WYD 1997 Good old days but still relevant

"Around the Eucharistic table the harmonious unity of the Church is realized and made manifest; the mystery of missionary communion, in which all feel that they are children, sisters and brothers, without any exclusion or difference from race, language, age, social situation or culture." (Message of Pope John Paul II, WYD '97)               "The harmonious unity of the Church is realized. . ."  This is true because in the Eucharist and by partaking of the Body of Christ, we become united with Christ and if all of us are united with Christ who is only one we are all united in His mystical Body the Church.                How does this happen?  St. Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians, wrote: "Is not the cup of blessing we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ?  And is not the bread we break a sharing in the body of Christ?"  He continues by describing the effect that this mysterious bread works in the persons who receive it: "Because the loaf of bread is one we, many though we are, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf" (1 Cor 10:16-17)  And St. John Chrysostom said:  "We are that selfsame body.  For what is the bread? The Body of Christ.  And what do they become who partake of it?  The Body of Christ; not many bodies, but one body.  For as the bread consisting of many grains is made one, so that the grains nowhere appear, so are we conjoined both with each other and with Christ." (John Chrysostom, In 1 Cor., hom. 24, 2)               If this becomes a reality, the harmonious unity in the Church is surely "realized and made manifest."               As is indicated, the Eucharist is food which produces a union between the faithful and Jesus.  (All of this, of course, has to be understood in such a way that we respect the distance between creator and creature).  Between the faithful who receives communion and Jesus, there is a mystical assimilation, spiritual but real, which allows one precisely to use the term body, one body.  In an amazing statement St. Thomas affirms: "The proper effect of the Eucharist is the transformation of man into God": his divinization.  (Thomas Aquinas, In Sent. IV, D. 12, q. 2, a. 1)  Also St. Cyril of Jerusalem said: "In the figure of bread  his body is given to you, and in the figure of wine his blood, that by partaking of the body and blood of Christ you may become one body and one blood in him.  For when his body and blood become absorbed into the members of our bodies, we become Christ-bearers, so that, as St. Peter said, we become 'sharers of the divine nature' (2 Pt a:4)."  (Cyril of Jerusalem, Cat. Myst., 4, 3)               We can speak of one body and blood not because a physical union is brought about, but because of the union of our persons with the glorified body of Christ which is present in the Eucharist and is vivified by the Holy Spirit.  We are, therefore, really one body, but in a new and mystical sense.  (Chiara Lubich, The Eucharist, p. 54)                We become one body in Christ, resulting in the communion among brothers, members of one divine family.  This makes our discipleship with Christ grow even more stronger.  Through the reception of the Holy Eucharist as is true with the food we eat, Christ himself sustains and regenerates us.  Without it our life in "staying" with Jesus and become his disciples cannot be maintained.   Why is the Eucharist a "mystery of missionary communion"?               For the Pope, the Eucharist is "the mystery of missionary communion, in which all feel that they are children, sisters and brothers, without any exclusion or difference from race, language, age, social situation or culture."  (Message of Pope John Paul II, WYD '97)               The Eucharist produces communion among people.  This is logical, since, if two persons are similar to a third: that is Christ, they are similar to each other.  Logically, the Eucharist gives rise to communion among brothers.  This is an extraordinary thing!  If all of us take it seriously, this would have enormous and unimaginable consequences.  If we understand that the Eucharist makes us one with each other, it becomes logical to treat all men as brothers; that "all feel that they are children, sisters and brothers, without any exclusion or difference from race, language, age, social situation or culture."  (Message of Pope John Paul II, WYD '97)               The Eucharist forms the family of the children of God, all brothers and sisters of Jesus and of each other.  This is what makes the Eucharist and its effects, "missionary."  Its constant partaking makes us all see that everybody are children of God to be loved.  Moreover, the natural family has its laws.  If these were extended to a supernatural level and applied on a vast scale, we would change the world.  In the family, everything is shared: life itself, the house, the money, etc.  A good family has its own intimacy: its members know one another's joys and sorrows because they communicate them.  When they go out into the world, they convey the warmth of their own home.                If the family is one of the creator's most beautiful works, what must the family of God's children like?  In the Acts of the Apostles, we see how the Eucharist immediately helped Christians to become aware of being a single body:  "The community of believers were of one heart and one mind.  None of them ever claimed anything of his own; rather, everything was held in common."  (Acts 4:32)  For St. Albert: "As the bread, the matter of this sacrament, is made into one loaf out of many grains which share their entire makeup, compenetrating each other, so the true body of Christ is put together from many drops of blood of our own nature . . . mixed together; and thus many believers . . . united in sentiment and communicating mystically with Christ their head, constitute the body of Christ. . . . That is why this sacrament lead us to effect a communion of all our goods temporal and spiritual."  (Albert the Great, In Jo. 6, 64)                This reality, if realized, is a very strong missionary witness especially among us the youth.  We could change the communities around us, our environment, our schools our very families.  Together with Christ, we could change the world according to the plan of our Father in heaven.  It could initiate a revolution!     What did the Pope and the Church desire so that we could contribute to the realization which the Eucharist wanted to achieve?             "Dear young people, make your generous and responsible contribution to the constant building up of the Church as a family, a place of dialogue and mutual acceptance, a space of peace, mercy and pardon." (Message of Pope John Paul II, WYD '97)               This echoes the words of Pope Paul VI regarding the Eucharist:  "The Eucharist . . . has been instituted to make us brothers; . . . so that from being strangers scattered far and wide and indifferent to one another, we become united, equal, and friends.  It is given to change us from an apathetic and egoistic mass, from being people divided and hostile to each other, into a people, a real people, believing and loving, of one heart and of one soul."  (Teachings of Paul VI, Vol. III, p. 358)               "The Church therefore earnestly desires that Christ's faithful, when present at this mystery of faith, should not be there as strangers or silent spectators.  On the contrary, through a proper appreciation of the rites and prayers they should participate knowingly, devoutly, and actively. . . . they should give thanks to God by offering the Immaculate Victim, not only through the hands of the priest but also together with him, they should learn to offer themselves too.  Through Christ the mediator, they should be drawn day by day into ever closer union with God and with each other, so that finally God may be all in all."  (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, 47-48).

Poetic Licence: Surviving typhoon “Frank”

Poetic Licence: Surviving typhoon “Frank”

JESUS IS IN THOSE WHO DO NOT KNOW GOD BUT CALL HIM, IN BELIEVERS OF OTHER RELIGIONS, AND IN THOSE WHO ARE HONORED WITH THE NAME “CHRISTIAN”

 

To seek Jesus, what does the Pope indicate in order to see Him?

 

The Pope asks us to seek Jesus "in those who do not know God but call Him." Who are these? These are the "pagans" who have not know Christ but live morally good lives and call him.

 

Jesus also lives in "those who, after knowing Him, have lost Him, though no fault of their own." These may be those baptized Christians who grew in totalitarian states who tried to eliminate Christianity.

 

Jesus lives in "those who seek him in sincerity of heart even if they come from different cultural and religious context." These are the believers of other religions and other cultures, like Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Shintoism, etc. And Jesus also "lives" among the men and women "honored with the name Christian".

 

Seeing Jesus in them is an exigency of the command to "love of neighbor" i.e., the love towards all and this includes unbelievers, believers of other religions and our separated brethren who are also called Christians. Jesus lives in even in them. All of us were created under the image and likeness of God and therefore Christ's redemptive merits is for all. Christ died for all.

 

What does this bring to mind?

 

This brings to mind the Pope's message to us in the occasion of WYD '96. He said: "Journeying towards the Great Jubilee, may you be accompanied by the Conciliar Constitution Gaudium et Spes, which I mean to entrust to you all, as already I entrusted it to your contemporaries of the continent of Europe, gathered last September at Loreto: It is a valuable and ever youthful document. Reread it attentively. You will find in it light to discern your vocation as men and women called to live in this both marvelous and dramatic era, as artisans of brotherhood and builders of peace (Angelus of 10 September 1995)."

 

Before this document of Vatican II, the Church adopted the method of evangelization which could be characterized by:

 

1. Religious isolation. We isolate ourselves as Catholics from the believers of other religion and our Christian brothers for fear of contamination.

 

2. Disagreement and opposition. We tend to disagree with them in order to defend our faith and beliefs. We oppose them.

 

3. Conversion, and return in the case of heretics. There is a tendency to proselytize. To "convert" them or win them back to our fold.

 

After Vatican II however, the approach was quite different. In her document, Gaudium et Spes, (The Pastoral Constitution of the Church on the Modern World) it says that the disciples of Christ "is a community composed of men, of men who, united with Christ and guided by the Holy Spirit, press onwards towards the Kingdom of the Father and are bearers of a message of salvation intended for all." (GS, 1)

 

The Church is the universal saving design of God's will for all. Lumen Gentium (The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church) says:

 

All men are called to (this) catholic unity which prefigures and promotes universal peace. And in different ways to it belong, or are related: the Catholic faithful, others who believe in Christ, and finally all mankind, called by God's grace to salvation. (LG. n. 13.)

 

The Church should not be seen as an exclusive group but it comprises "in different ways" all mankind who are called by God's grace to salvation.

 

 

What is even understood in Lumen Gentium is the possibility of salvation for followers of other religions and people of good will.

 

Those who, through no fault of their own, do not know the Gospel of Christ or his Church, but nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart, and, moved by grace, try in their actions to do his will as they know it through the dictates of their conscience - those too may achieve eternal salvation. (LG. 16)

 

And, in other documents of Vatican II, there is acceptance of dialogue and collaboration with followers of other religions.

 

The Catholic Church rejects nothing of what is true and holy in these religions. . . The Church, therefore, urges her sons to enter with prudence and charity into discussion and collaboration with members of other religions. Let Christians, while witnessing to their own faith and way of life, acknowledge, preserve and encourage the spiritual and moral truths found among non-Christians, also their social life and culture. (Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions (NA), 2).

 

Here, there is (1) an open recognition of the positive values of other religions while the affirmation of the fullness of truth in Jesus Christ is never neglected. (2) A sincere invitation to dialogue, respect and collaboration with followers of other religions; and (3) the promotion of interreligious dialogue as an essential element of the Church's missionary vocation.

 

The Church, "by virtue of its mission to enlighten the entire world by preaching the Gospel and to unify in spirit men of every nation, race and culture, is a sign of that brotherhood which makes sincere dialogue possible and strengthens it." (LG, 97).

 

"God desired that all men should form one family and deal with each other in a spirit of brotherhood." (GS, 24)

 

The Popes states in his letter on the Missionary Activity of the Church (Redemptoris Missio) that "interreligious dialogue is part of the evangelizing mission of the Church" (RM, 55)

 

Now, he wants us as disciples and friends of Jesus to "become agents of dialogue and collaboration with those who believe in a God who rules the universe with infinite love; be ambassadors of the Messiah you have found and known in his "dwelling", the Church, so that many more young people of your age may be able to follow in his footsteps; their way lighted by your fraternal charity and by the joy in your eyes that have contemplated Christ." (Message of John Paul II, WYD '97)

 

 

What is dialogue?

 

Dialogue has been described as an encounter of believers "in order to walk together in projects of common concern." (Attitude of the Church towards the followers of other religions, n. 13)

 

It denotes a voyage of mutual discovery, or a common pilgrimage. "Its aim is conversion, not in the sense of bringing about a change of religious allegiance, but rather in the biblical sense of the humble and penitent return of the heart to God in the desire to submit one's life more generously to Him." (ibid, n. 37).

 

What is its Foundation?

 

Its foundation is the love of God and love of neighbor. God the Father, the source of all goodness, so loved the world that he has revealed himself through Jesus Christ. Through the incarnation the Son of God has, in a certain way, united himself with every member of the human race. Salvation in Jesus Christ is open to all.

 

This holds good not for Christians only but also for all persons of good will in whose heart grace is active. For since Christ died for all, and since in fact all are called to one and the same destiny, which is divine, we must hold that the Holy Spirit offers to all the possibility of being made partners, in a way known to God, in the Paschal mystery. (GS, 22).

 

The Holy Spirit is at work, not only among Christians but also beyond the visible boundaries of the Church. For this reason recognition is to be given to the good which is found sown not only in the minds and hearts of individuals, but also in the rites and customs of peoples (cf. LG, 17).

 

There are the "seeds of the Word" which can be discovered in the various religious traditions and which thus allow dialogue to take place.

 

 

Now, the Church is called upon to be a sign of the love of God. In as much as it is a "sign and instrument, of communion with God and of unity with all men," (LG, 1) she has to initiate dialogue and collaboration with all.

 

What are the three kinds of dialogue?

 

The Encyclical Ecclesiam Suam speaks of three kinds of groups in dialogue in terms of three concentric circles, of varying sizes:

 

1. Dialogue with whom who profess no religion. Christ also died for the atheists. We need to love and make dialogue with them. Moreover, dialogue

 

is demanded nowadays by the prevalent understanding of the relationship between the sacred and the profane. It is demanded by the dynamic course of action which is changing the face of modern society. It is demanded by the pluralism of society, and by the maturity man has reached in this day and age. Be he religious or not, his secular education has enabled him to think and speak, and to conduct a dialogue with dignity. (On Dialogue with Unbelievers, 1; cf. LG ch. 3, 78).

 

2. Dialogue with believers of other religions is called interreligious dialogue. The Church, "sincerely proclaims to all men, those who believe as well as those who do not, [she] should help to establish right order in this world where all live together." (GS, 21) Interreligious dialogue can take four forms:

 

a. Dialogue of Life. This refers to a form of relationship "where people strive to live in an open and neighbourly spirit, sharing this joys and sorrows, their human problems and preoccupations" (Dialogue and Proclamation, 42)

 

b. Dialogue of Action. This is when believers of diverse religion work together for a common purpose, like to work for victims of justice or calamities or other humanitarian projects.

 

c. Dialogue of Specialists. This is the dialogue in the level of philosophy, theology or that which regards dogmas and beliefs.

 

d. Dialogue of religious experience. This is a deeper dialogue where believers share to one another their experiences of prayer, meditation, or their ways of reaching the Absolute. This is done in the monasteries.

 

3. Dialogue with other Christians. What did the Pope say in this regard? Jesus also "lives" among the men and women "honored with the name Christian". These are our Christian brothers and sisters. We are joined in many ways by them. They are the

 

many who hold sacred scripture in honor as a rule of faith and of life, who have a sincere religious zeal, who lovingly believe in God the Father Almighty and in Christ the Son of God, and the Saviour, who are sealed by baptism which unites them to Christ, and who indeed recognize and receive other sacraments in their own Churches or ecclesial communities. (LG, 15) They do not however profess the Catholic faith in its entirety or have nor preserved unity or communion under the successor of Peter, the bishop of Rome. (ibid.)

 

Jesus lives also in them. They likewise meet Christ and live the Words of Christ in the Scriptures, in prayer and in service of their neighbors. Like all of us. There are more elements that unite us than that which divide us.

 

This dialogue between and among Christians is called Ecumenism. The Church is not a reality closed to itself. Rather, she is permanently open to missionary and ecumenical endeavor, for she is sent to the world to announce and witness, to make present and spread the mystery of communion which is essential to her, and to gather all people and all things in to Christ, so as to be for all an inseparable sacrament of unity.

 

The Council states that the Church of Christ "subsists in the Catholic Church, which is governed by the successor of Peter and by the Bishops in communion with Him," and at the same time acknowledges that "many elements of sanctification and of truth can be found outside her visible structure. These elements, however, as gifts properly belonging to the church of Christ, possess an inner dynamism towards Catholic unity." (LG, 8).

 

There are two points here: (a) the Catholic Church really wants full organic unity with the bishop of Rome as the head, on the other hand, (b) the elements of this unity is also found outside her visible structure.

 

Ecumenism is not about making non-Churches become churches. The Pope explained in the Encyclical Letter, Ut Unum Sint (That all may be one),

 

 

It is not that beyond the boundaries of the Catholic community there is an ecclesial vacuum. Many elements of great value, which in the Catholic Church are part of the fullness of the means of salvation and of the gifts of grace which make up the church, are also found in the other Christian communities. It is not a matter of adding together all the riches scattered throughout the various Christian communities inorder to arrive at a Church which God has in mind for the future. . . . This reality of unity and fullness is something already given. Consequently we are even now in the last times. The elements of this already-given Church exist, found in their fullness in the Catholic Church and, without this fullness, in the other Communities, where certain features of the Christian mystery have at times been more effectively emphasized. Ecumenism is directed precisely to making the partial communion existing between Christians grow towards full communion in truth and charity. (Ut Unum Sint, 14)

 

It is about (a) letting God restore to the Church of Christ its full power for self-realization in its mission to the world; and (b) bringing all the churches together in the full recognition and in the fully shared possession of those gifts which all have tried to maintain in fidelity to tradition coming from the apostles, but which separations have fragmented in some churches and left ineffective and inadequately understood in all.

 

The Pope continued: "On the eve of the third millennium, it is becoming every day a more urgent duty to repair the scandal of the division among Christians, strengthening unity through dialogue, prayer in common and witness." (Message of John Paul II, WYD '97)

 

What was the advice of the Pope how to do it?

 

"It is a matter of working - under the guidance of the Holy Spirit - with a view to effective reconciliation, trusting in the efficacy of Jesus' prayer on the eve of his passion: 'Father, that they may be one even as we are one' (cf. Jn 12:22). The more you cling to Jesus the more capable you will become of being close to one another; and insofar as you make concrete gestures of reconciliation you will enter into the intimacy of his love." (Message of John Paul II, WYD '97)

 

We have then to strengthen our discipleship with Jesus so that we could love more and be near to his other disciples. For this new mode of evangelization, we need to stay with Jesus who "dwells especially in your parishes, in the communities in which you live, in the associations and ecclesial movements to which you belong, as well as in many contemporary forms of grouping and apostolate at the service of the new evangelization." (Message of John Paul II, WYD '97)

 

 

Dialogue and the Great Jubilee Year 2000

 

The Year 2000 will be celebrated as the anniversary of the birth of Christ. It might be thought as being purely Christian event, and therefore not of concern to people belonging to other religions. Yet Pope John Paul II has emphasized that it will be celebrated as the Great Jubilee. (TMA, 16) He thus wishes all people, to be invited to join with the Church in celebrating this Jubilee. He said that "the eve of the year 2000 will provide a great opportunity. . . for interreligious dialogue. . . In this dialogue the Jews and the Muslims ought to have a pre-eminent place." (TMA, 5) Furthermore, he prays that the

 

Jubilee will be a promising opportunity for fruitful cooperation in the many areas which unite us; these are unquestionable more numerous than those which divide us. It would thus be quite helpful if, with due respect for the programs of the individual Churches and Communities, ecumenical agreements could be reached with regard to the preparation and celebration of the Jubilee. In this way the Jubilee will bear witness even more forcefully before the world that the disciples of Christ are fully resolved to reach full unity as soon as possible in the certainty that "nothing is impossible with God. (TMA, 16).

 

The ecumenical and universal character of the Sacred Jubilee can be fittingly reflected by a meeting of all Christians. This would be an event of great significance, and so, in order to avoid misunderstandings, it should be properly presented and carefully prepared, in an attitude of fraternal cooperation with Christians of other denominations and traditions, as well as of grateful openness to those religions whose representatives might wish to acknowledge the joy shared by all the disciples of Christ." (TMA, 55).

 

In the locality where I live, are there persons whom I may call "pagans," "believers of other religions," or "separated Christians?"

 

What is my attitude towards them: indifferent or friendly, discursive or attentive?

 

If given a chance could I initiate a process of "dialogue" with them?

 

 

The Co-essentiality Between the Institutional and Charismatic Dimensions of the Church

Introduction On the vigil of Pentecost Sunday, of the Year of the Holy Spirit in the immediate preparation for the Great Jubilee Year, lay movements were the protagonists of an extraordinary meeting with the Holy Father in St Peter's Square. Exactly one year later, Pope John Paul II, recalling that moment, emphasized once again that the ecclesial movements and new communities "constitute a true gift of the Holy Spirit to the Church at the close of the millennium and one of the new signs which emerged from Vatican Council II." The Pope added: "The Pentecost '98 meeting has produced invaluable fruits. It has given rise to a great number of initiatives aimed at nurturing a sense of communion within the movements and ecclesial communities, and at increasing collaboration among them, with the local Church and with the parishes." The Holy Father invited everyone to thank the Lord "for this promising springtime in the Church, so rich in hope" and he said he was sure that the programmed meeting for June would contribute "towards its further development" It was here that he also announced the Pontifical Council for the Laity's initiative to organize a Congress focusing on the topic, 'Ecclesial Movements and New Communities and the Bishops' Pastoral Care.' The Pope believed that it is precisely from this collaboration between the new entities and the Church's hierarchy that the Christians' "missionary impulse" in "a secularized world," largely depends; it is based on "a radical experience of faith in Christ, an experience which is expressed in prayer, unity and proclamation" of the Good News." This calls to mind Encyclical Letter by Pope John Paul II Tertio Millennio Adveniente, wherein he already forwarded some ideas regarding what the Holy Spirit is working in this century: The Church cannot prepare for the new millennium "in any other way than in the Holy Spirit. What was accomplished by the power of the Holy Spirit 'in the fullness of time' can only through the Spirit's power now emerge from the memory of the Church." (Encyclical Letter by Pope John Paul II, Dominum et Vivificantem, 51) The Spirit, in fact, makes present in the Church of every time and place the unique Revelation brought by Christ to humanity, making it alive and active in the soul of each individual: "The Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you" (Jn 14:26). To prepare therefore the Great Jubilee Year he wrote in the same encyclical that: "The primary tasks of the preparation . . . thus include a renewed appreciation of the presence and activity of the Spirit, who acts within the Church both in the Sacraments . . . and in the variety of charisms, roles and ministries which he inspires for the good of the Church." At the end of this millennium, we cannot deny the presence of the movements in the Church. It is said that the new ecclesial movements and communities, are not anymore a phenomenon but a reality. It is as if the Church discovers a new treasure and she is still in awe what would be the value of it. It is also said that the second of this century is not anymore the winter but the springtime of the Church. Thanks to these new manifestations of the Holy Spirit through the ecclesial movements and new communities. Co-essentiality of the Institutional and Charismatic Dimension There is a need therefore for a theological locus to situate these movements. What theological schemes should we build for them? Pastorally parish priests could face problems and difficulties in as much as these movements have new features and sometimes do not fit to their pastoral programs. One could think of the binomials and polarity between the institutional church and the charismatic church; between Christology and pneumatology; between hierarchy and charisms; between the particular and universal church; between the apostles in the church and the prophets in the church, etc. The formulation however purports a certain tension, even if it is healthy, between the two, which sometimes are considered polarizing dimensions in the church. John Paul II, instead, on the occasion of Pentecost 98, underlined that the institutional and charismatic dimensions "are co essential to the divine constitution of the Church founded by Jesus, because they contribute together to rending present the mystery of Christ and his salvific work in the world." They contribute, although differently, to the life, renewal and sanctification of God's People. Its significance and implications The Pope refers, in his address, to the ecclesiological vision outlined by the Second Vatican Council. He said: "With the Second Vatican Council, the Comforter recently gave the Church, which according to the Fathers is the place "where the Spirit flourishes" (CCC n. 749), a renewed Pentecost, instilling a new and unforeseen dynamism." "Whenever the spirit intervenes, he leaves people astonished. He brings about events of amazing newness; he radically changes persons and history. This was the unforgettable experience of the Second Vatican Council during which, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the church rediscovered the charismatic dimension of one of her constitutive elements: In fact, the dogmatic constitution of the Church, Lumen gentium, teaches in n. 4 that the Holy Spirit guides the Church . . . "and gives her a unity of fellowship and service. He furnishes and directs her with various gifts, both hierarchical and charismatic," and n. 12 further specifies: "It is not only through the sacraments and Church ministries that the same Holy Spirit sanctifies and leads the People of God and enriches it with virtues. Allotting his gifts 'to everyone according as he will' (1 Cor. 12:11). He distributes special graces among the faithful of every rank. By these gifts he makes them fit and ready to undertake the various tasks or offices advantageous for the renewal and building up of the Church, according to the words of the Apostle: 'The manifestation of the Spirit is given to everyone for profit' (1 Cor. 12:7)." From its origins and then unceasingly throughout the centuries, the Church has always experienced that she is generated and built up, at the same time and in providential synergy, by what the Council calls "hierarchical gifts", constituting the institutional dimension of the Church, and by what the Council defines as the "charismatic gifts", constituting its charismatic dimension. Both dimensions are in answer to the promise that the risen Lord made to the apostles before ascending to heaven, as the guarantee of the effectiveness of their mission in the world: "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age'' (Mt. 28:19 20). Therefore it is the same Holy Spirit which is the origin and dispenser of both hierarchical gifts and charismatic gifts. "There is only one Spirit who, according to his own richness and the needs of the ministries distributes his different gift for the welfare of the Church" (cf. 1 Cor 12:1-11). Among these gifts stands out the grace given to the Apostles. To their authority, the Spirit himself subjected even those who were endowed with charisms (cf. 1 Cor 14). Giving the body unity through himself and through his power and through the internal cohesion of its members, this same Spirit produces and urges love among the believers." (LG, n. 7) The institutional aspect of the church, which ultimately is concretized in and by Holy Orders, ultimately also come from the Holy Spirit. In fact, those who are normally ordained to the sacred orders, first of all experienced a call from the Holy Spirit and the church founded through the Pentecost, only affirms and confirms it. Now, if Sacred orders, the hierarchical gifts, come from the same Holy spirit, the same source of charismatic gifts and expresses itself in history through ecclesial movements, pastorally, the ordained minister would immediately find a unifying instinc if not a nostalgia towards them, finding in them the imprint of the same Holy Spirit that he received sacramentally in ordination. In the same way, members of new ecclesial movements and communities have to be instinctively one with their pastors because the hierarchy is also coming from the Holy Spirit. Both, the hierarchy and the movements are the tangible expression of the gift, par excellence, which the risen Jesus pours over the Church so that she may continue his same mission: the gift of the Holy Spirit. Hierarchical and charismatic gifts are gifts of the Holy Spirit Gift. Through the first, the Holy Spirit objectively guarantees the presence of Jesus who gives himself to the Church, through the Word and Sacraments, generating and nourishing her as his spouse, other himself (cf. Eph. 5:25). We can cite the Eucharist as only one example of Jesus' self giving to the Church in all its objective reality, which is also its culminating point. Through the charismatic gifts, on the other hand, the same Spirit opens the subjectivity of believers - that is, their minds and hearts, their entire existence - so that they become capable of receiving, of penetrating and of bringing to full effectiveness of life and holiness the objective gift of Christ which they receive from the Word of God and the Sacraments, announced and celebrated by the ordained ministers. They are normally given to a single person, but in such a way that they can "be shared by others in such ways as to continue in time a precious and effective heritage serving as a source of a particular spiritual affinity among persons," to the advantage of the entire Church The objective charism and the subjective charism are therefore co essential in identity and in the mission of the Church. They express and realize the spousal rapport that subsists between Christ and the Church. Christ continues to give himself in the Spirit to the Church his Bride through the Word and the Sacraments. And the Church, Bride of Christ, formed by the charismatic gifts she receives from the same Holy Spirit, gathers, generates and increases within herself the Christ given to her through the Word and Sacraments, by living the new commandment of mutual love and by loving all brothers and sisters. If there is a difference in the way in which the objective charism and the subjective charism are given by the same Holy Spirit to the Church, it consists in the fact that, in the first case, this gift is objectively guaranteed by Christ's faithfulness to the Church (for example, Jesus in the Eucharist becomes present independently of the subjective holiness of the minister). Whereas in the second case, the Holy Spirit is received and accepted only when whoever is called to receive the subjective charism and to live it, conforms his or her life to Jesus the one mediator for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Church. The objective and subjective charisms, therefore, are essentially in relationship with one another. One cannot be without the other. Authenticity of Ecclesial Movements Another question hangs over us. How would we determine the authenticity of these movements, especially those are yet on the process of being approved by the church? First, let us recall the Document Christifideles Laici, 30 which says: "it is always from the perspective of the Church's communion and mission, and not in opposition to the freedom to associate, that one understands the necessity of having clear and definite criteria for discerning and recognizing such lay groups, also called "Criteria of Ecclesiality". The following basic criteria might be helpful in evaluating an association of the lay faithful in the Church: -- The primary given to the call of every Christian to holiness, as it is manifested "in the fruits of grace which the spirit produces in the faithful" and in a growth towards the fullness of Christian life and the perfection of charity. -- The responsibility of professing the Catholic faith, embracing and proclaiming the truth about Christ, the Church and humanity, in obedience to the Church's Magisterium, as the Church interprets it. For this reason every association of the lay faithful must be a forum where the faith is proclaimed as well as taught in its total content. -- The witness to a strong and authentic communion in filial relationship to the Pope, in total adherence to the belief that he is the perpetual and visible center of unity of the universal Church, and with the local bishop "the visible principle and foundation of unity" in the particular church, and in "mutual esteem for all forms of the church apostolate". The communion with Pope and bishop must be expressed in loyal readiness to embrace the doctrinal teachings and pastoral initiatives of both Pope and Bishop. Moreover, church communion demands both an acknowledgement of a legitimate plurality of forms in t he associations of the lay faithful in the Church and at the same time, willingness to cooperate in working together. - Conformity to and participation in the Church's apostolic goals, i.e., "evangelization and sanctification of humanity and the Christian formation of the people's conscience, so as to enable them to infuse the spirit of the Gospel into the various communities and spheres of life." - A commitment to a presence in human society, which in light of the Church's social doctrine, places it at the service of the total dignity of the person. Perhaps the basic criteria of the authenticity of any movement is from the definition of the same by Cardinal Joseph Razinger: "Movements are born from a charismatic leader or personality or personality; they form concrete communities which by force of their origin, re-live the Gospel in its entirety, and without hesitation they recognize the church their reason of life without which they could not continue to exist. The essential criterion then is the rooting itself in the faith of the church. Whoever does not share the apostolic faith cannot lay claim to apostolic activity." The grace of discernment The members of the hierarchy, sacramentally configured to Christ, are called to be signs and instruments of him - they act, in fact, in persona Christi Capitis Ecclesiae (Cf. PO 2; LG 10) - so that he may give himself to the Church his Bride. As pastors of the Church, they also have the grace and duty to receive with gratitude, to discern the authenticity of the charismatic gifts and to regulate their orderly use in accordance with their specific sphere of competence: that of the universal Church for the Pope, and that of the particular Church for the Bishops united in collegial communion with him (cf. LG 12). Furthermore, inasmuch as they themselves are members of the Church, Bride of Christ, the ordained ministers are called to be open and to welcome the gift of Christ. Consequently, the charismatic gifts can help them to live their lives as Christians and also to exercise their ministry more fully in conformity to the heart and mind of Christ. In their turn, "true charisms - these are the words of the Pope cannot but aim at the encounter with Christ in the sacraments" and to live a "trusting obedience to the Bishops, the successors of the Apostles, in communion with the Successor of Peter," according to the words of Jesus: "Who hears you hears me" (Lk.10:16). In the homily of the Holy Father, n. 8 The Council wrote in clear words: "Those who have charge over the church should judge the genuiness and proper use of these gifts, through their office not indeed to extinguish, but to test all things and hold fast to what is good (LG n. 12). In his message to the participants of the said recent Seminar for Bishops on the ecclesial movements and new communities, last June 16-19 1999, John Paul II stressed the need for lay people in the missionary role of the Church. The essential point for the Bishops, according to the Pope, is "to know how to elicit a lively missionary impulse from the laity is indispensable for the Church as she prepares to cross the threshold of the third millennium." In reference to the pastors, John Paul II wrote, "Dear brothers in the Episcopate! From you, whose task is to discern the authenticity of the charisms, and to decide on their just exercise in the context of the Church, I ask for paternal magnanimity and charity and a broad vision as regards these realities, because every work of man requires time and patience for its adequate and indispensable purification." "I am convinced, venerable brothers," continued the Holy Father, "that your careful and cordial disposition, making possible opportune meetings for prayer, reflection and friendship, will in turn make your authority not only more pleasing but more exacting, your pointers more efficacious and incisive, and the ministry conferred on you to evaluate the charism in order of 'common usefulness' more fruitful. Your first task, in fact, is to open the eyes of your heart and mind to recognize the multiple ways the Spirit is present in the Church, to reflect on these and to lead them to unity in truth and charity." Pastorally, this also re-echoes what the Second Plenary Council of the Philippines decreed: "priests should welcome, encourage, and support these renewed communities, whenever they could be led into the mainstream of parish and diocesan pastoral priorities and programs. When properly guided they draw attention to the continuing presence, power, and activity of the Spirit in the Church and in the world." Conclusion I will conclude with the words of appeal of the Pope to the Cardinals and Bishops present in the seminar in Rome last June 16-19, 1999: "In the course of my meetings with the ecclesial movements and new communities, I have repeatedly stressed the intimate connection between their experience and the reality of the local Churches and the universal Church, of which they are a fruit and, at the same time, a missionary expression. Last year, at the world congress of ecclesial movements, I publicly stated 'their disposition to put their energies at the service of the See of Peter and of the local Churches.' In fact, one of the most important fruits generated by the movements is, precisely, knowing how to free a lively missionary impulse in so many lay faithful, men and women, adults and children, something indispensable for the Church as she prepares to cross the threshold of the third millennium." "However, this objective is reached only when 'they integrate themselves with humility in the life of the local Churches and are cordially welcomed by the bishops and priests in the existing diocesan and parish structures,'" he continued. "What does this mean in concrete terms for the apostolate and pastoral action? How do we receive this special gift which the Spirit is offering to the Church at this moment in time? How do we receive it in its full extension, in its fullness, in all its dynamism?" John Paul II encouraged the Bishops in their mission as pastors of the Church. "To respond adequately to these questions is part of your responsibility as pastors. Your great responsibility is to not allow the gift of the Spirit to be in vain but, on the contrary, to make it even more fruitful in the service of the entire Christian people."

The Rosary, Priesthood and a School of Prayer for any Formation in a Seminary and Family

I. Introduction

The rosary is a prayer closely identified to Mary. To write about the rosary and the priesthood, I will first deal with the necessity of prayer, understandably as a necessary element for those who want to radically follow Christ; and then about Mary who was the first disciple and lastly on this prayer of the Holy Rosary which is typically Marian. On this last part I will have to quote the last Apostolic Letter of John Paul II, Rosarium Virginis Mariae.

II. The seminary is also called a school of prayer.

A. Since we cannot separate prayer life from persons who want to follow Christ, the seminary can be rightly called a “school of prayer”. Christ himself was a man of prayer, His is a lifestyle that is based on prayer in order to be in communion with His Father in Heaven so that His actions would always be in harmony if not one with the will of the Father. He would always bring his disciples to a far away place apart from the crowd to pray so that He would teach them by example that to have a dialogue with His Father in order is a necessity so that their actions, decisions and words would always be in accord with the will of His Father.

B. Prayer, in the life of a Christian cannot be delegated. It is of its very essence. As oxygen is very important in our body, without which even for some minutes, our body will die, so is also prayer with regards to our life in Christ. Prayer is that which makes us one with Christ, to his will, his mentality, with his actions. It makes us one with Christ so that little by little, Christ will be formed in his disciples.

III. Mary and the Priesthood

A. There is a link between Mary and the ministerial priesthood which is not only devotional but, we could also say, essential. Through the annunciation Mary has conceived in her womb the Word of God, Jesus. He has given us Jesus through her “fiat”. In the Holy Eucharist, does not the priest realize the same reality? The priest, through the mass, gives to us the Body and Blood of Christ. It is as if were, he generates Christ, albeit sacramentally. Is this not the role of Mary, to give Christ? The priest necessarily is related to Mary theologically. As Peter Chrysologus said that Christ "is the bread that sowed in the Virgin, leavened in the flesh, kneaded in the Passion, baked in the oven of the sepulcher, kept in the Church, taken to the altars, gives the faithful heavenly food every day." The divine wheat is her Son and the priests continues to give Him every time there is the “breaking of the bread”.

B. Moreover, the priest has to be first of all a disciple of Christ. Was not Mary, as has been presented by the Second Vatican Council, the perfect disiciple, a model to who we could imitate and base our lives in order to become like Jesus. St. Louis M. Grignion De Montfort writes in “True Devotion to Mary”: “Take notice, if you please, that I say the saints are molded in Mary. There is a great difference,” continues Montfort, “between making a figure in relief by blows of hammer and chisel, and making a figure by throwing it into a mold. Statuaries and sculptors labor much to make figures in the first manner; but to make them in the second manner, they work little and do their work quickly.” And St. Augustine calls our Blessed Lady ‘the mold of God’ – the mold fit to cast and mold gods. He who is cast in this mold is presently formed and molded in Jesus Christ. At a slight expense and in a short time he will become God, because he has been cast in the same mold which has formed a God.” Mary then is closely related to the priests, as disciples of Christ.

IV. The Rosary

A. The Pope, two years ago wrote an encyclical Novo Millenio Inneunete. In that letter he invited us to a “high standard” of Christian life, to fix our eyes on the crucified and risen Lord, to believe in the love of God for every man and woman, for everyone, and to live the Church as the home and training ground of communion: where the law is loving one another as Christ loved us.

B. The new gift that John Paul II gave us October of last year, with the letter on the Rosary of the Virgin Mary, is in perfect continuity with the invitation and program of the Novo millennio ineunte. The Pope underlines this in the introduction of this latest letter. He says that it is “a complement” to the previous one. In order to fix our eyes on our Lord, it is not enough to learn what He taught but of learning him. And so “could we have any better teacher than Mary?” (n. 14). Because, he says, “from the divine standpoint, the Holy Spirit is the interior teacher who leads us to the full truth of Christ. But among creatures no one knows Christ better than Mary.” (ibid).

C. Here is therefore is the intimate relationship between the Rosary and the priesthood. Saying the Rosary – explains the Pope - puts us on this wave length. The rosary is a pedagogy invented by Mary. It is her maternal love helping us to “learn” Jesus. Do we not meditate, in the mysteries of the rosary, the main events of his life? And do we not meditate them, impressing them on our mind and heart so as to “clothe ourselves” with his very own sentiments?

D. This prayer, which is so simple that it can be everyone’s prayer in all circumstances, affirms the Pope, “marks the rhythm of human life”, bringing it into harmony with the “rhythm” of God’s own life, in the joyful communion of the Holy Trinity” (n. 25). And he confesses: “The rosary is my favorite prayer” (n. 2). How much more for us priests who want to be the presence of Christ on earth? If the Pope invites all Christendom to do so, how much more those who are dedicated to the service to teaching others to be like Christ?

E. Looking at Jesus with Mary’s eyes teaches us how our heart should be: open, trustful, almost like an empty chalice ready to receive the gift of God.

V. The Holy Rosary: The school of prayer

A. The seminary and any family for that matter, as I said, is a school of prayer. To pray with Mary, and contemplate Christ through the eyes of Mary, in a word to pray the rosary is to be in the school of Mary. We can speak "of the art of praying", as John Paul II had suggested in his Letter "At the beginning of a new millennium" (n.32): "This training in holiness calls for a Christian life distinguished above all in the art of prayer.” Here, specifically, the Pope is introducing us to this art, or better, to the beauty and the joy of this prayer that is roused in us by the Holy Spirit.

B. We could say that the Rosary that has grown from being a simple prayer to becoming a road to holiness, a road of discipleship, to the extent that it inserts us, by this art of praying, into the communion of the Holy Spirit, and directs our attention to the whole mystery of Christ and Mary. It helps us to have within ourselves constantly, with the strength of the word of God and the formulae of prayers in the Church, the same thoughts that were in Christ Jesus and were in the heart of the Mother. We are able to travel the way of Christ, the way of joy and light, of sorrow and of glory, in communion with the one who in the first place for herself and also for all of us has traveled the way of Christ. And she teaches us the way that is hers and ours, living her mysteries in the holy Rosary: the "Way of Mary", Mary's road. (cf.n.24)

C. As disciples, future priests, sons and daughters in any family, by praying the rosary, we also bring Mary into the home of our hearts and in the living room of our souls. There she could teach us about He Son, our Lord. Like St. John the beloved disciple who was also a priest. She is the best teacher who could lead us towards Christ. Through praying the holy rosary, we could always be in the school of Mary.

VI. Conclusion

I would like to end with a simple experience. Even if as a child we always pray the rosary, it was during my first year in the seminary that I truly began to pray sincerely the Rosary. One older seminarian handed me a chocolate which I gratefully eate, only to hear him saying after it was consumed, that there are addictive elements placed on that bar of chocolate would which would make me a drug addict. In my ignorance, I prayed to Mary during our daily rosary not make me an addict and free me from the toxic and addictive substances in that chocolate. Of course I realized later that it was not true and therefore I did not become an addict but I became an “addict” in praying the holy rosary. Now, I am a priest for almost twenty five years. Thanks to the Holy Rosary. Without it I could have not become a priest nor remained in the ministry. It was Mary who has shown me the way towards her Son and still continues to do so.

Towards a Christian Anthropological Humanism

Introduction: Do we need a new anthropological method?

Pope John Paul II, in a message for the 11th International Meeting on "People and Religions," said, "if we consider the past centuries and especially the past 100 years, we can easily discern many shadows. . . . How can we forget the appalling tragedies which have stricken humanity throughout the century now drawing to a close? We still vividly remember the two world wars and the atrocious slaughter they caused. And unfortunately violent and cruel massacres of defenseless men, women and children, still persist today. . . . All this is unacceptable!"^[1] This is a true description of our world situation. Its inner causes could be of course varied, cultural, political, religious, economic or even personal. Basically, however, this is due to a certain individualistic, ego-centered and undialogical anthropology which has dominated in the last millennium.

The world today looks for a new anthropological outlook which could satisfy his inner desire for peace. The Pope continued, "The time has come for a resolute decision to set out together on a true pilgrimage of peace . . . It more necessary than ever to put aside the 'culture of war' in order to develop a solid and lasting 'culture of peace'."^[2] To build a solid 'culture of peace' needs a solid and robust anthropological philosophy.

Modern Philosophy has, through the "cogito ergo sum" of Descartes, started to make "thinking" as the starting point of existence and hence of any philosophical endeavor. The basis of existence therefore became subjective reason and it created a kind of paradigm which builds a philosophical anthropology from a perspective of thought - man's thinking became the center and basis of his own existence making the thinking subject as the center of philosohy. He made an anthropological shift from existence itself and placed man's conscious subjectivity as the standard of the world around him even in front of his creator and therefore of the objective truths like the truths of faith. His own conciousness, rather than his ens and esse became the center. He became the subject and at the same time the object of his own study without any point of reference to objective existence. The result therefore is a view of man from the perspective of the thinking man himself. This goes without saying that any endeavor that makes a judge of his own self without any objective standard will make himself as the standard.

In this process, it is inevitable that man disengages himself, as de facto, with God his Creator and make himself as the center of everything leaving behind God and objective values and truth. Brought to its extreme, this leads to an atheistic mentality which takes away the God who is the origin of man. Without this creator, in as much as he sets himself as the standard, man easily becomes homini lupus, a wolf to his fellow men instead of being a fratelli homini, a brother to his fellow men. With this anthropological outlook, in as much as he is the center, man was led to deny the other which has its tragic consequences like wars, cruel massacres, etc., in order to affirm one's own existence.

Mission of a Catholic Institution: towards a 'culture of peace'

Any catholic institution has a specific mission in terms of making dialogue between our Catholic faith, reason, and other convictions. This is not only for any academic endeavor but is part of its nature. John Paul II states that a catholic learning institution is called "to explore courageously the riches of Revelation and of nature so that the united endeavor of intelligence and faith will enable people to come to the full measure of their humanity, created in the image and likeness of God, renewed even more marvelously, after sin, in Christ, and called to shine forth in the light of the Spirit."^[3]

Any seminary or catholic school therefore should "institute a incomparable fertile dialogue with people of every culture"^[4] even atheistic ones. This is true because, "man's life is given dignity by culture, and, while he finds his fullness in Christ, there can be no doubt that the Gospel which reaches and renews him in every dimension is also fruitful for the culture in which he lives."^[5] Any cultural outlook therefore on man has to be founded in its fullness in Christ.

According to Pope John Paul II, "this task [of dialogue] is incumbent on every Christian institution which has an intellectual calling, since Christian thought is open to the truth wherever it is found; this thought is ready to encounter the different opinions existing in the world of other religious and cultural traditions."^[6] Without this attidude the building of a solid culture of peace could be unattainable.

Towards a New Christian Humanism

Among another things, the Pope invites, "to make an original contribution to creating a renewed Christian humanism, presenting the humanity of Christ as the model for the generations of the new millennium. A splendid programme: to create beauty, to draw from the good, to understand and express the truth!"^[7]

Reflecting on these words of the Holy Father, and conscious of the fact that the first characteristic of a catholic institution is a "Christian inspiration not only of individuals but of the . . . community as such.,"^[8] I invited my class to consider this renewed Christian humanism based on a sound Christian anthropology presenting Christ as the model of our philosophical endeavor. Living and studying in a framework of a seminary which is a life that is basically communitarian and in unity with other priests friends, we believe that this task is possible.

On the outset, we would like only to focus on a new understanding of man in the light of Christ, a Christian anthropology and humanism. We believe that a Christian view on man is universal and can be applied to any culture and could assume good elements of any culture the study of which could be taken up in a separate study. From this understanding we could attempt to come up with an ontological formulation of who man is.

Man is Created under the Image and Likeness of God

Man is created by God according to his own image and likeness.^[9] This is a biblical truth which constitutes the foundation of any Christian anthropology and therefore, anthropological ontology.

The biblical mystery of our origin is explored by John Paul II as "the unchanging basis of the whole of Christian anthropology."^[10] In many of his apostolic letters especially in His "Mulieris Dignitatem," he focuses first of all on the rich anthropological meaning contained in the affirmation of the creation of man and woman "in the image and likeness of God."^[11]

The rich meaning of this biblical teaching has been summed up in theological tradition by the concept of person, a concept which gathers together its multiple aspects. The Pope gave the two fundamental aspects which define the human person.^[12]

The first is already known: We are God's image and likeness because we operate with intelligence and freedom. These are attributes of God and as His image we share in this aspect. So the rationality of man. In other words, the free and intelligent character of the person which allows him or her to exercise dominion over the other creatures of the visible world (Gen 1:28), and in the first instance to know and love God.^[13]

Man's nature however is not only rationality but also relationality. By the fact that the human being is not created to be alone (Gen 2: 18), but can only exist as the "unity of two" this second aspect is as important as the first. He has to be seen therefore in relation to another human being. We would like to dwell and emphasize this second aspect.

Christ as the Way to know God's Image.

We could know who really man is by entering into the reality of God which can only be known through Christ.

Christ is the light because, in his divine identity, he reveals the Father's face. But he is so too because, being a man like us and in solidarity with us in everything except sin, he reveals man to himself. . . . By the Incarnation, the Word of God came to bring full light to man. In this regard the Second Vatican Council says that it is: "only in the mystery of the Word made flesh that the mystery of man truly becomes clear." (Gaudium et Spes, n. 22)^[14]

The mystery of the Incarnation has given a tremendous impetus to man's thought and artistic genius. Precisely by reflecting on the union of the two natures, human and divine, in the person of the Incarnate Word, Christian thinkers have come to explain the concept of person as the unique and unrepeatable center of freedom and responsibility, whose inalienable dignity must be recognized. This concept of the person has proved to be the cornerstone of any genuinely human civilization.^[15]

We can know the face of the Father our God only through His Son who reveals fully to us Himself. In as much as Jesus is both human and divine, we can cross the infinite bridge from humanity to the divine in and through Him.

On the other hand, "man has lively awareness of the fact that the truth is "above" and beyond him. Man does not create truth; rather truth discloses itself to man when he perseveringly seeks it. The knowledge of truth begins a spiritual joy at having known the truth we can see also a confirmation of man's transcendent vocation, indeed, of his openness to the infinite."^[16]

God's image is revealed as Trinitarian communion

If man is the image of God, the human being is a "language" through which God expresses Himself: if "the human being is 'like' God," "then God is also in some way 'like' the human being, and on this basis of likeness God may be known by human beings" (Mulieris Dignitatem, 8).^[17]

God exists as one Being but in as much as the divine Revelation affirms that He is Love, His essence is charity.^[18] And in as much as He is charity, He cannot but be more than one. Divine revelation says that the nature of God is one but in as much as He is charity, He is Truine. There is one God but three Persons in the Divine Trinity.

We have said that to understand what it is to be a human person ought to be enlightened not only by the biblical mystery of the "beginning" but also by the mystery of the Person of Christ and, in the final analysis, by the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity.^[19] The fulness of this mystery is inaccessible to our limited minds, the Pope admits, yet it is revealed to us by Jesus, the Son of God made man. "No man has ever seen God", says the Evangelist John. "The only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known"^[20] Jesus revealed to us who the Father is for He and the Father are one.^[21] Their love is so intimate and infinite that Love itself is a person, the Holy Spirit.

Now, the interiority of God, which He alone can reveal through Jesus, the second Person of the Divine Trinity, is the communion of three: where the absolute does not say anymore who He is in the solitude of the One (- and in such the personal face disappears -) but We are, in the communion of three - such that the face of Each of the Three is revealed by the other two. Each of the three EXISTS, but as communion of Love. (And the creature is englobed in this life.)^[22] To be created in this likeness therefore cannot but be a being in and for communion. Man's realization, his perfection and self-fulfillment is no other than "communion for and in love."

The Trinity professed by Christianity in no way prejudices the unity of God. The one God is not presented to our gaze as a "solitary" God, but as a God-communion. The First Letter of John marvelously expresses the mystery when it says: "God is love" (1 Jn 4:8).^[23]

Yes, God not only loves, but loving is his very essence. By virtue of this love, he is Truine for in the interiority of God is the loving communion of the three Divine Persons.^[24]

Only God could open this horizon of comprehension, opening in the Incarnate love, His intimacy, through Christ which is otherwise unreachable by the creature.^[25]

Man, in as much as he is the image and likeness of God has to have a relational nature, therefore. His very essence is to relate and to be in communion with others. "It is not good for man to be alone" therefore is a divine revelation which could be understood in the light of this image of God who is Truine.

We are all called to have a living experience of this ineffable mystery of love. "If a man loves me", Jesus has assured us, "he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him." (Jn 12:23).^[26] Man can attain through charity his divine and transcendental vocation to be in communion with his creator through living communion in charity with his neighbors.

The Absolute, the Supreme person to which man has always tended, in the Christ-event has opened his interiority, calling man to model, enter and to live to the full his own essence upon which he was created and at the same time, live, in a certain way, the life of the Trinity.

Moreover, because God is love, He could not but be disclosing Himself in Creation and in man. "It is the existing-in-Himself in God through his ontological disclosing of his profound being, that the creature becomes what it is: because it is the Epiphany of God-Love, who is Himself in going outside of Himself in that Otherness of personal kenosis which is the Trinity, and in the otherness of His ontological kenosis - the unthinkable transcendence of God towards Himself -, in which He is Creator."^[27]

This dimension of communion is the root of man's being "created" in that immanent-transcendence which is Love, and reveals itself in the antinomy of interior life, where the creature is made completely itself.^[28] The "locus" where man can find himself is in this "trinitarian communion."

So, man, in as much as he comes from God, cannot but be his image and likeness. God in as much as He is love cannot but self-disclose himself in man. In the interiority of this Truine God, we find that the three Divine persons really love one another. This is the reason why they are one. On the other hand in as much as God is charity, they are three at the same time. In as much as the core of God is charity man cannot but have this image of charity, and therefore relationality. His essence has to be in communion, in charity with another.

"To be a person, [therefore, created] in the image and likeness of God means being in relationship with another 'I' (MD, 7), to the point where "humanity signifies a call to interpersonal communion" (MD, 7). This fundamental truth which is inscribed in the very mystery of our beginnings "is the prelude to the definitive self-revelation of God as one and three" (MD 7). The full revelation of the mystery of God in Christ as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who are "one God through the unity of divinity," but who exists as distinct Persons "through the inscrutable divine relations" (ibid.), throws therefore a new a decisive light on the mystery of the reciprocal relationship of man (and woman) who [is] . . . called to "mirror in the world the mystery of the communion of love which is in God and through which the three Persons love one another in the intimate mystery of the one divine life" (MD 7).^[29]

Here the truth about man is revealed. Not the abstract truth an equation, or a logical operation, but the truth of a living Person, (the aletheia).^[30]

The interiority of the life of man is therefore, "to walk in overcoming the unique individuality defined by the pure immanence in itself, reaching and transcending the love-heart of man, to attain the heart of the Absolute who is Love. . . . "^[31]

Man is called to reached where he is not any more what he thinks he is, but what he truly is - his essence as being created under the image and likeness of the Trinitarian God which is at the same time his "ought to be".

Christ's Abandonment, the Door towards Communion

How did Christ revealed this Trinitarian God to us? In as much as Christ is the way the truth and the life, to know Him is to know also the Father for He and the Father are one. The self-disclosure of Christ which is at the same time the moment when He Himself reveals who He is, by revealing to us the Father, is on His kenosis on the Cross, his abandonment. There, he became really the nothingness of love, annihilating Himself so that He could reveal the fullness of His love to the Father and at the same time, He opened to us who the Father is, for He and the Father are one. It is in through His non being that He truly is. Annihilating himself, he is what He is - love, and here he allowed us, through Him and in Him, to enter into the reality of this communion - enosis.

In as much as he is the way in which we can have our being, to be non-being out of love is also the via per excellence in reaching our true Being in God. We become what we are by being non-being. In as much as Christ became who He is by non-being, we too through non-being, can be, is.

The Pope called this a "sincere gift of oneself." When man, by his non-being, i. e., by seemingly loosing himself in loving the other, really becomes who he is: "being by non-being." His self-realization is centered in being participant in the divine life of the Trinity because it is only through non-being that we are in communion with others. It is also here that man lives to the fullness his freedom. "Christ on the cross reveals the authentic meaning of authentic freedom, he lives it in itss fullness in making a total gift of oneself and invites His disciples to participate in this same freedom."^[32]

The ontological identity therefore of man is "being by non being." He is what he is by being-not. We can base a philosophical anthropology and humanism in this "identity" of man. Man is man as long as he is a "sincere gift of himself" for the others. He is who He is in loosing himself out of love for the others. That is why martyrdom is the highest expression of freedom. The martyrs are the most realized and most free persons.

Therefore, communion, through kenosis is both an ontological truth (who man is) and the ethical truth (how we are to live, our "ought to be"). In this, the foundation is first and foremost the union of man with God his creator through Jesus Christ who opened to man the divine life of Trinitarian communion. This unity is to be the model of every other unity among men, peoples, nations and religions, and, in them of all creation. But this unity is not the cancellation or the absorption of all differences, for God himself is one in the distinction of the Three divine Persons. In this Trinitarian unity, although they are one, each person is distinct from each other, diverse, but equal in dignity. It is both a gift (from God's revelation of Himself) and at the same time an ethical task towards the freedom of the human being, a task to be fulfilled by means of love.^[33]

As mentioned earlier, we are called to this experience. The divine precepts lead to this fullness so that the life of communion could be realized. In fact the Church is no other than the "sign and sacrament of communion with God and of unity among all men."^[34] Communion is also the "source and at the same time the fruit of mission" of the Church.^[35] It is the same time the starting point, the beginning and the end.

Conclusion

We have tried to present therefore a way towards a Christian anthropology with some ontological formulations. Based on the fact that man is created under the image and likeness of God, and in as much as this image is revealed by the Christ-event as a trinitarian communion, through his kenosis on the cross, He revealed to us the face of the Father as love, who gives His only Son, thereby loosing Himself in the Son. At the same time through this annihilation, Christ truly reveals who he is - love. And with Him, in Him and through Him, we could understand who man is. Man's true identity is this relational communion of love with God and his fellow man by his non-being, his loosing himself for the sake of love for others. It is only through this non-being for love that he becomes what he truly is.

In the world today, after Descartes, man still insists that the way to attain self-realization and self-fulfillment is to emphasize his being, his consciousness, his ego, himself. Other systems of economics that lead to a certain lifestyle, would emphasize man's having. To be more means to have more. This is usually done by accumulating a lot of "something" in order to affirm more who one "is." Ontologically and philosophically and even psychologically, this form of viewing at man has created a lot of problems which extend not only in the personal and spiritual level, but also in the social, economic and political level to the point of annihilating one another to affirm one's own identity. But this deviates from his true being. There must be another way of living in this dawn of the second millennium: the way of communion based on a sound Christian anthropology and humanism - a path in taking the first steps "to set out together in a true pilgrimage of peace" by being a communion of love through a "sincere gift of oneself" by "non-being" for love for others. From cogito, ergo sum we need to start from a new basic proposition: amo, ergo sum: a fresh paradigm shift towards an anthropological humanism to build the "civilization of love".

Evangelical Poverty and Miserable Poverty

There is poverty which is caused by greed, injustice, inequality: this is a bad poverty which has to be eradicated. There is also a poverty which is evangelical and this is something good and desirable if on wants to be perfect. It is a freedom that all are called so that the first kind of poverty could be solved.

We have to grow rich in the sight of God.

The possible application of this are too numerous to be dealt with here, but certainly any proposed application must reflect the spirit of the Gospel, which itself is already quite eloquent: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdo of heaven" (Mt. 5:3) "It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of the needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."(Mt. 19:24). 14:33 "In the same way, everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple." Any application of these principles that nullifies Jesus' words is most certainly mistaken.

Jesus asks all Christians to be detached from their possessions; however he does not ask that everyone demonstrate this detachment in an outward way by living in complete poverty. The Gospel, in fact, tells us that even the rich can be Christians: "when evening fell, a wealthy man named Arimathea arrived, Joseph by name. He was another of Jesus' disciples." (Mt. 27:57)

The rich, and however, must become spiritually poor: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdo of heaven" (Mt. 5:3) Those who do not, run the terrible risk of being damned forever. "It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of the needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."(Mt. 19:24).

This detachment from possessions wits Jesus asks of us is one of the fundamental points of his teaching, and yet in its is one of the areas in which our own Christian life leaves most to be desired. Consequently, we hardly ever hear people speak of Christian poverty, a poverty which is visible in those who consecrate their lives to God, but which should be lived in the spiritual way by all Christians.

Nowadays there is an emphasis on social justice, and rightly so, but frequently it is forgotten that true social justice is a consequence of the spirit of Christian poverty and that this spirit of poverty is demanded of all, rich and poor alike.

You might ask how one is rich can ever say in conscience that he or she spiritually poor. The in depht consideration that this question requires is not possible here, but the following points may shed some lights on the subject. First: one who is rich must look upon himself or herself not so much as the owner of the goods he or she possesses, but rather as their administrator, since these goods belong first of all to God. Augustine makes this very clear: "All that you do not posses is mine, says the Lord, And all that you do posses is mine." Mine, says God, "is the gold and teh silver; not yours, O rich of the earth."

Therefore, a rich person must utilize his or her possessions in a way that is designed to contribute to the good of the whole community.

Since the right of private property is subordinate to the fundamental right of all persons to enjoy the goods of the earth, we can legitimately conclude that the social dimension of the right to private property is not only an extension of the personal dimension, but dominates and transcends it.

From this it follows that an owner is not acting in accord with the moral law if he or she administers his or her possessions in a selfish manner and then distributes what is left over.

Although the rich remain in possession of their goods, in using them, they must take inot account the good of society. Moreover, in th eir personal lives, rich Christians should not be wasteful but thrifty and honest. As St. Basil says, "If each person took only what was necessary to meet his or her needs and left the rest to the poor, no one would be rich and no one would be poor."

Finally the surpluus of the rich should serve the needs of the poor, as Pope Leo XIII syas in his encyclial Quod Apostolici muneris

[The Church] places the rich under grave obligation to give their surplus good to the poor, and she puts fear into their hearts by threatening them with divine judgment; for if they do not come to the aid of those in need, they will be punished with eternal torment."

The possible application of these principles are too numerous to be dealt with here, but certainly any proposed application must reflect the spirit of the Gospel, wh ichitself is already quite eloquent: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdo of heaven" (Mt. 5:3) "It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of the needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."(Mt. 19:24). 14:33 In the same way, everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple." Any application of these principles that nullifies Jesus' words is most certainly mistaken.

If you cannot physically rid yourself of your possessions, because of family ties or other responsibilities, or if your position in life demands that you live in a certain way, still you should detach yourself from them spiritually, being no more than their administrator. In this way, while dealing with wealth you can love others, and by administering it on their behalf, you can accumulate a treasure which moths cannot destroy, nor thieves carry off.

How can you be certain about what you should keep and what you should dispose of? Listen to the voice of God within you; and if you cannot decide on your own, seek someone's advice. Then you will discover how many superfluous things there are among your possessions. Do not keep them. Give. Give to those who have not. Put into practice these words of Jesus: "Sell... and give." If you do this, you will fill up purses which do not wear out.

Since you live in the world, it is only logical that you should be concerned with money and other materials things. However, God does not want you to be preoccupied with them. So only be concerned with securing that amount which is indispensable for you to live in accordance with your needs.

Pope Paul VI was truly poor. The way in which he wanted to be buried ("in a plain coffin in the bare earth") proved this. Shortly before dying he told his brother: "My suitcases for that important trip have been ready for some time."

This is what you should do too: prepare your suitcase.

In the time of Jesus it may have been called "purse," but the meaning is the same. Prepare it day by day. Fill it with things that might be useful to others. You truly possess that which you give away. Think of how much hunger there is in the world, how much suffering, how many needs....

Put every act of love and every deed done for your neighbor into your suitcase as well.

Do everything for God, telling him in your heart: "This is for you." Perform every action well, perfectly, because it is destined for heaven. It will remain for eternity.

To solve the negative poverty, there is a need to live evangelical poverty. It makes us one with those who are materially poor, fragile like them. Without this detachment our help for the poor would contain a tinge of pride and we give because we have the they do not have. Instead, all of us are equal in the eyes of God, and each person’s dignity have the right to have a share of this earth’s goods.

Who are the 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 and integrated into the People of God, are made sharers in their particular way in the priestly, prophetic and kingly office of Christ, and have their own part to play in the mission of the whole Christian people in the Church and in the world.”[1]

They are all Christ’s faithful, since they are incorporated into Christ through baptism and constitutes the Peopls of God.[2] The Second Vatican Council, however, opened itself to a positive vision and asserts “the full belonging of the lay faithful to the Church and to is mystery. At the same time it insisted on the unique character of their vocation.”[3]

However, they, . . . “ought to have an ever clearer consciousness not only of belonging to the Church, but of being the Church”[4]

Incorporation into Christ through faith and Baptism is the source of being a Christian in the mystery of the Church. This mystery constitutes the Christian’s most basic “features” and serves as the basis for all the vocations and dynanism of the Christian life of the lay faithful (cf. Jn 3:5). In Christ who died and rose from the dead, the baptized become a “new creation” (Gal 6:15; 2 Cor 5:17), washed clean from sin and brought to life through grace.

Therefore, only through accepting the richness in mystery that God gives to the Christian in Baptism is it possible to come to a basic description of the lay faithful.[5]

What is the Nature Church to understand better who are the Laity?

Vatican II was known to be the council of the Church. It is necessary to have a right understanding of the Church in order to understand who are the laity. To answer the question where does the Church comes, what is the Church and where is she going, the Church is presented in the Lumen Gentium, as it came from the Trinity, and journeys towards a Trinitarian fulfillment of history.[6]

Before Vatican II, there was an accentuation of hierarchical and pyramidal aspect of the Church. Yves Congar says regarding this matter, “the Church was presented . . . as an organized society, constituted by the exercise of those powers invested in the Pope, the bishops, the priests.”[7] After Vatican II the Church was presented as as mystery of communion of the Trinity

The Trinitarian origin of the Church is presented by describing the economy of salvation: the finality of the most free and hidden, i.e., the gratuitous and ineffable plan of the Father is the elevation of mankind to the participation of the divine life in communion with the Trinity: “the eternal Father, with a most free and hidden plan of wisdom and goodness, created the universe and decreed to raise mankind to the participation of the divine life.” (LG, 2).

. . . After original sin the Father still wishes to be in full communion with man. . .

The unity of mankind with God and of men and women among themselves fulfilled in the reconciling action of the Incarnate Word, is actuallized historicaly in the Church and will be fulfilled in glory: “He planned to assemble in the Holy Church all those who would believe in Christ. Already from the beginning of the world the foreshadowing of the Church took place. She was prepared for in a remarkable way throughout the history of the people of Israel and by means of the old covenant. Established in the final era, the Church was made manifest by the outpouring of the Spirit. At the end of the times she will achieve her glorious fulfillment. Then as maybe read in the Holy Father, all just men from the time of Adam from Abel, the just one, to the last of the elect will be gathered together with the Father in the universal Church.” (LG, 2). This affirms that the Church in its visible and historical form is the sacrament that is the sign and chosen instrument, of the divine plan of the unity which stretches from the creation to the parousia. In other words the Church is the historical participation in the Trinitarian unity, the actualization began under the veil of the signs of salvation which springs from the divine initiative, the mystery of the sacrament “of the intimate union with God and the unity of the whole human race.” (LG,1).

The church is the sign and sacrament of this trinitarian unity. She is structed inher communion according to the image and likeness of the Trinitarian communion. (LG, 8) This self definition of the Church maintains its distance both from uniformity and from all divisive discord. (cf. LG chaptes II - IV).

The plan of God is that “the whole human race might become one People of God , from one body of Christ, and be built up into one temple of the Holy Spirit.”This intention of the Creator will only be realize”when all who possess human nature, and have been generated in Christ through the Holy Spirit, gazing together on the glory of God, will be able to say ‘Our Father’.[8]

The Common Priesthood and the Ministerial Priesthood

The principal sign of the Church as presented in the documents is that it is a sacrament of unity. We can understand better the laity in relation first to the Church as this communion especially its special link with the hierarchy. They are related to with one another in a reciprocal ordering of one priesthood to another. LG says: “Through they differ from one another in essence and not only in degree, the common priesthood of the faithful and the ministerial or hierarchical priesthood are nonetheless ordered to each other. Each of them in its own special way is a participation in the one priesthood of Christ.”[9] This specificity of the priesthood of the ordained ministry cannot be defined as a greater intensity (essense in scholasticism would mean all ways of existence, and this exaggerates the difference and cannot be accepted in the light of Vatican II which clearly sees each priesthood ordained to each other) or a lesser intensity since the ordained priesthood is seen within the total context of the wider ministeriality of the Church. But rather, on the basis of the participation of all the baptized in Christ’s priesthood, which is the foundation of the unity prior to any distinction.

The ministry of the ministerial priesthood does not exhaust the ministry ofthe Church, rather the ordained ministry - of bishop, presbyter or deacon - because it acts in persona Christi capitis[10] i.e., in so far as it is a ministry of communion and unity, refers and relates to all the other members of the body to the varied charisms and services. The ordained ministry is a ministry of synthesis but it is not a synthesis of all ministry.[11]

What is the MISSION of the Laity?

This plan of God for the church “points to the missionary character of the community of disciples. The Church is a communion in a state of mission. It is so from our very nature as a Church having “its origin in the mission of the Son and the Holy Spirit.”[12]

The apostolate is all activity directed to the goal for which the Church was founded: to spread the kingdom of Christ to the glory of God, enabling all men to share in redemption, and enter into a relation with Christ. The Christian vocation, by its very nature is also a vocation to the apostolate (AA, 2).

Our Missionary Vocation in the Philippines

For the Church in the Philippines, in this only country in Asia with a predominantly Catholic population, should be a missionary Church. Pope John Paul 11 spoke with special clarity when he said to the Philippine Bishops, “ There is no doubt about it: Philippines has a special missionary vocation to proclaim the Good News, to carry the light of Christ to the nations. “ While it is true that the Church has a mission towards Philippine society, it has also a very definite mission to the other peoples of Asia (PCP II, 106)

God is launching the Filipinos into a new age of mission. We need to be open, daring and thankful.(PCPII, 107)

A growing awareness of the missionary potential of Filipino migrant workers abroad has also dawned upon us. (For economic reason, wave after wave of Filipinos have sought work in other countries. There they witness through their religiosity and piety whenever this is possible for them. Many are the stories of the positive effects of their faith witness on others). Pope John Paul II told Filipino overseas workers in 1987. “Indeed in Europe you are called to be the new and youthful witness of that very faith which your country received from Europe many generations ago.”[13] This witnessing must be strengthened through various ways such as an appropriate catechesis before they go forth to other appropriate catechesis before they go forth to to her lands. We also need to provide pastoral and social care for them and their families. In that way their spiritual and material welfare is served, their rights protected and their faith strengthened (PCP II, 108).

And here on our own land is a vast field of mission related to he Filipino-Chinese apostolate. Less that 20% of the Chinese in the Philippines have had some effective evangelization. The progress made in evangelizing through the educational and pastoral work of the Filipino-Chinese apostolate is a great encouragement. We need to intensify this. But we must look beyond our shores and take note of the missionary opportunities posed by the contacts that our Filipino-Chinese brothers and sisters have with East Asian Chinese communities, including the People’s Republic of China whose openness to religion remains fluid. We need to provide encouragement, support, and personnel to this important mission (PCP II, 109).

Inter-Religious Dialogue

Mention of the Chinese communities which usually have syncretistic beliefs consisting of Buddhist, Taoist, and Confucianist elements brings up the necessity of inter-religious dialogue in thee task of evangelization.

We recognize the fact that Muslims make up a a significant portion of Filipinos, though constituting less than 5% of our country’s population. They are, however of special importance for at least two reasons: (1) our history as a Christian people has pitied us against them in a long series of religious conflicts, and lowland Filipino still suffer today from its psychological and cultural effects. And (2) we are part of the Asian region and Asia contains the bulk of the world’s Islamic countries. We need, therefore, to take a close look at inter-religious dialogue as an imperative of mission.

Far from being opposed to evangelization, “Inter-religious dialogue is a part of the Church’s evangelizing mission.”[14] On our part, this dialogue must be premised on the fact that: (1) salvation in Jesus Christ is offered to all; (2) God makes Himself present in many ways . . . to entire peoples through their spiritual riches”; (3) “the Church is the ordinary means of salvation” and that she alone possesses the fullness of the means of salvation.[15]

Given these basic religious convictions, we have to appreciate inter-religious dialogue as a way of seeing in our brothers and sisters of other faiths “a ray of the truth which enlightens all men.”[16] This task demands two movements on our part, the first towards a deeper knowledge and appreciation of our faith, and the second towards openness in understanding the religious conviction of others. “Dialogue is based on hope and love and will bear fruit in the Spirit.”[17]

Theological and Spiritual Prerequisites for the Mission of the Laity

The success of the lay apostolate depends on the laity’s living union with Christ: nourished by spiritual aids, especially active participation in the liturgy but not separating union with Christ from their ordinary conditions of life. Neither family concerns nor other secular affairs should be irrelevant to their spiritual life. Only by the light of faith and meditation on the word of God: can one always and everywhere recognize God, seek his will in every event, see Christ in everyone, relative or stranger ,and make correct judgments about temporal things. In the pilgrimage of this life those with faith live in hope: hidden with Christ, free from enslavement to wealth, dedicated to the impovement of the temporal order in a Christian Spirit. Impelled by Charity: they do good to all men, express the spirit of the beatitudes in their lives, neither depressed by the lack of the temporal goods, nor inflated by their abundance, in humility seeking to please God rather than men, ready to leave all things for Christ’s sake, and suffer persecution for justice sake.

The spiritual life of the laity should take its particular character: from their married, family, single or widowed state, their health, and their professional and social activity. They should develop their qualities and talents and use the gifts received from the Holy Spirit. The laity who are members of associations or institutes should adopt the special spiritual life proper to them as well. They should value: professional skill, family and civic spirit, and the virtues of honesty, justice, sincerity, kindness and courage. The perfect example of lay spiritual and apostolic life is the most Blessed Virgin Mary.[18]

Mission to Communion

Communion with Jesus in the Church "which gives rise to the communion of Christians among themselves is an indispensable condition for bearing fruit: "Apart from me you can do nothing" (Jn 15:5). And communion with others is the most magnificent fruit that the branches can give: in fact, it is the gift of Christ and His Spirit.

"Communion and mission are profoundly connected with each other,they interpenetrate and mutually imply each other, to the point that communion represents both the source and the fruit of mission: communion gives rise to mission and mission is accomplished in communion.[19]

The mission of the Church flows from her own nature. Christ has willed it to be so: that of "sign and instrument... on unity of all the human race." (LG 1). Such a mission has the purposed of making everyone know and live the "new" communion that the Son of God made man introduced into the history of the world. . . . In this context of Church mission, . . . the Lord entrusts a great part of the responsibility to the lay faithful, in communion with all other members of the People of God.[20]

Precise Vision of the primordial bond between particular and Universal Church

"The particular church does not come about from a kind of fragmentation of the universal Church, nor does the universal church come about by a simple amalgamation of particular Churches. But there is a real, essential and constant bond uniting each of them and this is why the universal Church exists and is manifested in the particular Churches. (For this reason) the Council says that the particular Churches "are constituted after the model of the universal Church; it is in and from these particular churches that there come into being the one and unique Catholic Church (LG, 23).

The same Council strongly encourages the lay faithful actively to live out their belonging to the particular Church, while at the same time assuming an ever-increasing "catholic" spirit: "Let the lay faithful constantly foster" - we read in the Decree on the Apostolate of Lay People - "a feeling for their own diocese, of which the parish is a kind of cell, and be always ready at their bishop's invitation to participate in diocesan projects. Indeed if the needs of the cities and rural areas are to be met, lay men should not limit their cooperation to the parochial or diocesan boundaries but strive to extend it to the inter-parochial, inter-diocesan, national and international fields.(AA, 10)

The Laity and the Temporal Affairs

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... It pertains to them in a special way so to illuminate and order all temporal things with which they are closely associated that these may always be effected and grow according to Christ and may be to the glory of the Creator and Redeemer.[21]

The initiative of lay Christians is necessary especially when the matters involves discovering or invent in the means for permeating social, political and economics realities with the demands of Christian doctrine and life. This initiative is a normal element of the life of the Church.[22]

The diversity of ministry in the Church Christ gave the apostles and their successors the duty of teaching, sanctifying, and ruling. But the laity likewise share in the priestly, prophetic and royal office of Christ They exercise a genuine apostolate by their activity in behalf of bringing the gospel and holiness to men, and on behalf of penetrating and perfecting the temporal sphere of things through the spirit of the gospel.

The laity are the leaven in the world.The right and duty of the laity to the apostolic derives: from their union with Christ, and their baptism and confirmation. They are assigned to the apostolate by the Lord himself. The sacrament nourished that charity which is the soul of the apostolate. One engages in the apostolate: through faith, hope and charity, which the Holy Spirit diffuses in the hearts of all members of the Church.The responsibility of working to make the message of salvation known and accepted is laid on all Christians.[23]

That we may fulfill our mission wherever we are sent by the Lord, Christ has constituted us as a priestly people, prophetic and kingly. He has gifted us with a sharing of his own three-fold mission.

Foundations of the Mission and Apostolate of the Laity

Priestly People

All the baptized share in the priestly dignity of Christ. Christ has made us into a “kingdom, priests for his God and Father.”[24] As faithful, we must present ourselves as a sacrifice, living holy and pleasing to God, praising God and bearing witness to Christ. We exercise our priesthood “by reception of the sacraments, prayer and thanksgiving, the witness of the holy life, abnegation and active charity. We exercise it when we participate in the offering of the Eucharist. This is one priesthood is shared differently by the faithful. All baptized shared in the common priesthood. Some ordained to shepherd and serve the people of God , possess the ministerial priesthood by the virtue of the sacrament of Orders. Through these two ways of sharing the one priesthood of Christ differ in essence, each is ordered to each other. Through the service and leadership of the ministerial priest, the whole people of God grow in holiness and serve as leaven from within the world in order to bring about its sanctification and transformation. On the other hand, the Christian community participates in the celebration of the Eucharist, and collaborates with the priests for the life and mission of the Church.[25]

“Hence the laity, dedicated as they are to Christ and anointed by the Holy Spirit, are marvelously called and prepared so that even r icher fruits of the spirit may be produced in them. For all their works, prayers and apostolic undertakings, family and married life, daily work, relaxation of mind and body, if they are accomplished in the spirit - indeed even the hardships of life if patiently born - all these become spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. In the celebration of the Eucharist these may most fittingly be offered to the Father along with the body of the lord. And so worshipping everywhere by their holy actions, the laity consecrate the world itself to God, everywhere offering worship by the holiness of their lives.” (CCC)

In a very special way,parents share in the office of sanctifying “ by leading a conjugal life in the Christian spirit and by seeing to the Christian education of their children.

A Prophetic People

By a “supernatural appreciation of the faith” (sensus fidei ) the people of God receives the Word of living God. To this faith we must adhere. More deeply with right judgment we must penetrate it, and apply it more fully to our lives. (PCP II)

We have to share the word of God with one another, then with those who have not yet heard or accepted it. We do this by our living witness to Christ and by our words. There are in our Church authoritative teachers, the pope and the bishops. It is their competence to propound authoritatively, and sometimes ( under certain conditions ) infallibly , the Word of God. But all of us faithful, by our lives, behavior , testimony and teaching can also bring the word of God to others.[26]

“Christ....fulfills this prophetic office, not only by the hierarchy... but also by the laity. He accordingly both establishes them as witnesses and provides them with the sense of faith {sensus fedei} and the grace of the word.” (CCC)

To teach in order to lead others to faith is the task of every preacher and of each believer.

Lay people also fulfill their prophetic mission by evangelization.” that is, the prolamation of Christ by word and the testimony of life.” For lay people .”this evangelization....acquires a specific property and peculiar efficacy because it is accomplished in the ordinary circumstances of the world.” (CCC)

This witness of life, however,is not the sole element in the apostolate; the true apostle is on the lookout for occasions of announcing Christ by word, either to unblievers...or to the faithful. (CCC)

Lay people who are capable and trained may also collaborate in catechetical formation, in teaching the sacred sciences, and in use of the communication of media. (CCC)

In accord with the knowledge, competence and preeminence which they possess, {lay people} have the right and even at times a duty to manifest to the sacred pastors their opinion on matters which pertain to the good of the Church, and they have a right to make their opinion known to other christian faithful, with due regard to the integrity of faith and morals and reverence toward ttheir pastors,and with consideration for the common good and the dignity of persons”[27]

A Kingly People

By his obedience unto death, Christ communicated to his disciples the gift of royal freedom, so that might ”by the self abnegation of a holy life, overcome the reign of sin in themselves.” (PCP II)

That man is right called a king who makes his own body and obedient subject and, by governing himself with suitable rigor, refuses to let his passions breed rebellion in his soul, for he exercises a kind of royal power over himself. And because he knows how to rule his own be imprisoned by sin,or thrown headlong into wickedness. (PCP II)

Moreover, by uniting their forces let the laity so remedy the institutions and conditions of the world when the latter are an inducement to sin, that these may be confirmed to the norms of justice , favoring rather than hindering the practice of virtue. By so doing they will impregnate culture and human works with a moral value.” (PCP II)

The people of God has received from Christ the power to overcome the reign of sin. By serving Christ in others we can bring our brethren to the Lord Jesus to serve whom is to reign . Whenever Christians order creation to the praise of God, and make the world a place more worthly of the children of God, whenever by our work we improve the world and permeate it with the values of Christ, whenever we are able to overcome sin in ourselves and in the environment and allow the grace of God to break through into the world, then we exercise our share in the kingship of Christ . To be the king is to minister, to serve.[28]

“The laity can also feel called,or be in fact called, to cooperate with their pastors in the service of the ecclesial community, for the sake of its growth and life .This can be done through the exercise of different kinds of ministries according to the grace and charism which the Lord has been pleased to bestow on them.”[29]

In the Church, “ lay members of the Christian faithful can cooperate in the exercise of this power {of governance } in accord with the norm of law .” And so the Church provides for their presence at particular councils, diocesan synods, pastoral councils; the exercise in solidum of the pastoral care of a parish , collaboration in finance committees , and participation in ecclesiastical tribunals,etc. (CCC, 991)

The faithful should “ distinguish carefully between the rights and the duties which they have as belonging to the Church and those which fall to them as members of the society . They will strive to unite the two harmoniously , remembering that in every temporal affair they are to be guided by a Christian conscience, since no human activity, even of the temporal order, can be withdrawn from God’s dominion.” (CCC)

“Thus , every person, through these 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.”[30]

The Various Fields of the Apostolate

Both in the church and in the world there are various opportunities for lay apostolic activity. Since women have an ever more active share in the whole of society, it is very important that they participate more

widely also in the Church’s apostolate.

Parish and Church Communities

The activity of the laity is so necessary within the Church communities that without it the apostolate of pastors is often unable to achieve its full effectiveness: the laity supply what is lacking to their brethren, refresh the spirit of pastors and faithful, bring to the Church people far removed from it, cooperate in presenting the word of God, especially by catechetical instruction, and offer special skills to make the care of souls and the administration of the temporalities of the Church more efficient and effective.

Parish and communities bring together many human differences: the laity should accustom themselves to working in the parish in union with the priests. Bringing the church community their own problems and the world’s problems as well, examining and resolving them by deliberating in common (group discussions), and support apostolic and missionary projects sponsored by the local parish.

“They should constantly foster a feeling of their own diocese, of which the parish is a kind of cell, and be ever ready to their pastor’s invitation to participate diocesan projects. Indeed if the needs of the cities and rural areas are to be met, lay men should not limit their cooperation to the parochial or diocesan boundaries but strive to extend it to the inter-parochial, inter-diocesan, national and international fields.”

The Family

Since God made conjugal society the beginning and basis of human society, the apostolate of married to protect family rights in civil legislation, and make sure governments give due attention to the needs of the family regarding housing education, working conditions, social security and taxes, and that in policy decision affecting migrants see that their rights to live together as a family be safeguarded.

The family will fulfill its mission if it appears as the domestic sanctuary of the Church: which mutual affection and prayer, family participation in the liturgical worship of the church, active hospitality and promotion of justice and good works for the needy.

Among the multitude activities of the family, apostolate may be enumerated to the following:

1. the adoption of abandoned infants, hospitality to strangers, assistance in the operation of schools helpful advice and material assistance for adolescents help to engaged couples in preparing themselves better for marriage, catechetical work, support marriage, and families involve in material and moral crises, help for the aged, not only by providing them with necessities of life but also by obtaining for them a fare share of the benefits to economic progress. It can be useful for families to get together as a group.

Youth

In modern society there has been a radical change in the life circumstances, mental attitudes and family relationships of youth: frequently they move too quickly into a new social economic status. Their social and political importance is growing but they seem unable to cope adequately with their new responsibilities. The heightened influence of youth in society demands on them proportionate apostolic activity: if full of the spirit of Christ, their zeal and zest for life can be very fruitful; they should be first to carry the apostolate directly to other youth . Adults ought to have friendly discussions with young people and the age groups become better acquainted and share their benefits. Adults should be examples in the apostolate and, opportunity arising, offer youth advice and help. Young people need to respect and trust adults and appreciate praiseworthy traditions. (AA)

The Synod (CL, 46) wished to give particular attention to the young. And rightly so. In a great many countries of the world, they represent half of entire populations, and often constitute in number half of the People of God itself living in those countries. Simply from this aspect youth make up an exceptional potential and a great challenge for the future of the Church. In fact the Church sees her path towards the future in the youth, beholding in them a reflection of herself and her call to that blessed youthfulness which she constantly enjoys as a results of Christ’s Spirit. In this sense the Council has defined youth as “the hope of the Church”.[31]

In the letter of 31 March 1985 to young men and women in the world we read: “The Church looks to the youth, indeed the Church in a special way looks at herself in the youth, in all of you and in each of you. It has been so from the beginning, from apostolic times. The words of St. John iin his First Letter can serve as a special teestimony: “I am writing to you, young people, because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, children, beecause you know the Father... I write to you, young people, becausee you are strong and the word of God abides in you (1 Jn 2:13 ff.) ... In our generation, at the end of the Second Millennium after Christ, the Church also sees herself in the youth”.[32]

Youth must not simply be considered as an object of pastoral concern for the Church: in fact, young people aare and ought to be encouraged to be active on behalf of the Church as leading characters in evangelization aand participants in the renewal of the society.[33] Youth is a timee of an especially intensive discovery of a “self” and “a choice of life”. It is a time for growth which ought to progress “in wisdom, age and g race before God and people” (Lk 2:52).

The Synod Fathers have commented: “The sensitivity of the young people profoundly affects their perceiving of values of justice, nonviolence and peace. Their hearts are disposed to fellowship, friendship and solidarity. They are greatly moved that causes that relate to the quality of life and the conservation of the nature. But they are troubled by anxiety, deceptions, anguishes and fears of the world as well as by the temptations that come with their state”.[34]

The Church must seek to rekindle the very special love displayed by Christ towards the young man in the Gospel: “Jesus, looking upon Him, loved Him” (Mk 10:20). For this reason the Church does not tire of proclaming Jesus Christ, of proclaiming his Gospel as the unique and satisfying response to the most deep-seated aspirations of young people, as illustrated in Christ’s forceful and exalted personal call to the discipleship (“Come and follow me.” Mk. 10:21), that brings about a sharing in the filial love of Jesus for his Father and participation in his mission for salvation of humanity.

The Church has so much to talk about with youth, and youth have so much to share with the Church. This mutual dialogue, by taking place with great cordiality, clarity and courage will provide a favorable setting for the meeting and exchange between generations, and will be a source of richness and youthfulness for the Church and civil society. In its message to young people the Council said: “The Church looks to you with confidence and love ... she is the real youthfulness of the world ... Look upon the Church and you will find in her the face of Christ”.[35]

The Apostolate in the Social Milieu.

The effort to infuse a christian spirit into the mentality, customs, laws, and structures of the community in which one lives, is so much the duty and responsibility of the laity that it can never be performed properly by others: here the laity work like -toward - like, where they practice their profession, study, live, and spend their leisure time. The laity fulfill this mission: by the example of their lives, honesty in all their dealings, fraternal charity which presses them to share the living conditions, labors, sorrows and hopes of others, performing domestic, social and professional duties with such christian generosity as to penetrate the whole world of life and labor. This apostolate should reach out everywhere to all spiritual and temporal benefits. Many persons can hear the Gospel only through the laity who live near them. Children also are true living witnesses of Christ among their companions.

National and International Levels

Loyally and faithfully fulfilling civic obligations to their country, Catholics should: make their opinion felt in order that civil authority act with justice, and laws conform to moral precepts and the common good. Catholics skilled in public affairs and Christian doctrine should not refuse to administer public affairs: Catholics should try to cooperate with all men and women of good will, hold discussions with them, and initiate research on social and public practices which should be improved in line with the spirit of the Gospel. The increasing sense of the solidarity of all peoples is among the signs of our times: it is a function of the lay apostolate to promote this awareness and transform it into genuine love. The laity should be aware of international questions and solutions: doctrinal and practical with special reference to the developing nations. All who work in or give help to foreign nations must remember that relations among peoples should be a genuine fraternal exchange in which each party is at the same time a giver and a receiver. Travellers should remember they are it inherent heralds of Christ, and act accordingly.

THE VARIOUS FORMS OF THE APOSTOLATE

The laity can engage in their apostolic work either as in individuals or in groups.

Individual Apostolate

This is the origin of the whole lay apostolate for which there is no substitute. All lay persons are called to it. A signs suited to our times is the testimony of the whole lay life arising from faith, hope and charity: by the spoken and written word lay people announce Christ. Collaborating as citizens of this world, the laity must seek in the light of faith loftier motives of actions in their family, professional, cultural and social life, verify their life with charity and express it in works. They can reach all men and contribute to the salvation of the whole world by public worship and prayer, by penance and the voluntary acceptance of the labors and hardships of life. Where the freedom of the church is in infringed there is very urgent need for the individual apostolate: there the laity do what they cab to take the place of priests, risking their freedom and sometimes their lives: to teach Christian doctrine, way of life and lead people to receive the sacrament. The individual apostolate has a special field where Catholics are few and widely dispersed: here the laity usefully simply gather for conversation, giving spiritual help to one another by friendship.

Group Apostolate

The group apostolate corresponds to human and Christian need: the faithful should be apostles in their local communities, family, parish and diocese, aa well as in informal groups. The group apostolate is important: because they apostolate must often be performed be way of common activity, associations sustained their members, form them, and organized and regulate their apostolic work. In the present circumstances it is necessary that the united and organized form of apostolate be strengthened.

There are variety of conditions in the apostolate: some promote closer unity between concrete life and faith. The global nature of the Church’s mission calls for more developed organized form the international sphere. Maintaining proper relationship to Church authorities, the laity have the right to found, join and control such associations. Dispersion of effort must be avoided, neither can forms used in one nation always fittingly transferred to another.

Catholic Action

Of the great value are the organizations with these marks: a.) The immediate aim of the organization is the Church’s apostolic aim, evangelization and sanctification. b.) Cooperating with the hierarchy, the laity direct these organizations. c.) The laity act together. d.) The laity function under the higher direction of the hierarchy.

The Council earnestly recommends these associations. All associations, especially international ones, must be valued and promoted by priests, religious and laity. Those lay people who devote themselves to the service of associations are deserving of special honor. The pastors of the Church should gladly and gratefully welcome these lay persons and make sure that their situation meets the demands of justice, equity, and charity to the fullest possible extent, particularly, as regards proper support for them and their families

Guiding Principles for Action

Whether the lay apostolate is exercised by the faithful as individuals or as members of organizations, it should be incorporated into the apostolate of the whole Church according to right system of relationships: union with those whom the Holy Spirit has assigned to rule his Church is essential, cooperation is necessary among various projects, and unity, witness to fraternal charity.

Relationship with the Hierarchy

The hierarchy should promote the apostleships of the laity, provide it with spiritual principles and supports, direct conduct, and attend to doctrine and order. The lay apostolate may have different types of relationship with the hierarchy, some being established and run by the free choice of the laity; however, no project may claim the name “Catholic” unless it has consent of lawful Church authority. The hierarchy can select and promote some of the associations and projects: yet their distinctiveness must be maintained, and the lay must not be deprived of the possibility of acting on their own accord. This procedure of the hierarchy is called a mandate. The laity are fully subject to the hierarchy: in the teaching of Christian doctrine, certain liturgical actions and care of souls. The role of thee hierarchy with respect to temporal works is to teach and interpret moral principles. Bishops, pastors and other priests: should work be selected and trained to promote particular forms of the apostolate. Religious should also value and promote lay works.

Diocesan councils:

Council to assist the apostolic work of the Church should be established on the parochial ,interparochial, diocesan, inter-diocesan, national and international level. A special secretariat should be established at the Holy See for the service and promotion of the lay apostolate: as a center of information about various programs, to promote research into modern problems, and to assist hierarchy and laity with advice. The various movements and projects of the apostolate of the laity throughout the world should be represented in this secretariate. Catholics should cooperate with other Christians and those who do not profess Christ’s name but have common human values.

Conditions and Criteria of Ecclesiality (CL, 30)

It is always from the perspective of the Church’s communion and mission, and not in opposition

to the freedom to associate, that one understands the necessity of having clear and difinite criteria for discerning and recognizing such lay groups, also called “Criteria of Ecclesiality”.

The following basic criteria might be helpful in evaluating an association of the lay faithful in theChurch:

-- The primary given to the call of every Christian to holiness, as it is manifested “in the fruits of grace which the spirit produces in the faithful” and in a growth towards the fullness of Christian life and the perfection of charity.

In this sense whatever association of the lay faithful there might be, it is always called to be more of an instrument leading to holiness in theChurch, through fostering and promoting “a more intimate untiy between the everyday life of its members and their faith”.

-- The responsibility of professing the Catholic faith, embracing and proclaiming the truth about Christ, the Church and humanity, in obedience to the Church’s Magisterium, as the Church iinterprets it. For this reason every association of the lay faithful must be a forum where the faith is proclaimed as well as taught in its total content.

-- The witness to a strong and authentic communion in filial relationship to the Pope, in total adherence to the belief that he is the perpetual and visible center of unity of the universal Church, and with the local bishop “the visible principle and foundation of unity” in the particular church, and in “mutual esteem for all forms of the church apostolate”.[36]

The communion with Pope and bishop must be expressed in loyal readiness to embrace the doctrinal teachings and pastoral initiatives of both Pope and Bishop. Morevoer, church communion demands both an acknolwedgement of a legitimate plurality of forms in t he associations of the lay faithful in the Chruch and aat the same time, willingness to cooperate in working together.

- Conformity to and participation in the Chuch’s apostolic goals, i,.e., “evangelization and sanctification of humanity and the Christian formation of the people’s conscience, so as to enable them to infuse the spirit of the Gospel into the various communities and spheres of life.”[37]

From this perspective, every one of the group forms of the lay faithful is asked to have a missionary zeal which will increase their effectiveness as participates in a re-evangelization.

- A committment to a presence in human society, which in light of the Church’s social doctrine, places it at the service of the total dignity of the person.

Therefore, association of the lay faithful must become fruitful outlets for participation and solidarity in bringing about conditions that are more just and loving within society.

The fundamental criteria amentioned at this time find their verification in the actual fruits that various group forms show in their organizational life and the works they perform, such as the renewed appreciation for prayer, contemplation, liturgical and sacramental life, the reawakening of vocations to Christian marriage, the ministerial priesthood and the consecrated life; a readiness to participate in programmes and Church activities at the local, national and international levels; a commitment to catechesis and a capacity for teaching and forming Christians; a desire to be present as Christians in various settings of social life and the creation and awakening of charitable, cultural and spiritual works the spirit of detachment and evangelical poverty leading to a greater generosity in charity towards all; conversion tot he Christian life or the return to the Church communion of those baptized members who have fallen away from the faith.

Formation for the Apostolate

The apostolate can attain its maximum effectiveness only through a diversified and thorough formation. In addition to the formation common to Christians, many forms of apostolate require specific formation. Lay formation is distinctively secular and Has its own form of spiritual life. It presupposes a certain human and well-rounded formation, but is based on belief in the mystery of creation and redemption, sensitive to the movement of the Holy Spirit. By way of cultivating good human relations, truly human values must be fostered, especially the art of living fraternally with others, cooperating with them, and initiating conversation with them. The unity and integrity of the human person must be kept in mind at all times.

Apostolic Training

The training for the apostolate should start with the children’s earliest education: adolescents and young people should imbued with its spirit, which those who provide Christian education are obliged to give. Parents have the task of training Children to see God’s love for all men. Children should be so involved in the local community that they are conscious of being living and active members of the pope of God. Schools, colleges and other Catholic educational institutions also have the duty to develop Catholic sense and apostolic activity in young people. Lay groups promote formation in line with their purpose, formation should be total.

a) In regard to the apostolate for evangelizing and sanctifying men, the laity must be specially formed to engaged in conversation with others, believers or non-believers.

Since in our times, variations of materialism are rampant everywhere, even among Catholics, the laity should only learn doctrine more carefully, specially those main points which are the subjects of controversy, but should also provide the witness of an evangelical in contrast to all forms of materialism.

b) In regard to the Christian renewal of the temporal order: the laity should learn the true meaning and value of temporal thing, and the principles and conclusions of social doctrine.

c) Apostolic formation should lead to the performance of works of charity and mercy.

There are many aids for lay persons: study session, congresses, periods of recollection, spiritual exercises, meetings, books, periodicals, and centers for higher institutes.

Furthermore, centers of documentation and study not only in theology but also in anthropology, psychology, sociology and methodology should be established for all fields of the apostolate, for the better development of the natural capacities of laymen and laywomen, whether they be young persons or adults.

Exhortation

The Council (AA) entreats all the laity in the Lord to answer gladly, noble, and promptly the more urgent invitation of Christ in these are and the impulse of the Holy Spirit.

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[1] LG, 31.

[2]Canon 204.

[3]Christifidelis Laici, 9.

[4]Pius XII, Discourse to the New Cardinals, 29 February: AAS 38 (1946), 149.

[5] CL, 9.

[6]Cf. Bruno Forte, The Church Icon of the Trinity, St. Paul Publications, Manila, 1990, 27-28.

[7] Cf. Yves Congar, Miinisteres et Communion Ecclesiale, Paris, 1971, 10.

[8] PCP II, Art 102.

[9] LG, 10. The formula “essentia et non gradu tantum”, phrased so carefully in the conciliar text, has to be interpreted from its historical origin: it comes from an allocution of Pope Pius XII (Nov. 2, 1954) which was used in refuting any idea of a delegation or a parity (equality) in the relationship between community and sacred ministers.

[10] PO, 2.

[11] cf. Bruno Forte, The Church, Icon of the Trinity, 49-51.

[12] PCP II, 102.

[13] Homily of John Paul II, St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome May 17, 1987.

[14] RM 116.

[15] ibid, citing UR 3.

[16] NA 2,

[17] RM 56.

[18]AA, 4

[19]AA, 32.

[20]AA, 32. "Indeed, Pastors know how much the lay faithful contribute to the welfare of the entire Church. They also know that they themselves were not established by Christ to undertake alone the entire saving mission of the Church towards the world, but they understand that it is their exalted office to be shepherds of the lay faithful and also to recognize the latter's services and charisms that all according to their proper roles may cooperate in this common undertaking with one heart. (LG, 30).

[21] CCC 298.

[22] CCC, 299.

[23] AA, 2-3.

[24] Rv 1:6; cf. 5:9-19.

[25] PCP II,

[26] PCP II

[27] CCC 904-907.

[28] PCP II,

[29] CCC, 901. Lay people who possess the required qualities can be admitted permanently to the ministries of lector and acolyte. “ When the necessity of the Church warrants it and when ministers are lacking, lay persons, even if they are not lectors and acolytes, can also supply for certain of their offices, namely, to exercise the ministry of the word, to preside over liturgical prayers, to confer Baptism, and to distribute Holy Communion in accord with the prescriptions of law.” Can. 230, 2.

[30] CCC 108-193

[31] GE,2

[32] AAS,77

[33] Prop.,52

[34] Prop.,51

[35] AAS,58

[36] AA, 23.

[37] AA, 20.