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Church Involvement in World 04/26/2005
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Pentecost: Greek pentekoste, "fiftieth day"
Triptych: In art, three painted, carved,
or otherwise decorated panels
that are hinged together
How deeply involved in the world must the Church be?
The composition of the Church
Before, when we say the word "Church", we usually mean the hierarchy and
the various religious institutes, that perform the mission of the Church.
However, the concept of Church has now broadened to include the whole
People of God, the lay faithful most especially. Sometimes, modern thinkers
think of a broader Church - one that includes even the unbaptized who are
already in a way living a Christian value in their life, but who are unaware
of it. The task then of the Church is to perform the mission of making this
people realize that within their particular way of life, and in their specific
culture or custom, a seed of the Christian faith is embedded in it
that they do not see. When we now turn to the responsibility of the
Church in relation to mission, former thinking places that responsibility
on the shoulders only of the hierarchy and the religious in their institutes.
However, Vatican theology and spirituality teaches us that all the lay
faithful, by virtue of their baptismal consecration, receive the same gift,
task and responsibility to perform the Church's mission.
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Involvement in the world
The degree of involvement in the world depends on one's state of life.
The clergy who are in an administrative level of life are limited in
their immersion in the groundwork of worldly life; however, they can never-
theless be aware of all that is happening. The clergy who are in the
forefront of the mission, are the ones more involved in the world - most
especially those who are assigned to mission areas where there are a
lot of poverty and injustice. The same can be said of members of religious
institutes. Those in administrative positions in educational or other
institutions related to their congregation's charism are limitedly involved,
but they have all the opportunities to not only be aware of what is
happening in the world, but can be connected as well also. The state of life
that has the most opportunities for deep involvement in the world is the
lay state. By their immersion in their families, workplaces and the
various secular spheres of life, they truly are in the very groundwork
of what is in the world.
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The Church's depth of involvement
It has always been taught that the Church must always express her stand
as regards certain issues that have a universal consequence if it is not
attended to. The Church addresses this generally, and particularly for
certain local Churches. However, though the Church can make a political
stand, she cannot involve herself in partisan politics. This is where
the degrees of involvement are made more distinct. Those in the clergy
and those in religious institutes should not involve themselves in partisan
politics because this has been a long-held tradition in the Church. Most
especially applicable to this tradition are the religious who are by
origin "in the world, but not of the world". The original spirit of
religious life that lies in this expression states the degree of their
involvement in the world. As for the lay faithful, they have freedom of
choice. They too can make a universal political stand as regards certain
issues that affect the Church's teaching. But they can choose whether to
involve themselves in partisan politics or not. If they do, then it really
is of the vocation of their state of life: to sanctify the political sphere
and other secular fields with the values of the Gospel.
Dennis-Emmanuel Cabrera
April 27, 2005
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