SECTION I: CHOICE Chapter 2: What is the Church and Who am I?
Please join in prayer:
Lord, help us understand our roles as lay people and Marists in the Church and the world.
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Does anyone wish to share thoughts and experiences from Chapter 1?
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Let’s continue with these quotations.
Scripture:
“You too go into my vineyard . . .” Matthew 20:4
Church Documents:
“The Church is not truly established and does not fully live, nor is it a perfect sign of Christ unless there is a genuine laity existing and working alongside the hierarchy. For the Gospel cannot become deeply rooted in the mentality, life and work of a people without the active presence of lay people. Therefore, from the foundation of a church very special care must be taken to form a mature Christian laity.”
Vatican II, Decree on the Church’s Missionary Activity, 1965
Marist Documents:
“Mary was the support of the newborn Church; she will be so as well at the end, and she will be so through you.” (emphasis added)
Jean-Claude Colin, S.M., remarks at a meeting, 1866
We need to remember that Father Colin used the words “the end” to mean secular times. With that reminder, what catches our attention in these quotations?
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THIS CHAPTER INCLUDES:
What is the Church? Who are lay people? Mary: a lay presence in the Church and in the world
WHAT IS THE CHURCH?
The passage we read in Chapter 1 from the Acts of the Apostles describes the first gathering of the newborn Church. Jesus had a mission to bring all people to their Creator. Jesus founded the Church as an instrument in accomplishing this mission. The Church is a means not an end.
We use the word “church” in many ways. A church is a building, and it’s also the local community of believers in Christ. We go to church when we gather for liturgy. Church also means the universal community of believers. The word “community” means with unity and describes those who are of one mind and one heart.
Over the centuries many other images have been used to help us understand the meaning of church. It has been called both a flock of sheep that needs protection and the sheepfold that protects; a cultivated field tilled by God; the building of God of which Jesus Christ is the cornerstone. The Church is our mother. The Church is the body of Christ.
In Like a Bridge, there is another most beautiful definition: “. . .the Church in its innermost heart is really the place where God most shares his life and love with us.” (page 86)
In the quotation from Vatican II documents which we read above, the Church lives and is called a sign of Christ.
Here’s a section of another Vatican II document in which the Church is described in terms of being in solidarity with the whole human family.
The joy and hope, the grief and anguish of the men of our time, especially of those who are poor or afflicted in any way, are the joy and hope, the grief and anguish of the followers of Christ as well. Nothing that is genuinely human fails to find an echo in their hearts. For theirs is a community composed of men, of men who, united in 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 men. That is why Christians cherish a feeling of deep solidarity with the human race and its history.
Vatican II, Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the ModernWorld, 1965
Does anyone have comments about the meaning of church?
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Let’s read the article entitled “New world—new church” on page 44 ofA Certain Way. This article expresses a Marist view of the Church.
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WHO ARE LAY PEOPLE?
The word “laity” comes to us from the Greek word “laos,” which means “people.” Originally the expression “people of God” meant all Christians regardless of their individual roles. Over time, the word laity came to mean those who are not ordained or have not professed religious vows as brothers or sisters. This definition is negative; it defines the laity by what they “are not.” This usage and other factors led to a laity that became passive, to a laity that waited to be told what to do, to a laity that did not understand its own responsibilities.
While we haven’t found an alternative word for laity, the Church has made progress in rediscovering the role of the laity in the Church and the world. The Second Vatican Council not only emphasized the dignity of the laity, but made these statements:
Indeed, the Church can never be without the lay apostolate . . .
In the organism of a living body no member plays a purely passive part . . .
In the Church there is a diversity of ministry but unity of mission.
Vatican II, Decree on the Apostolate of Lay People, 1965
The quotations above speak to the role of lay persons in relationship with the Church, but, another Vatican II document discusses the laity’s relationship with the world in which they live:
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. They live in the world, that is, they are engaged in each and every work and business of the earth and in the ordinary circumstances of social and family life, which, as it were, constitute their very existence. There they are called by God that, being led by the spirit of the Gospel, they may contribute to the sanctification of the world, as from within like leaven, by fulfilling their own particular duties.
Vatican II, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, 1964
Does anyone wish to share thoughts on these quotations?
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Laity: the Marist View
From the time Father Colin first thought about founding the Society of Mary, he included a lay branch in his vision. And that lay branch was not to function in a supporting role for the benefit of the priests, brothers and sisters. The lay branch was to be active and have equality of mission with ordained and/or vowed religious. We see again that Father Colin was ahead of his times.
Father Colin saw the lay branch “ . . . as an organic part of the Society with the same spirituality, the same spirit, and the same mission as the priests.” Frank McKay, S.M., The Marist Laity, page 42.
Do these ideas about the laity differ from how you think about yourself as a lay person?
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Let’s read this passage from The Marist Laity which further expands our understanding of both Church and laity:
To call the Church first and foremost a “communion” is to place the accent upon the creation of a bond of love and service among all of its members. No one can close in on oneself in spiritual isolation from the rest of the community. Each must take up the task of forming this communion, a reflection of the Trinity on earth, even though his or her role may be different. The priest will lead especially through his role in Word and Sacrament, and the laity primarily through taking an active role in witnessing to the gospel by word and example in the various areas of human culture, in business, art, in law and politics, in the media, etc. . . . The Church as '‘communion” means that laity and clergy are bound together in one work and one mission, the evangelization of the world.
Frank McKay, S.M., The Marist Laity, page 64
How does this reading help us better understand both Church and laity?
One sentence in this passage speaks to an important characteristic of the secular world today: “No one can close in on oneself in spiritual isolation from the rest of the community.” A common secular pattern is to reject relationships with organized religion and to rely on private decisions only. Have you recognized this tendency in the people you know?
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MARY: A LAY PRESENCE IN THE CHURCH AND THE WORLD
Let’s return to the Marist reference at the beginning of this Chapter: “Mary was the support of the newborn Church; she will be so as well at the end, and she will be so through you.” (emphasis added)
We have broadened our understanding of Church and ourselves as lay persons. We can now ask this question: What does it mean to be a Marist lay person?
We can find some answers in A Certain Way. Let’s turn to page 46 and read the article about the work of Mary.
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QUIET TIME
Does anyone wish to share any thoughts that came to you during Quiet Time?
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Let’s review the invitations for the coming month.
Our closing prayer: Holy Spirit, are you calling me to be Mary’s presence in the Church and the world?
The Pondering Page for Quiet Time
What is the Church and Who am I?
The following is found on page 66 in A Certain Way:
“Clearly, Colin saw that the best way to describe the Marist was to situate him or her in relationship with the church, with the world, and with other people. In this way Marists show their devotion to Mary by reflecting her attitudes and way of life in the world.”
How do you understand the concept of being a Marist lay person?
INVITATIONS
As you respond to these invitations to begin living the spirituality of the Marists, remember to ponder the Scripture, Church and Marist references for this chapter.
Prayer: Pray this prayer every day: Holy Spirit, are you calling me to be Mary’s presence in the Church and in the world?
Reading: In Like a Bridge, read Chapter 4, pages 84-101, “Lay People in the Church.”
Action: We’ve mentioned several times that a spirituality is a particular relationship with God, other people and the world. We have also mentioned that a spirituality is something we live. Each of us has been placed in a particular country, family, church, culture, career. Each one of us has our own specific here and now. It is within these areas, and limitations, that we not only find God, but we find also the work God has given us to do.
If we are being called to be Mary’s presence to the Church and other people, our response will be lived in our specific place and time. What do you think and how do you feel about this idea? Does the idea that you may be called to be Mary’s presence lead you to different thoughts and feelings than you’ve had before about your life and its circumstances?
Record your experiences on the page provided. You may wish to share your thoughts with others.
An important reason for recording your thoughts now is that they may provide a valuable reference for you in the future.
Our Marist Ways . . . . . . include praying the Magnificat frequently, daily if possible. This prayer is in the appendix. You are invited to join us.
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