MEETING WITH THE LAITY
TORONTO, ONTARIO
SEPTEMBER 15, 1984
Dear
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
It is a joy to meet with such a large and enthusiastic gathering
of the laity of the Church. As we assemble this evening in Toronto, we know that
Jesus Christ is present in our midst, for he said to his disciples: "Where
two or three meet in my name, I shall be there with them" (Mt 18:20). I embrace you all in the charity of
Christ, and I wish through you to
extend my prayerful greetings once again to all the laity in Canada: to
the young and the old, the sick and the healthy, the handicapped, the poor and those not so poor, to all who by reason
of Baptism are my brothers and sisters in Christ.
I want to speak with you this evening about
the dignity of the laity. In this way, I wish to remind you of how important
you are in the life and mission
of the Church. You contribute to both the holiness of the Church and her mission of salvation in the world.
Your dignity - and the dignity of all the
faithful - is rooted in the Sacrament of
Baptism. By Baptism you are
incorporated into Jesus Christ, and into his Body, which is the Church. By this
great Sacrament in which original sin is taken away, you have been
adopted as sons and daughters of our Father
in heaven, and the Spirit of Truth and Love abides in your hearts. Through an
act of God's love you have become brothers and sisters
of Christ, sharers in his
priestly, prophetic and kingly role. And this same
Sacrament which has accomplished all of this in you has thus made you sharers in the Redemption, sharers in the
Paschal Mystery of our Lord Jesus Christ.
With penetrating insight, Saint Paul, in his
Letter to the Romans, explains
this aspect of Baptism: "When we were baptized in Christ Jesus", he says, "we were baptized in his death;
in other words when we were baptized we went into the
tomb with him and joined him in death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the Father's glory, we too might live
a new life" (Rm 6:3-4). Baptism
brings us into contact with the death and Resurrection of Christ. It opens up to us the life that Christ won for us
by his Paschal Mystery.
Through Baptism we begin to live in Christ,
and he lives in us. And in order
to explain this union, which is so deep and strong and vital, Saint Paul states simply: "Life to me,
of course, is Christ" (Ph 1:20). This is the meaning and reality of our Baptism: life in Christ - a
life that comes to us because Christ died and rose
again, and because we have been able to enter into contact with this death and
Resurrection of the Lord.
But because Christ died, because this was the way he entered into his life of glory, we too must share in his
death, in order to live the fullness
of his life.
Dear brothers and sisters: this life of ours
in Christ takes us along the way of the Cross - through trials and suffering -
to the glory of the Resurrection and eternal life. It is our Baptism that introduces us
to the Cross and to the fullness of life in
Christ. And it is Christ himself who says to us: "Anyone who does not take
his Cross and follow in my footsteps is
not worthy of me" (Mt 10:38). This too is part of Baptism: to be given a share in the dying and rising of Christ.
The work that the Holy Spirit begins in you
in Baptism he perfects through
Confirmation, calling you to share ever more in the holiness
of God. As Saint
Paul writes: "Your body, you know, is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you since you
received him from God" (1 Co 6:19). As God's
temple, you enjoy the Holy Spirit's special gifts: "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
trustfulness, gentleness and self-control" (Ga 5:22). You must no longer
be slaves to earthly passions. Selfishness and sin must not
rule your lives. For the victory which Christ won over sin and death is now extended to you. You enjoy
the freedom of being children
of God, led by the Holy Spirit dwelling in you.
The struggle with evil is not removed from
your life, but you have received the pledge of God's grace to conquer
temptation and sin. And you find special strength for this struggle through the
Sacrament of Penance. It is
through this Sacrament that your hearts are purified by personal
contact with the God of holiness; it is through
the power of this Sacrament that holiness
spreads throughout the entire Body of the Church.
A temple is a place where God's name is
praised.
As temples of the Holy Spirit, you the
laity in the Church are called to worship God. You are consecrated for the purpose of giving glory and praise to
God. And you fulfil [sp] this responsibility above all when you actively take part in the celebration of the
Eucharist. The Second Vatican Council tells us: "The liturgy is the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed; at the same time it is the fountain from
which all her power flows. For the goal of apostolic works is that all who
are made children of God by faith and baptism should come together to praise
God in the midst of his Church, to take part in her sacrifice, and to eat the Lord's supper" (Sacrosanctum Concilium,
10).
It is important to remember that the liturgical life of the Church belongs to all the faithful. And you the laity make up the vast
portion of God's people. There are, of
course, different roles, different ministries, but everyone is called to active
participation in the public worship of God's great majesty. One of the
special blessings of the Council - brought about by the call to liturgical
renewal - was not only the encouragement for greater involvement by the laity
in special liturgical roles, but also the encouragement of active participation by all. The Church rejoices in this development which has enriched her life
and made the laity more aware of their
Christian dignity and of their vocation to worship God, in union with Christ,
in holiness of life.
In the context of the Sacred Liturgy, I wish
to say a word about the unique place that Sunday occupies in the weekly rhythm
of life. In a very real sense, this is the Lord's
Day, the day when the Church throughout the world commemorates the death and Resurrection of Christ. From the beginning, the Church has sought to keep the
Lord's Day holy by calling all the faithful together in order to celebrate
the Eucharist. All of us need to listen
regularly to God's word and be instructed in the teaching of the Church, to give glory and thanks to God, and
be nourished with the Bread of Life. And
in order that we may enter more easily and fully into the festive nature of the Lord's Day, we need to
observe it, as best we can, as a special day of rest.
It is important for society as a whole to
recover a renewed sense of the
sacredness of Sunday. Even
more in the hectic pace of modern life, we need a day set apart, a day to rejoice in God's goodness, a day to
worship the Lord
together. This worship is an obligation for God's people, yes. But, above all, this
worship is an immense privilege; to be able to offer praise and thanksgiving to God, in union with
Jesus Christ his Son and our Lord.
There are many things that you are called to
do as Christians. In Halifax
I spoke at some length about the various ways in which you the laity are meant
to collaborate in the mission of the Church, about your contribution to
building up in justice and holiness of life the Body of Christ. Here this evening I would also offer
those observations to your prayerful
reflection. But, above all, I wish to call your attention to the great truth that everything you do has meaning
because of who you are. And that is
why I wish to proclaim to you the dignity that is yours through Baptism
and Confirmation, the dignity that is yours as children of God, as brothers and sisters of Christ who live through the power of his death and Resurrection. The Lord Jesus lives in you the Catholic laity. He prays in
you, acts through you, and communicates
to you a share in the holiness of God.
This is what my predecessor Leo the Great meant fifteen hundred years ago when he exclaimed: "Recognize, 0
Christian, your dignity"!
And this gift you must protect and safeguard in yourselves, and
honour in others. This understanding of your
Christian identity - and therefore of
your Christian mission - you must pass on with pride to your children. Your
Christian dignity must be told and retold through catechesis, because it
is the story of God's love revealed in Jesus Christ and kept alive in
his Church - kept alive in you, who are called to be God's holy people.
Dear brothers and sisters: "The grace of
the Lord Jesus be with you. My love is with you all in Christ Jesus" (1 Co 1:23-24).
Conférence
des évêques catholiques du Canada