Many established ministries, auxiliary activities, tasks, and offices within the Church can and must be performed by laypeople. But instead of being self-referential, this should always aim to change society by introducing Christian beliefs worldwide.
This was said by Pope Francis in his message to the members of the Dicastery for Laity, Family, and Life on Saturday. This occurred at the conclusion of the Plenary Assembly, which had as its theme "The laity and ministeriality in the Synodal Church."
The Pope welcomed the attendees at the Clementine Hall and reaffirmed that the real inspiration for any devoted person taking on an ecclesiastical task must come from a desire to serve others and in them, Christ.
The Beginnings of Church Ministeriality
Pope Francis talked about what it means to be a minister in the Church and what laypeople's place is in this setting. This was in relation to the three-day session's theme.
He observed that when we talk of broad church ministries, the mind quickly turns to well-known institutional ministries like catechists, lectors, and acolytes. However, he stated that these established ministries do not encompass the entire range of the Church's ministeriality, which is larger and has always included all the faithful since the beginning of Christian communities.
Baptism: Base of Common Priesthood
The Pope emphasized that it stems from Baptism and the Holy Spirit's gifts. The Sacrament, indeed, is the source of the common priesthood of all believers, which is manifested in the ministries.
This is because all those who are baptized are "Christifideles," or believers in Christ, and are thus compelled to participate in the mission He has entrusted to the Church through the exercise of various vocations.
The Pope proceeded by saying that the charism that the Holy Spirit imparts to the People of God for its edifying also forms the basis of the laity's mission. This, according to the Pope, explains why the Church's ministeriality cannot be restricted to instituted ministries alone, but rather encompasses a much larger sphere.
Different Ways Laypeople are Involved in the Church
Even today, like in the early Christian communities, priests can delegate certain supplementary duties to laypeople, such as distributing the Eucharist or preaching the Word of God. Additionally, the laity can perform a variety of tasks that communicate their involvement in the prophetic and regal role of Christ, not only within the Church but also in the communities in which they reside, such as reaching out to those suffering due to poverty
Family: Evangelizing Ministry
The Pope also touched on the subject of family ministry, which is now even more important in light of the numerous difficulties that families are currently facing and was a further area of discussion at the Plenary. In recalling the Magisterium of Popes John Paul II and Paul VI, Pope Francis emphasized, among other things, the educational mission of the family as an evangelizing ministry.
Our Mission
The Pope emphasized that each of these roles—ministries, services, assignments, and offices—must never become self-referential and share two core values: mission and service. This is because each of these roles is an outward manifestation of the Church's overall purpose, and they are all ways of serving others.
Pope Francis concluded that only by serving the brethren and in them, Christ, will all those who have been baptized be able to understand the purpose of their own lives and joyfully experience being on a mission on this earth, being called, in various ways and forms, to bring light, bless, enliven, raise, heal, and free.