VATICAN II GAVE THE LAITY THE PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE WORLD
In a recent Adult Faith Session, a discussion began about the purpose and need or lack thereof for a hierarchical structure and rules. So, let’s see what others are saying about rules and freedom, about whether a hierarchical structure hampers or helps.
We usually speak about rules in religious or moral settings, but in the video below, Bishop Robert Barron and legal scholar Robert George point out that the rules of grammar and syntax, as well as the rules of golf and baseball are not ends in themselves. Following them makes for a better and more pleasurable experience in playing the game.
Then the discussion turns to the Second Vatican Council and particularly to the role given primarily to the laity – to all of the laity. It is a role that we heard about in the years after the Council but it never went anywhere. Listen and consider whether it is something that is needed and, if so, why didn’t it go far. Did it make sense? Is there an interest is exploring it now? And if so, how can this be done?
Transcript of this section of this video
. . . how is it that we can kind of discuss authenticity when it comes to conforming to moral norms?
George. Well, the idea that true freedom is freedom from moral norms is simply crazy. It means you cannot condemn Hitler. It means you cannot condemn Stalin. It means you cannot condemn the rapist; you cannot condemn the racist. It’s crazy. It’s like the belief here would be an analogy – (I’m drawing this from something Bishop Barron said a moment ago.) – imagine somebody said, “I want to be free in my language, in speaking English, for example. I want to be free from the restraints of grammar and syntax.You would not be able to speak a language.
Barron. Right. You’ve just used them (i.e., the rules).
George. Right. The ability to speak a language requires that you have grammar and syntax and even in articulators – (Bishop just made this point,) – even in articulating that view, “I want to be free from the requirements of syntax and grammar.” You’re using syntax and grammar. You’re relying on them to make your point. So again, I think it’s a question of what the truth is, and to be true to myself in the end means to be a seeker of truth in a serious way and then to live with authenticity and integrity in view of my best judgments as to what the truth in fact requires. And what that means is not manipulating or altering my judgments for ulterior reasons: to please other people, to get ahead, to appear to be part of the crowd, to conform to the in-group, and so forth. We Catholics and other Christians and religious believers more generally today who are now no longer in power- (The other side is in power.) – we are called upon to be authentic in the precise sense of bearing witness where we are under a lot of pressure not to do it where we’re under a lot of pressure not to say what we believe is true, but either to be silent, or to say things that make us appear to conform to the norms of whatever the governing ideology of the day is, if you call it wokism or political correctness or secular progressivism or whatever you want to call it.
Barron. Let me follow up on that very important point, I think. I just mentioned maybe priests and bishops that we bear some blame for maybe not bringing this wonderful world of objective truth forward. But I would say this too. Another failure is the failure to implement the great teaching of Vatican II which is that lay people are meant to go out into the world as salt and leaven and light – the seculum, the secular order, is the order of the laity, great catholic lawyers, great catholic politicians, great catholic writers, great catholic parents, great catholic communicators, etc. Not to go out, keeping your faith to yourself, is a little private hobby. But going out, precisely witnessing to these objective values that have transformed our lives, it’s not going to happen simply from the preaching of priests and bishops, but by laypeople infiltrating the society, you know. And, if we allow the fallen culture to take hold and then we just retreat into privacy, that’s a tragedy and it’s not the Vatican II vision at all. On the contrary, Vatican II bring the lumen to the magentas. Well, that’s the responsibility of priests and bishops that’s true in the religious
George. – bring the light to the nations – like what he is saying in Latin.
Barron. . . . and the light of Christ to the nations. But the lay people have an extraordinary responsibility. Why? Because I can’t go into the legal realm the way you can. I can’t go into education the way you can. I can’t go into communication the way you can. But lay people. (Yes.) So, I think you’re right. Witnessing to these truths and not just articulating them as we’re doing right now, but witnessing in your own life to them, that’s what’s going to transform the society.
George. I can’t stress this enough to Catholics, and there’s a strong tendency to misunderstand it. You’re right. Not only do the laity have A role in what Vatican II calls the sanctification of the world, that is, setting things right, that is, pursuing justice, the common good, human rights. Not only does the laity have a role, alongside the bishops, (The Second Vatican Council couldn’t be clear!) the laity has the primary role. The bishops don’t have the primary role. the clergy doesn’t have the primary primary role. Now, I think a lot of Catholics think back to the days before that teaching was so clear, when there was a misunderstanding. It was never sound; it was never correct. But it was a widely held misunderstanding by bishops and priests, as well as by laity, that the bishops were supposed to figure out what should be done in the world and then direct the laity to go out and do it. Now it’s still true that the bishops are meant to proclaim the Gospel in Christ. They’re meant to teach the principles, but they’re not supposed to be telling us what to do. We’ve got to use our own intellects, our own minds, to figure out how, in fact, to sanctify the world in the sense of making sure that justice is in place, that the common good is genuinely pursued, that human rights are respected, and so forth. So, still to this day, we’ll hear Catholics say, “Why don’t the bishops do something, why don’t the bishops do something?: and I remind them, “Hey, wait a minute. You know, maybe the bishops have let side down on some things, but we’ve got the primary responsibility, not them.” I mean I’m happy to complain about bishops. Don’t get me wrong, Bishop Barron, and I’ve done my my share of it, but we need . .
Barron. You’re right.
George. I mean, it’s the council that says, “We’re primary.” Okay. Let’s do it.
Barron. Do you agree with me on this, I wonder. I mourned the loss of Catholic Action. I knew a lot of priests in Chicago when I was a young guy, newly ordained. I knew some of these priests who were very involved in Catholic Action. Let’s say in the 1950s, the idea there was gather, let’s say, physicians and nurses and medical people. Read the Gospel. The priest who would lead the group would explain the Gospel, would preach on it and then they would do the famous “See. Judge and Act” – What do you see in your part of the world? How do you judge it? Now, in light of the Gospel and what do you do? I’ve always found that to be a very powerful way to instantiate just this and I think that influenced the council’s teachings. The next week gather people involved in the legal profession, gather judges and lawyers, and so on; next week gather people involved in in finance and investment. Do the same thing: see, judge and act. Fulton Sheen writes that book in the early 30s on ecclesiology, the last chapter of which is called catholic action. And I i think that’s the vision we’re talking about here of now bring the light to the nations, sanctify the world.
George. Yes, I would add. I do agree with that. I would add to it though, especially in pluralistic societies, such as our own, the importance of our working with our Protestant, especially, Evangelical Protestant friends, our Jewish friends, increasingly, our Muslim friends with whom we agree on so many profound issues of justice and human rights and morality, sanctity of human life, for example. You know, we should be speaking and acting in unison with them, in harmony with them and not claiming for ourselves exclusive leadership roles.
Barron. Sure. By any means.
George. But the basic insight: see-judge-act, absolutely.
THE VOCATION OF THE LAITY
In Lent of 2019, we addressed what Vatican II said about the vocation of the laity. To read the Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent, please click here. The content is based upon the actual Vatican II Document on the Role of the Laity in the Modern World, Lumen Gentium.
To read more of the 2019 Fourth Week of Lent Reflections, click or bookmark this St. Michael Church webpage.