Introduction
Ten years ago, in January 2001, an Archdiocesan
Synod was held in Mumbai at which a blueprint for a ‘Participatory-Servant
Church’ was developed. The Mid-Term Assembly convened in 2006 established
specific goals and developed strategies to achieve these objectives. Today,
together with the systems and structures in the Church, it is time for us to
take stock of ourselves as Church- the progress we have made, the changes in
our world that are affecting us and how we can even more effectively respond to
the ‘signs of the times’. This strategy paper on: ‘Relationship with other
Laity’ attempts to briefly chart out this course.
An Emerging Church
In its earliest days, the Church was simply a
community of believers. “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching
and fellowship, to the breaking of the bread and the
prayers. … All who believed were together and had all things in common” (Acts 2: 42, 44).
and fellowship, to the breaking of the bread and the
prayers. … All who believed were together and had all things in common” (Acts 2: 42, 44).
Very soon during that first century, however, it
became necessary for the people to elect representatives to distribute food,
keep accounts, and perform administrative functions that would leave the
missioners (apostles) free to spread the word of God. From such modest
beginnings, we read further in the Acts of the Apostles, arose needs to affirm
the true leaders within a community, to settle disputes among members and
between cities, and to counteract false teachings.
Century after century, as the Church grew in
size and breadth, this need to establish structures increased. Gradually, the
laity were described as recipients of whatever actions their pastors and
bishops took. However, the Second Vatican Council renewed the focus on the
entire People of God.
The People of God
The term laity is here understood to mean all
the faithful except those in holy orders. 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. (LG,
31).
The Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity
repeats this call for the laity to use their special gifts within the
apostolate of the Church—because “without it the apostolate of the pastors is
often unable to achieve its full effectiveness”—and declares specifically the
rights of the laity to form associations for such purposes.
The Present Reality
In the Archdiocese of Bombay, several lay
faithful are utilizing their charisms in the service of the community through
various associations.
The ordained minister while being the animator
of the community has the responsibility of discovering, discerning and
developing the charisms of the laity.
Besides the ministries already existing in the
Archdiocese, like the Extraordinary Ministry of the Eucharist and the Ministry
of the Word, some new key ministries like, just to name a few: Ministry of
Faith Formation, Ministry to the Family and Ministry of Liturgical Animation,
have been established and with much
success.
success.
As we reflect on the past we are thankful to God
for the active involvement of the laity, but while we stand on the threshold of
this Consultation in our Archdiocese, we see that much still needs to be done
as the Church in Mumbai faces new challenges, encounters new experiences and
witnesses to Christ before we can say like St Paul, “I have run the race, I
have fought the good fight. I have kept the faith” (2 Tim 4:7).
A time has come and now is the moment for the
Church of Mumbai to make that Paradigm Shift in our thinking, working out and
living with the laity.
1. A
Time to develop Mature Relationships with the Laity.
The
recent Archdiocesan Survey shows that 40.6% of the laity were comfortable in
accepting the leadership of a layperson in Parish activities. While 23.4%
accepted lay leadership only in the shortage of priests in the Parish, 20.6%
accepted lay leadership for non- spiritual activities. The Holy Spirit in His own way calls forth
lay leaders to be of service in the Church. This can be seen in the history of
the Church when persons, associations and new communities were launched as
indispensable co-workers of the Bishop and Priests.
One
view expressed in the Archdiocesan Survey, was that the laity were prepared to
accept lay leadership in the Church if the person was trained or was an expert
in his/her field.
At
this moment in time, the Holy Spirit inspires us to grow to be mature and open
to accept trained lay leadership in the Church for the present and the future.
It
would be good to reflect on my attitude towards the trained lay faithful in my
parish setting.
If
in my parish there’s a permanent deacon and he has been appointed to do the
baptism of my child, would I be prepared to accept him or would I try to
wriggle out and try to get a priest to do it?
Am
I accepting and open to receiving Holy Communion from a lay Eucharistic
Minister or do I cross over to a line where a priest is distributing Holy
Communion?
Would
I receive faith formation with the same understanding and acceptance from a
trained lay leader as from a priest?
For
the success of this new arrangement it needs the understanding, openness,
acceptance and preparation from the part of the community. The Code of Canon
Law defines a parish as a ‘certain community of Christ’s faithful stably
established’, i.e., a family united in faith in the Lord which is lived out in
understanding, mutual acceptance and caring.
2. A
Time for the Laity To Participate in the World
One
level of the ministerial life could be called common ministry, the role of
laity in the secular field, which is to be exercised “in conformity to the
specific lay vocation”. (John Paul II, Christifideles Laici, n. 23).
The
Second Vatican Council specifies secularity as the characteristic “propria
et peculiaris” of the vocation and mission of the laity in the Church and
in the world. (LG, nos. 31, 33 & 36). Therefore, the primary ministry of
the lay person is “to permeate and perfect the temporal order of things with
the spirit of the Gospel” and thus “to give witness to Christ”. (Can. 225, §
2).
What
one would look for in the months after the Consultation is to have a greater
emphasis of professionals/ experts/ specialists to serve on Church groups, to
offer their expertise thereby enriching the very fabric of parish life.
A
better understanding of the various Church documents and understanding of the
‘signs of the times’ will certainly help to bring about this paradigm shift,
not just in our mere lip service, but this must reflected in our thinking,
drawing up of plans and implementation of programmes for the Parish and
Archdiocese at large.
A proposal to have
Collaborative Governance on a few issues
Once enlightened to see the need for a paradigm
shift, this paper proposes a collaboration of the laity first among themselves
and then to have collaboration with the clergy and the religious on a few
issues:
1. A
Collaboration of Caring and Sharing
Over the years since the
Synod 2001 there has been a higher level of consciousness of care and concern
for my neighbour. However much needs to be done. In a parish set up, one
observes and this has been the findings of the survey too that few are involved
in many activities, cells and associations. Every parish has a mine of talents;
every parish is truly self sufficient to take care of all its needs. A fostering and a better understanding of
the role of the laity will help to achieve this. Thereby building and making every Small
Christian Community, Parish and the Archdiocese a truly participatory-servant
Church.
2. A
Collaboration for the Development of Responsible Youth
“It is in the name of God
and of his son Jesus, that we exhort you to heed the appeal of your brothers,
to place your youthful energies at their service. The Church is anxious that
this society that you (Youth) are going to build up should respect the dignity,
the liberty and the rights of individuals. These individuals are you (Youth).
The church is particular anxious that the society should allow free expansion
to her treasure ever ancient and ever new, namely, faith, and that your souls
may be able to bask freely in its helpful light. The Church looks to you
(Youth) with confidence and with love. Rich with a long past ever living in
her, and marching on toward human perfection in time and the ultimate destinies
of history and of life, the church is the real youth of the world.” (Message
of the II Vatican Council to the Youth).
Our
Archdiocese has a rich abundance of youth associations with particular
charisms, aims and programmes. On a regular basis the Archdiocesan Youth Centre
has joint meetings and programmes to creatively foster and to better understand
our youth. Could such gatherings help the youth to have a broader outlook to life, to develop
themselves to their mission in the broader context of the community, city,
nation and the world at large? Can responsible youth be developed who
automatically are absorbed not merely as Church leaders, but as leaders in
Civic and Political groups and in Citizen Awareness groups?
3. A
Collaboration in the field of Education
Education
is basic to the development of every human being and begins right from the
birth of a child. Education develops and enhances the social status of a person
and enables a person grow to maturity.
A
common and a well known problem faced by the Bishops and those in charge of
education in our Archdiocese is who should be appointed as a new school/
college principal once the former principal retires. How open and accepting
would the lay teachers be in accepting a lay principal? Lest we continue to
escape under the most often heard excuse, “A priest is better, for we know he
will be transferred after 6 years. Who wants that headache till she retires?”.
Now is the crucial time as we reflect on our relationships with the other
laity. Are we willing to put into practice what we know? We know for sure we
need to accept, understand and be open to lay leadership in the field of
education.
4. A
Collaboration and Involvement of the Laity in Temporal Affairs
The Church has grown hoarse
telling the lay faithful that they are the ‘salt of the earth and the light of
the world’. While acknowledging their expertise, and permitting the experts to
help/ serve on various Church bodies, the Church also invites the lay faithful
to be engaged in Civil Services, IFS, IPS, etc. There is a very minuscule group
of our catholic lay faithful serving and working in the government, civic and
public sectors.
If
we knew what politics really means, we cannot but be challenged to participate
in politics. Politics in its real sense is a larger process by which
decisions are made about our life, needs and aspirations and the ways and means
of realizing those needs and aspirations.
The
time is ripe for us to permeate the mainstream of life, to live out our
Christian calling in a challenging milieu, one that propagates values contrary
to the Gospel and in a milieu that subjectively rationalizes the world around.
The hierarchy too would do well if such initiatives were supported by them.
Conclusion
The world is a vast vineyard. The owner of the
vineyard is the Lord and He invites every man, woman, and child to come into
the vineyard and work it so as to make it produce the fruits of many good
works. The special role of the laity, stemming from the special lay character
that is theirs, and nourished by their own sacraments (Baptism, Confirmation,
and Marriage) is to make this world all that God meant it to be. The Kingdom of
God begins here, but only if we all want it, choose in behalf of it, work
towards it, promote what advances it, and resist whatever destroys injures or
limits it. The Catholic laity has been referred to as a “sleeping giant waiting
to be awakened.” Will they measure up to the needs of the age by drawing upon
the special strengths of the Church, in what has been called “the age of the
laity”? The choice is yours, and mine.
Questions for Discussion:
1. Mention
at least 3 most important ideas in the paper you agree with, giving reasons for
the same
2. Any
suggestions relating to the implementation and the way forward regarding the
above?
3. Please
mention any ideas in the paper you disagree with, giving reasons for the same
4.
Please mention any important aspects that you
think have not been covered in the paper.
