We have been told by various theological sources what changes need to happen for the Church to fulfill the mandate of Vatican II.  Many of those sources are offered for reading on this website.  Two of the theologians that come to mind are an American theologian named Richard Guillardetz, and an Irish Jesuit theologian Father Gerry O’Hanlon.

Richard Guillardetz in his lecture,Fulfilling the Unrealized Vision of Vatican II tells us what in his understanding remains to be completed for the fulfillment of Vatican II. He stresses the need for creating the “structures” of the post-Vatican II Church, structures that are collaborative and collegial, like synods of bishops.

Father Gerry O’Hanlon has written a book entitled: A New Vision for the Catholic Church: A View from Ireland . Father O’Hanlon recommends changes, such as the decentralization of Rome and the reform of the Curia.  The Church needs to be addressing many pastoral concerns and challenges of the West and of the Developing Countries.  The work list for the Church is extensive, and so we long to forge ahead.  

While there is much to be considered for the work to be done, one of the greatest feats to be accomplished, and which is most urgent, is a comprehensive mobilization of the lay people.  On page 36 of Father O’Hanlon’s book, he tells us  that at the 1987 Synod of Bishops, a Cardinal Tomas O’Fiaich said it was time to “awaken the sleeping giant, the laity”.  Indeed, the Vatican II documents affirm that the laity are just as central to the Church as the hierarchy, and that the entire People of God are the Church.  

Interestingly, when I reflect on this reality, that the laity are just as central to the Church as the hierarchy, I am reminded that the Church and the Churches that were created prior to Christianity becoming legal in 325 AD, would have only known  the “laity” as it were, to be central to the Church.  Once the church expands and expands, it becomes legal, and so, as the Church and the Churches are more and more secularized and sophisticated, it seems as if  the “fibers are pulled away from the cloth”. Eventually, what appears to happen, is that, the “ordinary member of the Church”, is no longer really treated as the Church.  Whether it was intended or not, the clergy and religious assume the identity and role of being the Church.  Vatican II, which takes place between 1962 and 1965, really is a RECOVERY of the People of God as Church.  

The mobilization of the lay people, has the potential to affect change in the Church, in every way, and at every level.  You would see so many of our current, troubling issues, disappear completely, or at the very least, change in their shape and color. If  the Church had a comprehensive, mobilization of the laity, there might be all kinds of changes, like lay people presiding at Eucharist,  more lay people involved in teaching and preaching, as well as increased lay participation in deliberative voting, whether at the local parish council level, or in the higher domains of the Church. In order for a “sweeping” mobilization to happen, we have to overcome a huge hurdle.   

You might say, the “hurdle” is all the opposition that would come from the ”powers that be” and lay people who hold fast to the status quo and traditionalist position. No doubt there will be opposition, but I believe the greatest hurdle is something that has to be overcome within lay Catholics and doesn’t necessarily have to do with any opposition from our predominantly clerical leadership or any other group.  

I suggest that until the majority of Catholics understand that they are Church, we cannot have an effective mobilization of the laity. The attitude still prevails that only the priests, brothers, sisters, bishops, cardinals, and the pope are the Church and have sole permission to “be” and “act” as the authority of Christ.  This would be especially true, where I am in Canada.  As well, we have an old, old, belief in the Catholic Church, that God speaks directly through our priests, and bishops, and especially the Pope.  Catholics would not think of questioning them, because to do so, would be to question God and that might be a fatal disobedience.

We have seen for sure that the Vatican , and in particular the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith  (CDF) have little or no patience with perceived challenge to their authority.  Therefore it is very difficult for Catholics to take the position  “I am Church” and “We are Church", and to act accordingly.

Until one understands that she/he is Church, one cannot question one’s rights and obligations for being Church.  Until one understands that she/he is Church, one will not recognize that each has a vocation, a service to be done for the mission of the Church.  Until one understands that she/he is Church, there will not be the understanding that all are called to serve and to be holy. Until one understands that she/he is Church, there will not be a cataclysmic pushback to the current, clerical leadership that has taken to itself, what has been identified by some theologians, as ‘Absolute Power.”

 In any of the renewal movements occurring at this time in our Church history, whether that is in Germany, or Ireland, or in Australia,  this understanding, that We, as individuals in Christ, and as a Body in Christ, are Church, is the foundational belief, for the laity to embrace responsibility for being Church and exercising their inherent “power and authority”. “Pushing for renewal”, is very much the Church/Christ “business” of the universal laity.  

The “awaking and raising of the sleeping giant, called, the laity”, can only come about, when the majority of Catholics  have truly understood what it is for the laity to be Church.  The work of some of the  lay people in Ireland, called the Association of Irish Catholics, are organizing meetings around Ireland, to meet with and provide information, on how the Irish Catholic Church is dependent upon the People, to be responsible for the reform and renewal of their Church and of their faith. The work of these Catholics in the ACI, of organizing and conducting meetings, is a necessary work, and a prophetic work, one that reflects the scripture passages about “preparing the soil,” “sowing the seed”, and “gathering the remnant”, for generations of future Irish Catholic Christians who will also be commissioned to carry on the mission of the Church and the various ministries of Christ.  

There are other Catholics, the world over, who are a part of what I call “pushing for change”, “pushing for reform”, and “pushing for renewal” .
I use the term “pushing” because of the idea that the Holy Spirit is giving birth to the vision of Vatican II.  When a woman gives birth, she needs to push, so, I use “push”, not in the sense, of “taking by force”, but in the sense of “giving birth”. I am reminded of Mary, our Blessed Mother, who had to “push”, and gave birth to Jesus, the Church.

The understanding that We, as the laity, are the Church, stems from the Vatican II documents, but more importantly from the theological shift at Vatican II, which placed the Incarnate Christ in the People of God, as opposed to a structure or to the clerical leadership alone. We, as Church, are having to explore, penetrate, and understand fully, the meaning of the People of God, as an indwelling of the Incarnate Christ.  What comes to mind is the following scripture passage from Ephesians, Chapter two, verses19-22:

            …you are fellow citizens of the saints and members of the household of God. You form a building which rises on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone.   Through him the whole structure is fitted together and takes shape as a holy temple in the Lord; in him you are being built into this temple, to become a dwelling place for God in the spirit.  

This scripture passage from Ephesians tells us we, as the people of God, are the dwelling place for God, in the spirit.  Given the Word of God from the scripture, how could the “powers that be”, at Vatican II, not affirm, that the laity are just as central to the Church as the hierarchy?  Given that centrality, and the reality that individually and collectively we are a “holy temple”, how could we not understand ourselves as Church and behave accordingly?  

What does it mean for Christ to be dwelling in and among us as the Incarnation?  I believe that for the soul that is truly rooted in the Father/Mother, Son, and Holy Spirit, the soul possesses all the faculties of Christ to exercise the power of His ministry.  Is the Body of Christ, like the individual soul, lacking anything to represent Christ? Naturally, we must be living out our commitment to Christ in all integrity, and be appropriately educated, and if we are, why would anyone not be suitably empowered for the ministry of Christ?  We can refer here to St. Paul ’s letter to the Corinthians in which he describes,  the gifts and charisms of the community that come with “one Lord, one faith, and one baptism.”  

 For the ministry of preaching, teaching, and presiding at Eucharist, is it really necessary to have seven years of education, be a single, celibate, male, and have a supposedly extra-ordinary anointing by a bishop, that says only you, with a special divine branding on your soul can do these ministries?  We have today in the Church, in many parts of the world, a very well educated laity, not to mention some of the very best male and female lay theologians. In our local parishes we have well educated members. I suggest, that it is from our charismatically and professionally prepared parishioners, that we need to call forth our ministers.  

The traditional cultic priesthood has been charged with quite a number of major responsibilities.  In presiding at Eucharist, is also the preaching and teaching that must be executed with the sermon. If we are really honest, I’m sure you and I have noticed that being “ordained” has not necessarily guaranteed that we hear dynamic and inspirational preaching and teaching.

 However, we as the Church would need to secure not only someone blessing bread and wine, but having  a person(s) who are theologically and charismatically capable of providing the Catholic Christian Community with the “preaching” and “teaching” ministry.  I would suggest that the Church’s parish councils would need to expand to include the Ministry of the Eucharist, the Ministry of Preaching, and the Ministry of Teaching.

 It is no coincidence that we find in the documents of Vatican II the direction that we must recognize the charisms in our midst, and call them forward.  We need to know the gifts of the people in our parishes, call them forth, and have our local bishop install our ministers.  Would having an installed lay person change the meaning of the presence of the Body and Blood of Christ?  No. Christ has assured us He is always present to us individually, but also, where 2 or 3 are gathered in His Name, so He is there and therefore, it is truly the Body and Blood of Christ we are receiving, as we have always believed.  

 In 1999, I wrote an editorial, submitted to the Western Catholic Reporter, that spoke of the Church being “Too Reliant On Old Theology”. The opening sentence is as follows: “We have no shortage of priests”. I would tell you more, but there is a copyright on the article:  You can find this article on the web.  It is entitled “Church Too Reliant On Old Theology”.  You will also find responses to me which were not necessarily kind. The link is:  wcr.ab.ca/old-site/columns/letters/1999/letters112299.shtml    

There is not very much I would change in that editorial, except that I want to make clear that I believe, we are receiving the “Body and Blood of Christ”.  I think the change occurs with the presence of Christ and it doesn’t mean that the person, “blessing bread and wine” has divine power, other than what flows from the indwelling of Christ, in that presiding person, and in the Body of Christ assembled.  Our inherent grace and power flows as well, from our baptismal call, of being Priest, Prophet, and King with Christ.. 

Father Joe O’Leary, on the ACP (Association of Catholic Priests) website, in one of his submitted comments,  mentions a recent book, entitled L’Eglise va-t-elle disparaitre, (Seuil, 2013) by Jean-Claude Barreau. He is a priest and essayist, who, in the book,  discusses the role of the laity and the Ministry of the Eucharist.  The book is written in French, and so I am glad that Father O’Leary gives the readers a wee snippet from the book. The author, Jean-Claude Barreau, according to Father O’Leary, is “urging the ordination of ordinary, mature, lay folk who’ll keep their families and day jobs, and thereby bring an end, gently, to the Tridentine Epoch”.

 While Father Barreau, still refers to “ordination”, he is suggesting that the Church find Eucharistic presiders from among the laity. Jean-Claude Barreau’s ideas appear to me to be an example of progressive theological thinking around  Eucharistic Ministry and the role of lay people. At least, lay people are being considered and that would be a part of the raising of the “sleeping giant”. If anyone wants to find this book, it is apparently available on “Amazon” on March 18^th.  

I consider the re-evaluation of the role of the laity and the ministry of the Eucharist to be a necessity for the Church.  I find I have little patience with the bemoaning tale, that we can’t have Eucharist because we have no priests. I say, in truth, we have no shortage of priests, but an abundance! The Lord says, “I will deal bountifully with my beloved”.  Out of our abundance, of the People of God, those who are supposed to be considered, just as central to the Church as the Vatican , are the many, many, ministers that we need  

Does this mean that we have no need of clerics? Certainly not, but what the laity need, is to be integral to the decision-making at all levels of the Church, from the local parish council, to diocesan councils, and finally to Rome .  As well, the laity, need to be considered for the ministries, that have been seen as exclusive to the clergy. The Church will always need governance, but it must be a collaborative and collegial work with the clergy and the laity.  

The mobilization of the laity, as I say, will invariably affect all aspects of the Church.  There is a very necessary accompaniment for this mobilization, and that is, the “New Evangelization”.  Our Catholic Christians need to be “immersed” in the scriptures and need to be “immersed” in a rejuvenated relationship with Jesus Christ.  I long to see Catholic parishes bursting with Small Christian Communities, that is, small groups of parishioners who come together, outside of Sunday Eucharist, to read, to study, and to pray with the scriptures, and to share their faith and journey with Christ.  As St. Paul, says, let the “Word of God, Dwell Richly In You”.  It is from our personal relationship with Christ that we move out into the world and spread the Good News, as well as continue to nurture our personal faiths, and the faith of the community, thereby constantly renewing the Church, personally, locally, and universally.  

On December, 12, 2012 , on the Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadaloupe, I had a spiritual intuition that the “old orders were passing away”.  This was the day, if you remember, when some evangelicals were predicting the “end of the world”.  The physical world did not disappear, but I believe, there was a shift in the world’s spiritual order. Then, Pope Benedict steps down, someone who, for me, embodies an old order. When you see this blog, the “Chair of St. Peter” will be empty. We, who form the Universal Catholic Church, are on the “precipice” of change, awaiting, a “new day”.  

Ironically, on Friday, February 22^nd, the Official Church celebrated the “Chair of St. Peter” as a Feast Day.  I remembered that Feast Day with special prayers for that “Chair”.  It’s an important Chair, as the next Pope that sits in it could make or break the Church in the next twenty years or one generation from today.   

As Chris McDonnell said, in his blog on Tuesday, there are many mistakes that need to be corrected and in the Church’s current situation of disarray, as John Wotherspoon, has called it, the mistakes cannot continue. You may see a lot more lightning strikes above the Vatican dome! There is at least one other “high profile” theologian, that being, Hans Kung,  who predicts that if  the Church, continues on the same path, as the one, chosen by Pope Benedict, “the Church’s crisis will become almost intractable.”  This quotation is taken from Hans Kung’s interview dated February 18^th with Peter Wensierski of Spiegel Magazine.

 The Church’s crisis would become almost “intractable” especially, if the new Pope is closed to reform and closed to the modern age. Perhaps, “reform and renewal” does not precisely describe what could really be happening in terms of change.  I believe what we really ought to be speaking about is a “Paradigm Shift” and that entails more than moving furniture around, and even more than rigorous reform. This is sure to take many years, but it might well be what we are experiencing, even if it can “only be seen through a glass dimly”. That would be the old order shifting, and disappearing.  I am reminded of the Words from Mary’s Canticle:  “God has shown the strength of His arm”, “He has brought down the mighty from their thrones, and has lifted up the lowly”.

 I have described, in the above essay, is a paradigm shift, that can create a Church transformed and transfigured into the image of Christ. First, is the mobilization of the laity, and second, is for the laity to be re-rooted in Christ because of a new evangelization.  We need to overcome the greatest hurdle, of not believing and understanding that We, the laity, are the Church, a belief that flows from the Vatican II documents, that flows from the theological reality, that we are, individually and collectively, a dwelling place for Christ, that flows from our original, apostolic Church experience, and that flows from the Words of Scripture. This understanding will lead to the raising of the lay people, and it will change forever the current situation in the Church. With a renewed life in Christ, the Church can and will be the Glory and Joy of Jesus Christ.