connection is neither linear nor absolute. Concretely, the doctrine of the Council has introduced several new features in the life of the laity hardly hinted at in their experience previous to the Council; and the history of the reception of these innovations in the post-conciliar period shows how some elements penetrated deep into the fabric of the Church, yet others remained inoperative or even forgotten. I was given the task of shedding light on the " novelty " of Vatican II's teaching on the laity, articulated in the Decree Apostolicam actuositatem, whose 50th anniversary of publication we are celebrating. I shall do that by looking back to the situation of the laity in the Church prior to the Council, which is the best context in which we can better appreciate these innovative elements. The vicissitudes undergone by the doctrine taught in the Decree in the period after the Council will be dealt with by the succeeding speakers. The following is the outline of this speech. First, and very briefly, I shall run through the history of the term " lay ". Then, I shall present the situation of the laity in the period prior to Vatican II (starting from the beginning of the last century) from a threefold perspective: the pastoral realities, pronouncements of Magisterium and theological positions current at the time. As regards the analysis of the text, I will not dwell on its genesis and development during the Council, especially because that aspect has already been thoroughly studied. Rather, I will focus my analysis on the final text, highlighting its salient, and in a sense innovative, features. By way of ending, I will then make a few concluding remarks.
LAITY: From Pay, Pray, Obey to Co-Responsibility for the Church
At the beginning of the 20th century, it was literally true that the laity were expected to pay, pray and obey. Theologians who tried to re-think the position of the laity (notably Yves Congar) were admonished and silenced. The history of the role played by lay persons was not always so secondary. The first councils of the Church were called and controlled by secular Emperors. Lay people have carried the church through difficult times. But who knows about this. Vatican II saw the theological importance of the laity. The present book (using research done by the World Council of Churches) presents the multi-faceted role played by lay people and concludes by asking a question whether at this moment when there is a shortage of priests, lay persons can play an even more significant role. The book is published by CREATE SPACE and is available at amazon.com
Declared on December 30, 1988, post-synodal apostolic exhortation of Pope John Paul II, Christifideles Laici proclaims the vocation and mission entrusted to the lay faithful through emphasizing their duties which they received at Baptism. In this paper, it will be analyzed how this exhortation considers these responsibilities and especially the role and status of the lay women faithful in the fulfillment of the mission in the Church. In the first part, it will be introduced dignity, communion and mission, and secular character of the life of the lay faithful in tandem with each other. In the second part, it will be mentioned the duties which are expected to be performed by whole of the lay faithful. In the third part, it will be examined thoroughly how the perception of women and the particular role and status given to the lay women are in terms of their participation into the vocation.
Life and Mission of the Laity in the Church
THE HERALD, KOLKATA, 2024
“Realization of the Francis' vision of correlative, cooperative, collaborative, collegial, and co-inclusive People of God ” includes active and full participation of the laity in the Church as desired by Second Vatican Council and the Council on the Synodal Church.
In order to develop a solid basis for responding to various popular “understandings” of the role of the laity in context of “spirituality for collaborative ministry” I decided to focus this essay on the question of the significance and the postconciliar development of the conciliar teaching on the “secular character” of the laity. In order to connect this question with its preconciliar context and conciliar basis, some important theological and pastoral backgrounds of Vatican II and the problematic of conciliar teaching on the “secular character” of the laity will be, at first, summarised (part 1). Secondly, relevant parts of some of the official Church documents will be reviewed (part 2). Thirdly, a rather schematic overview of the complex and often closely interconnected developments in theology and pastoral practice affected by the question of the “secular character” of the laity will be outlined (part 3). Finally, some common important points of all these lines will be summarised.