Who we are

I know, I know ... I can't remember the last time I wrote two days in a row ... but one of my professors started off with a bang this Monday morning by quoting a teaching I had always glossed over before, and I wanted to share it.

As a bit of background, Pope Paul VI published Gaudium et Spes on December 7, 1965, as a result of the deliberations of the Second Vatican Council. This particular document is about how we as members of the Church interact with the world -- hence its longer English title, "The Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World." I had looked through it during seminary but had never really noticed how tremendously powerful paragraph 43 is -- have a look:

This council exhorts Christians, as citizens of two cities, to strive to discharge their earthly duties conscientiously and in response to the Gospel spirit. They are mistaken who, knowing that we have here no abiding city but seek one which is to come, think that they may therefore shirk their earthly responsibilities. For they are forgetting that by the faith itself they are more obliged than ever to measure up to these duties, each according to his proper vocation. Nor, on the contrary, are they any less wide of the mark who think that religion consists in acts of worship alone and in the discharge of certain moral obligations, and who imagine they can plunge themselves into earthly affairs in such a way as to imply that these are altogether divorced from the religious life. This split between the faith which many profess and their daily lives deserves to be counted among the more serious errors of our age. Long since, the Prophets of the Old Testament fought vehemently against this scandal and even more so did Jesus Christ Himself in the New Testament threaten it with grave punishments. Therefore, let there be no false opposition between professional and social activities on the one part, and religious life on the other. The Christian who neglects his temporal duties, neglects his duties toward his neighbor and even God, and jeopardizes his eternal salvation. Christians should rather rejoice that, following the example of Christ Who worked as an artisan, they are free to give proper exercise to all their earthly activities and to their humane, domestic, professional, social and technical enterprises by gathering them into one vital synthesis with religious values, under whose supreme direction all things are harmonized unto God's glory.

Secular duties and activities belong properly although not exclusively to [the lay faithful]. Therefore acting as citizens in the world, whether individually or socially, they will keep the laws proper to each discipline, and labor to equip themselves with a genuine expertise in their various fields. They will gladly work with [others] seeking the same goals. Acknowledging the demands of faith and endowed with its force, they will unhesitatingly devise new enterprises, where they are appropriate, and put them into action. [The lay faithful] should also know that it is generally the function of their well-formed Christian conscience to see that the divine law is inscribed in the life of the earthly city; from priests they may look for spiritual light and nourishment. Let the layman not imagine that his pastors are always such experts, that to every problem which arises, however complicated, they can readily give him a concrete solution, or even that such is their mission. Rather, enlightened by Christian wisdom and giving close attention to the teaching authority of the Church, let the layman take on his own distinctive role.
Often enough the Christian view of things will itself suggest some specific solution in certain circumstances. Yet it happens rather frequently, and legitimately so, that with equal sincerity some of the faithful will disagree with others on a given matter. Even against the intentions of their proponents, however, solutions proposed on one side or another may be easily confused by many people with the Gospel message. Hence it is necessary for people to remember that no one is allowed in the aforementioned situations to appropriate the Church's authority for his opinion. They should always try to enlighten one another through honest discussion, preserving mutual charity and caring above all for the common good.

Since they have an active role to play in the whole life of the Church, [the lay faithful] are not only bound to penetrate the world with a Christian spirit, but are also called to be witnesses to Christ in all things in the midst of human society.

I know ... isn't this amazing? What a beautiful testimony to God's action in our lives, gathering us together into His family and giving each person a mission according to his or her vocation, to bring His presence and love into the world. And just like any family, we will have legitimate disagreements on how to do this -- but if we trust that each of our brothers and sisters is sincere in his or her desire to bring that message and knowledge of salvation to the world, we can do so much!

So, from my temporary foray into academia, let me offer this encouragement: let's keep in mind that end-goal that Pope Paul VI lays out for us -- that everything we do be for God's glory, and that we keep our eyes open for opportunities to work together, both with our lay brothers and sisters, with the clergy of the Church, and with others of good will, to bring His presence and love to the world.

Saints Peter and Paul, whom we celebrate today, had this close to their hearts -- let's ask for their intercession to bring it close to ours, as well!