Following the ad limina visit of the Bishops of England & Wales, today it was the turn of the Scottish Bishops.Again, Pope Benedict XVI has hit the nail squarely on the head... pretty much the same message as for the English and Welsh Bishops, but without the pointed comment about needing to speak with one voice... because, as I remarked to a friend this evening, the Scottish Bishops have had a far better track record on defending Church doctrine, especially on pro-life matters.
One passage I particularly enjoyed reading, given the stuff going on here with Stand Up for Vatican II:
"Hand in hand with a proper appreciation of the priest’s role is a correct understanding of the specific vocation of the laity. Sometimes a tendency to confuse lay apostolate with lay ministry has led to an inward-looking concept of their ecclesial role. Yet the Second Vatican Council’s vision is that wherever the lay faithful live out their baptismal vocation – in the family, at home, at work – they are actively participating in the Church’s mission to sanctify the world. A renewed focus on lay apostolate will help to clarify the roles of clergy and laity and so give a strong impetus to the task of evangelizing society."
And then there was this one...
"Recent developments in medical ethics and some of the practices advocated in the field of embryology give cause for great concern. If the Church’s teaching is compromised, even slightly, in one such area, then it becomes hard to defend the fullness of Catholic doctrine in an integral manner. Pastors of the Church, therefore, must continually call the faithful to complete fidelity to the Church’s Magisterium, while at the same time upholding and defending the Church’s right to live freely in society according to her beliefs."
It's excellent. You can read the whole thing HERE. There's also a video clip:
Twitch of the mantilla to Fr. Ray Blake, especially for the video clip.
".... wherever the lay faithful live out their baptismal vocation – in the family, at home, at work – they are actively participating in the Church’s mission to sanctify the world. A renewed focus on lay apostolate will help to clarify the roles of clergy and laity and so give a strong impetus to the task of evangelizing society."
ReplyDeleteThis is exactly what St Jose Maria Escriva understood as the mission for the 'lay apostolate' when he founded Opus Dei (and that was well before Vatican 11 - 1928). As Jesus said to the Apostles 'go ye and teach all Nations' - well, the Bishops and priests can't do it all by themselves, that's where we the ordinary 'pew Catholics' come into God's Plan.
Wherever we are in the world, whatever our positions in family life, at work in the office, on the factory floor, in the squash club, refectory, pub even!... there is the opportunity to pass on the precious gift of Faith - it just needs a spark to ignite a fire, and often a simple word or two spoken in friendship, will make someone think a bit more deeply about who we are and what is our Mission in this life as Human Beings.
This is the 'specific vocation of the laiety' about which the Holy Father speaks and not some misguided group of 'clericalised laiety' - who push and shuffle for positions on the Sanctuary or worse almost take over control of the Sanctuary from the priest.
God Bless you abundantly Holy Father and all of Catholic England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland eagerly await your visit to these shores later in the year.