DECREE
ON THE APOSTOLATE OF LAY PEOPLE
APOSTOLICAM
ACTUOSITATEM
VATICAN II, 18 November 1965
INTRODUCTION
1. In its desire to intensify
the apostolic activity of the People of God[1] the Council now earnestly
turns its thoughts to the Christian laity. Mention has already been made
in other documents of the laity's special and indispensable role in the
mission of the Church.[2] Indeed, the Church can never be without the lay
apostolate; it is something that derives from the layman's very vocation
as a Christian. Scripture clearly shows how spontaneous and fruitful was
this activity in the Church's early days (cf. Acts 11:19-21; 18:26; Rom.
16:1-16; Phil. 4:3).
No less fervent a zeal on the part of lay people is called for today;
present circumstances, in fact demand from them an apostolate infinitely
broader and more intense. For the constant increase in population, the
progress in science and technology, the shrinking of the gaps that have
kept men apart, have immensely enlarged the field of the lay apostolate, a
field that is in great part open to the laity alone; they have in addition
given rise to new problems which require from the laity and intelligent
attention and examination. All the more urgent has this apostolate become,
now that autonomy --- as is only right --- has been reached in numerous
sectors of human life, sometimes with a certain relinquishing of moral and
religious values, seriously jeopardizing the Christian life. Besides, in
many regions where priests are very scarce or (as is sometimes the case)
deprived of the freedom they need for their ministry, it is hard to see
how the Church could make her presence and action felt without the help of
the laity.
The need for this urgent and many-sided apostolate is shown by the
manifest action of the Holy Spirit moving laymen today to a deeper and
deeper awareness of their responsibility and urging them on everywhere to
the service of Christ and the Church.[3]
The Council will explain in this Decree the nature of the lay apostolate,
its character and the variety of its forms; it will state fundamental
principles and give pastoral directives for its more effective exercise.
These are all to serve as norms in the revision of Canon Law concerned
with the lay apostolate.
CHAPTER
I
THE VOCATION OF LAY PEOPLE TO THE APOSTOLATE
PARTICIPATION OF LAITY IN THE CHURCH'S MISSION
2. The Church was founded to
spread the kingdom of Christ over all the earth for the glory of God the
Father, to make all men partakers in redemption and salvation,[4] and
through them to establish the right relationship of the entire world to
Christ.
Every activity of the Mystical Body with this in view goes by the mane of
"apostolate"; the Church exercises it through all its members,
though in various ways. In fact, the Christian vocation is, of its nature
a vocation to the apostolate as well. In the organism of a living body no
member plays a purely passive part, sharing in the life of the body it
shares at the same time in its activity. The same is true for the Body of
Christ, the Church: "the whole Body achieves full growth in
dependence on the full functioning of each part" (Eph. 4:16). Between
the members of this body there exists, further, such a unity and
solidarity (cf. Eph. 4:16) that a member who does not work at the growth
of the body to the extent of his possibilities must be con-sidered useless
both to the Church and himself.
In the Church there is diversity of ministry but unity of mission. To the
apostles and their successors Christ has entrusted the office of teaching,
sanctifying and governing in his name and by his power. But the laity are
made to share in the priestly, prophetical and kingly office of Christ;
they have therefore, in the Church and in the world, their own assignment
in the mission of the whole People of God.[5] In the concrete, their
apostolate is exercised when they work at the evangelization and
sanctification of men; it is exercised too when they endeavour to have the
Gospel spirit permeate and improve the temporal order, going about it in a
way that bears clear witness to Christ and helps forward the salvation of
men.
The characteristic of the lay state being a life led in the midst of the
world and of secular affairs, laymen are called by God to make of their
apostolate, through the vigour of their Christian spirit, a leaven in the
world.
FOUNDATIONS
OF THE LAY APOSTOLATE
3. From the fact of their
union with Christ the head flows the laymen's right and duty to be
apostles. Inserted in the Mystical Body of Christ by baptism and
strengthened by the power of the Holy Spirit in confirmation, it is by the
Lord himself that they are assigned to the apostolate. If they are
consecrated a kingly priesthood and a holy nation (cf. 1 Pet. 2:4-10), it
is in order that they may in all their actions offer spiritual sacrifices
and bear witness to Christ all the world over. Charity, which is, as it
were, the soul of the whole apostolate, is given to them and nourished in
them by the sacraments, the Eucharist above all. [6]
The apostolate is lived in faith, hope and charity poured out by the Holy
Spirit into the hearts of all the members of the Church. And the precept
of charity, which is the Lord's greatest commandment, urges all Christians
to work for the glory of God through the coming of his kingdom and for the
communication of eternal life to all men, that they may know the only true
God and Jesus Christ whom he has sent (cf. Jn. 17:3).
On all Christians, accordingly, rests the noble obligation of working to
bring all men throughout the whole world to hear and accept the divine
message of salvation.
The Holy Spirit sanctifies the People of God through the ministry and the
sacraments. However, for the exercise of the apostolate he gives the
faithful special gifts besides (cf. 1 Cor. 12:7), "allotting them to
each one as he wills" (1 Cor. 12:11), so that each and all, putting
at the service of others the grace received may be "as good stewards
of God's varied gifts," (1 Pet. 4:10), for the building up of the
whole body in charity (cf. Eph. 4:16). From the reception of these
charisms, even the most ordinary ones, there arises for each of the
faithful the right and duty of exercising them in the Church and in the
world for the good of men and the development of the Church, of exercising
them in the freedom of the Holy Spirit who "breathes where he
wills" (Jn. 3:8), and at the same time in communion with his brothers
in Christ, and with his pastors especially. It is for the pastors to pass
judgment on the authenticity and good use of these gifts, not certainly
with a view to quenching the Spirit but to testing everything and keeping
what is good (cf. 1 Th. 5:12, 19, 21).[7]
THE
SPIRITUALITY OF LAY PEOPLE
4. Christ, sent by the Father,
is the source of the Church's whole apostolate. Clearly then, the
fruitfulness of the apostolate of lay people depends on their living union
with Christ; as the Lord said himself: "Whoever dwells in me and I in
him bears much fruit, for separated from me you can do nothing" (Jn.
15:5). This life of intimate union with Christ in the Church is maintained
by the spiritual helps common to all the faithful, chiefly by active
participation in the liturgy.[8] Laymen should make such a use of these
helps that, while meeting their human obligations in the ordinary
conditions of life, they do not separate their union with Christ from
their ordinary life; but through the very performance of their tasks,
which are God's will for them, actually promote the growth of their union
with him. This is the path along which laymen must advance, fervently,
joyfully, overcoming difficulties with prudent patient efforts.[9] Family
cares should not be foreign to their spirituality, nor any other temporal
interest; in the words of the apostle: "Whatever you are doing,
whether speaking or acting, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus
Christ, giving thanks to God the Father through him" (Col. 3:17).
A life like this calls for a continuous exercise of faith, hope and
charity.
Only the light of faith and meditation on the word of God can enable us to
find everywhere and always the God "in whom we live and exist"
(Acts 17:28); only thus can we seek his will in everything, see Christ in
all men, acquaintance or stranger, make sound judgments on the true
meaning and value of temporal realities both in themselves and in relation
to man's end.
Those with such a faith live in the hope of the revelation of the sons of
God, keeping in mind the cross and resurrection of the Lord.
On life's pilgrimage they are hidden with Christ in God, are free from the
slavery of riches, are in search of the goods that last for ever.
Generously they exert all their energies in extending God's kingdom, in
making the Christian spirit a vital energizing force in the temporal
sphere. In life's trials they draw courage from hope, "convinced that
present sufferings are no measure of the future glory to be revealed in
us" (Rom. 8:18).
With the love that comes from God prompting them, they do good to all,
especially to their brothers in the faith (cf. Gal. 6:10), putting aside
"all ill will and deceit, all hypocrisy, envy and slander" (1
Pet. 2:1), in this way attracting men to Christ. Divine love, "poured
into our hearts by the Holy Spirit who has been given to us" (Rom.
5:5), enables lay people to express concretely in their lives the spirit
of the Beatitudes. Following in his poverty, Jesus, they feel no
depression in want, no pride in plenty; imitating the humble Christ, they
are not greedy for vain show (cf. Gal. 5:26). They strive instead to
please God rather than men, always ready to abandon everything for Christ
(cf. Lk. 14:26) and to endure persecution in the cause of right (cf. Mt.
5:10), having in mind the Lord's saying: "If any man wants to come my
way let him renounce self and take up his cross and follow me" (Mt.
16:24). Preserving a Christian friendship with one another, they afford
mutual support in all needs.
This lay spirituality will take its particular character from the
circumstances of one's state in life (married and family life, celibacy,
widowhood), from one's state of health and from one's professional and
social activity. Whatever the circumstances, each one has received
suitable talents and these should be cultivated, as should also the
personal gifts he has from the Holy Spirit.
Similarly laymen who have followed their particular vocation and become
members of any of the associations or institutions approved by the Church,
aim sincerely at making their own the forms of spirituality proper to
these bodies.
They should also hole in high esteem professional competence, family and
civic sense, and the virtues related to social behaviour such as honesty,
sense of justice, sincerity, courtesy, moral courage; without them there
is now true Christian life.
Perfect model of this apostolic spiritual life is the Blessed Virgin Mary,
Queen of Apostles. While on earth her life was like that of any other,
filled with labours and the cares of the home; always, however, she
remained intimately united to her Son and cooperated in an entirely unique
way in the Saviour's work. And now, assumed into heaven, "her
motherly love keeps her attentive to her son's brothers, still on
pilgrimage amid the dangers and difficulties of life, until they arrive at
the happiness of the fatherland."[10] Everyone should have a genuine
devotion to her and entrust his life to her motherly care.
CHAPTER
II
OBJECTIVES
5. The work of Christ's
redemption concerns essentially the salvation of men; it takes in also,
however, the renewal of the whole temporal order. The mission of the
Church, consequently, is not only to bring men the message and grace of
Christ but also too permeate and improve the whole range of the temporal.
The laity, carrying out this mission of the Church, exercise their
apostolate therefore in the world as well as in the Church, in the
temporal order as well as in the spiritual. These orders are distinct;
they are nevertheless so closely linked that God's plan is, in Christ, to
take the whole world up again and make of it a new creation, in an initial
way here on earth, in full realization at the end of time. The layman, at
one and the same time a believer and a citizen of the world, has only a
single conscience, a Christian conscience; it is by this that he must be
guided continually in both domains.
THE
APOSTOLATE OF EVANGELIZATION AND SANCTIFICATION
6. The Church's mission is
concerned with the salvation of men; and men win salvation through the
grace of Christ and faith in him. The apostolate of the Church therefore,
and of each of its members, aims primarily at announcing to the world by
word and action the message of Christ and communicating to it the grace of
Christ. The principal means of bringing this about is the ministry of the
word and of the sacraments. Committed in a special way to the clergy, it
leaves room however for a highly important part for the laity, the part
namely of "helping on the cause of truth" (3 Jn. 8). It is in
this sphere most of all that the lay apostolate and the pastoral ministry
complete each other.
Laymen have countless opportunities for exercising the apostolate of
evangelization and sanctification. The very witness of a Christian life,
and good works done in a supernatural spirit, are effective in drawing men
to the faith and to God; and that is what the Lord has said: "Your
light must shine so brightly before men that they can see your good works
and glorify your Father who is in heaven" (Mat. 5:16).
This witness of life, however, is not the sole element in the apostolate;
the true apostle is on the look-out for occasions of announcing Christ by
word, either to unbelievers to draw them towards the faith, or to the
faithful to instruct them, strengthen them, incite them to a more fervent
life; "for Christ's love urges us on" (2 Cor. 5:14), and in the
hearts of all should the apostle's words find echo: "Woe to me if I
do not preach the Gospel" (1 Cor. 9:16).[1]
At a time when new questions are being put and when grave errors aiming at
undermining religion, the moral order and human society at undermining
religion, the moral order and human society itself are rampant, the
Council earnestly exhorts the laity to take a more active part, each
according to his talents and knowledge and in fidelity to the mind of the
Church, in the explanation explanation and defense of Christian principles
and in the correct application of them to the problems of our times.
THE
RENEWAL OF THE TEMPORAL ORDER
7. That men, working in
harmony, should renew the temporal order and make it increasingly more
perfect: such is God's design for the world.
All that goes to make up the temporal order: personal and family values,
culture, economic interests, the trades and professions, institutions of
the political community, international relations, and so on, as well as
their gradual development --- all these are not merely helps to man's last
end; they possess a value of their own, placed in them by God, whether
considered individually or as parts of the integral temporal structure:
"And God saw all that he had made and found it very good" (Gen.
1:31). This natural goodness of theirs receives an added dignity from
their relation with the human person, for whose use they have been
created. And then, too, God has willed to gather together all that was
natural, all that was supernatural, into a single whole in Christ,
"so that in everything he would have the primacy" (Col. 1:18).
Far from depriving the temporal order of its autonomy, of its specific
ends, of its own laws and resources, or its importance for human
well-being, this design, on the contrary, increases its energy and
excellence, raising it at the same time to the level of man's integral
vocation here below.
In the course of history the use of temporal things has been tarnished by
serious defects. Under the influence of original sin men have often fallen
into very many errors about the true God, human nature and the principles
of morality. As a consequence human conduct and institutions became
corrupted, the human person itself held in contempt. Again in our own days
not a few, putting an immoderate trust in the conquests of science and
technology, turn off into a kind of idolatry of the temporal; they become
the slaves of it rather than the masters.
It is the work of the entire Church to fashion men able to establish the
proper scale of values on the temporal order and direct it towards God
through Christ. Pastors have the duty to set forth clearly the principles
concerning the purpose of creation and the use to be made of the world,
and to provide moral and spiritual helps for the renewal of the temporal
order in Christ.
Laymen ought to take on themselves as their distinctive task this renewal
of the temporal order. Guided by the light of the Gospel and the mind of
the Church, prompted by Christian love, they should act in this domain in
a direct way and in their own specific manner. As citizens among citizens
they must bring to their cooperation with others their own special
competence, and act on their own responsibility; everywhere and always
they have to seek the justice of the kingdom of God. The temporal order is
to be renewed in such a way that, while its own principles are fully
respected, it is harmonized with the principles of the Christian life and
adapted to the various conditions of times, places and peoples. Among the
tasks of this apostolate Christian social action is preeminent. The
Council desires to see it extended today to every sector of life, not
forgetting the cultural sphere.[2]
CHARITABLE
WORKS AND SOCIAL AID
8. While every activity of the
apostolate should find in charity its origin and driving force, certain
works are of their nature a most eloquent expression of this charity; and
Christ has willed that these should be signs of his messianic mission (cf.
Mt. 11:4-5).
The greatest commandment of the law is to love God with one's whole heart
and one's neighbour as oneself (cf. Mt. 22:37- 40). Christ has made this
love of the neighbour his personal commandment and has enriched it with a
new meaning when he willed himself, along with his brothers, to be the
object of this charity saying: "When you showed it to one of the
least of my brothers here, you showed it to me" (Mt. 25:40). In
assuming human nature he has united to himself all humanity in a
supernatural solidarity which makes of it one single family. He has made
charity the distinguishing mark of his disciples, in the words: "By
this will all men know you for my disciples, by the love you bear one
another" (Jn. 13:35).
In the early days the Church linked the "agape" to the
eucharistic supper, and by so doing showed itself as one body around
Christ united by the bond of charity. So too, in all ages, love is its
characteristic mark. While rejoicing at initiatives taken else where, it
claims charitable works as its own mission and right. That is why mercy to
the poor and the sick, and charitable works and works of mutual aid for
the alleviation of all kinds of human needs, are held in special honour in
the Church.[3]
Today these activities and works of charity have become much more urgent
and world-wide, now that means of communication are more rapid, distance
between men has been more or less conquered, people in every part of the
globe have become as members of a single family. Charitable action today
can and should reach all men and all needs. Wherever men are to be found
who are in want of food and drink, of clothing, housing, medicine, work,
education, the means necessary for leading a truly human life, wherever
there are men racked by misfortune or illness, men suffering exile or
imprisonment, Christian charity should go in search of them and find them
out, comfort them with devoted care and give them the helps that will
relieve their needs. This obligation binds first and foremost the more
affluent individuals and nations [4]
If this exercise of charity is to be above all criticism, and seen to be
so, one should see in one's neighbour the image of God to which he has
been created, and Christ the Lord to whom is really offered all that is
given to the needy. The liberty and dignity of the person helped must be
respected with the greatest sensitivity.
Purity of intention should not be stained by any self-seeking or desire to
dominate.[5] The demands of justice must first of all be satisfied; that
which is already due in justice is not to be offered as a gift of charity.
The cause of evils, and not merely their effects, ought to disappear. The
aid contributed should be organized in such a way that beneficiaries are
gradually freed from their dependence on others and become self-
supporting.
The laity should therefore highly esteem, and support as far as they can,
private or public works of charity and social assistance movements,
including international schemes. By these channels effective help is
brought to individuals and nations in need. They should collaborate in
this with all men of good will.[6]
CHAPTER
III
THE
VARIOUS FIELDS OF THE APOSTOLATE
9. The lay apostolate, in all
its many aspects, is exercised both in the Church and in the world. In
either case different fields of apostolic action are open to the laity. We
propose to mention here the chief among them: Church communities, the
family, the young, the social environment, national and international
spheres. Since in our days women are taking an increasingly active share
in the whole life of society, it is very important that their
participation in the various sectors of the Church's apostolate should
likewise develop.
CHURCH
COMMUNITIES
10. Participators in the
function of Christ, priest, prophet and king, the laity have an active
part of their own in the life and action of the Church. Their action
within the Church communities is so necessary that without it the
apostolate of the pastors will frequently be unable to obtain its full
effect. Following in the footsteps of the men and women who assisted Paul
in the proclamation of the Gospel (cf. Acts 18:18-26; Rom. 16:3), lay
persons of a genuinely apostolic spirit supply the needs of their brothers
and are a source of consolation no less to the pastors than to the rest of
the faithful (cf. 1 Cor. 16:17-18). Nourished by their active
participation in the liturgical life of their community, they engage
zealously in its apostolic works; they draw men towards the Church who had
been perhaps very far away from it; they ardently cooperate in the spread
of the Word of God, particularly by catechetical instruction; by their
expert assistance they increase the efficacy of the care of souls as well
as of the administration of the goods of the Church.
The parish offers an outstanding example of community apostolate, for it
gathers into a unity all the human diversities that are found there and
inserts them into the universality of the Church.[1] The laity should
develop the habit of working in the parish in close union with their
priests,[2] of bringing before the ecclesial community their own problems,
world problems, and questions regarding man's salvation, to examine them
together and solve them by general discussion. According to their
abilities the laity ought to cooperate in all the apostolic and missionary
enterprises of their ecclesial family.
The laity will continuously cultivate the "feeling for the
diocese," of which the parish is a kind of cell; they will be always
ready on the invitation of their bishop to make their own contribution to
diocesan undertakings. Indeed, they will not confine their cooperation
within the limits of the parish or diocese, but will endeavour in response
to the needs of the towns and rural districts,[3] to extend it to
interparochial, interdiocesan, national and interna-tional spheres. This
widening of horizons is all the more necessary in the present situation,
in which the increasing frequency of popula-tion shifts, the development
of active solidarity and the ease of communications no longer allow any
one part of society to live in isolation. The laity will therefore have
concern for the needs of the People of God scattered throughout the world.
Especially will they make missionary works their own by providing them
with material means and even with personal service. It is for Christians a
duty and an honour to give God back a portion of the goods they have
received from him.
THE
FAMILY
11. The Creator of all made
the married state the beginning and foundation of human society; by his
grace he has made of it too a great mystery in Christ and in the Church
(cf. Eph. 5:32), and so the apostolate of married persons and of families
has a special importance for both Church and civil society.
Christian couples are, for each other, for their children and for their
relatives, cooperators of grace and witnesses of the faith. They are the
first to pass on the faith to their children and to educate them in it. By
word and example they form them to a Christian and apostolic life; they
offer them wise guidance in the choice of vocation, and if they discover
in them a sacred vocation they encourage it with all care.
Go give clear proof in their own lives of the indissolubility and holiness
of the marriage bond; to assert with vigour the right and duty of parents
and guardians to give their children a Christian upbringing; to defend the
dignity and legitimate autonomy of the family: this has always been the
duty of married persons; today, however, it has become the most important
aspect of their apostolate.
They and all the faithful, therefore, should collaborate with men of good
will in seeing that these rights are perfectly safeguarded in civil
legislation; that in social administration consideration is given to the
requirements of families in the matter of housing, education of children,
working conditions, social security and taxes; and that in emigration
regulations family life is perfectly safeguarded.[4]
The mission of being the primary vital cell of society has been given to
the family by God himself. This mission will be accomplished if the
family, by the mutual affection of its members and by family prayer,
presents itself as a domestic sanctuary of the Church; if the whole family
takes its part in the Church's liturgical worship; if, finally, it offers
active hospitality, and practices justice and other good works for the
benefit of all its brothers suffering from want. Among the various works
of the family apostolate the following may be listed: adopting abandoned
children, showing a loving welcome to strangers, helping with the running
of schools, supporting adolescents with advice and help, assisting engaged
couples to make a better preparation for marriage, taking a share in
catechism-teaching, supporting married people and families in a material
or moral crisis, and in the case of the aged not only providing them with
what is indispensable but also procuring for them a fair share of the
fruits of economic progress.
Everywhere and always, but especially in regions where the first seeds of
the Gospel are just being sown, or where the Church is still in its
infancy or finds itself in a critical situation, Christian families bear a
very valuable witness to Christ before the world when all their life they
remain attached to the Gospel and hold up the example of Christian
marriage[5]
To attain the ends of their apostolate more easily it can be of advantage
for families to organize themselves into groups.[6]
YOUNG
PEOPLE
12. Young people exert a very
important influence in modern society.[7] The circumstances of their life,
their habits of thought, their relations with their families, have been
completely transformed. Often they enter too rapidly a new social and
economic environment. While their social and even political importance is
on the increase day by day, they seem unequal to the weight of these new
respon-sibilities.
The growth of their social importance demands from them a corresponding
apostolic activity; and indeed their natural character inclines them in
this direction. Carried along by their natural ardour and exuberant
energy, when awareness of their own personality ripens in them they
shoulder responsibilities that are theirs and are eager to take their
place in social and cultural life. If this enthusiasm is penetrated with
the spirit of Christ, animated by a sense of obedience and love towards
the pastors of the Church, a very rich harvest can be expected from it.
The young should become the first apostles of the young, in direct contact
with them, exercising the apostolate by themselves among themselves,
taking account of their social environment.[8]
Adults should be anxious to enter into friendly dialogue with the young,
where, despite the difference in age, they could get to know one another
and share with one another their own personal riches. It is by example
first of all and, on occasion, by sound advice and practical help that
adults should persuade the young to undertake the apostolate. The young,
on their side, will treat their elders with respect and confidence; and
though by nature inclined to favour what is new, they will have due esteem
for praiseworthy traditions.
Children too have an apostolate of their own. In their own measure they
are true living witnesses of Christ among their companions.
APOSTOLATE
OF LIKE TOWARDS LIKE
13. The apostolate in one's
social environment endeavour to infuse the Christian spirit into the
mentality and behaviour, laws and structures of the community in which one
lives. To such a degree is it the special work and responsibility of lay
people, that no one else can every properly supply for them. In this area
laymen can conduct the apostolate of like towards like. there the witness
of their life is completed by the witness of their word.[9] It is amid the
surroundings of their work that they are best qualified to be of help to
their brothers, in the surroundings of their profession, of their study,
residence, leisure or local group.
The laity accomplish the Church's mission in the world principally by that
blending of conduct and faith which makes them the light of the world; by
that uprightness in all their dealings which is for every man such an
incentive to love the true and the good and which is capable of inducing
him at last to go to Christ and the Church; by that fraternal charity that
makes them share the living conditions and labours, the sufferings and
yearnings of their brothers, and thereby prepare all hearts, gently,
imperceptibly, for the action of saving grace; by that full awareness of
their personal responsibility in the development of society, which drives
them on to perform their family, social and professional duties with
Christian generosity. In this way their conduct makes itself gradually
felt in the surroundings where they live and work.
This apostolate should reach out to every single person in that
environment; and it must not exclude any good, spiritual or temporal, that
can be done for them. Genuine apostles are not content, however, with just
this; they are earnest also about revealing Christ by word to those around
them. It is a fact that many men cannot hear the Gospel and come to
acknowledge Christ except through the laymen they associate with.
THE
NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL LEVELS
14. On the national and
international planes the field of the apostolate is vast; and it is there
that the laity more than others are the channels of Christian wisdom. In
their patriotism and in their fidelity to their civic duties Catholics
will feel themselves bound to promote the true common good; they will make
the weight of their convictions so influential that as a result civil
authority will be justly exercised and laws will accord with the moral
precepts and the common good. Catholics versed in politics and, as should
be the case, firm in the faith and Christian teaching, should not decline
to enter public life; for by a worthy discharge of their functions, they
can work for the common good and at the same time prepare the way for the
Gospel.
Catholics are to be keen on collaborating with all men of good will in the
promotion of all that is true, just, holy, all that is worthy of love (cf.
Phil. 4:8). They are to enter into dialogue with them, approaching them
with understanding and courtesy; and are to search for means of improving
social and public institutions along the lines of the Gospel.
--- 9. Cf. Pius XI, Encyclical Letter "Quadragesimo Anno". 15
May 1931: AAS 23 (1931) pp. 225-226. ---
Among the signs of our times, particularly worthy of note is the very
growing and inescapable sense of the solidarity of all peoples. It is the
task of the lay apostolate to take pains in developing this sense and
transforming it into a really sincere desire for brotherly union. The
laity should have an awareness also of the international sector, of the
doctrinal and practical problems and solutions that are brought forward
there, in particular those concerned with newly developing nations.[10]
Everyone who works in foreign nations or brings them aid must remember
that relations among peoples should be a real fraternal interchange in
which both parties give and at the same time receive. Those who travel
abroad, for international activities, on business or on holiday, should
keep in mind that no matter where they may be they are the travelling
messengers of Christ, and should bear themselves really as such.
---- 10. Cf. John XXIII, Encyclical Letter "Mater et Magistra",
15 May 1961: AAS 53 (1961) pp. 448- 450. ----
CHAPTER
IV
THE
DIFFERENT FORMS OF THE APOSTOLATE
15. The laity can exercise
their apostolic activity either singly or grouped in various communities
or associations.
INDIVIDUAL
APOSTOLATE
16. The apostolate to be
exercised by the individual --- which flows abundantly from a truly
Christian life (cf. Jn. 4:11) --- is the starting point and condition of
all types of lay apostolate, including the organized apostolate; nothing
can replace it.
The individual apostolate is everywhere and always in place; in certain
circumstances it is the only one appropriate, the only one possible. Every
lay person, whatever his condition is called to, is obliged to it, even if
he has not the opportunity or possibility of collaborating in
associations.
The apostolate, through which the laity build up the Church, sanctify the
world and get it to live in Christ, can take on many forms.
A special form of the individual apostolate is the witness of a whole lay
life issuing from faith, hope and charity; it is a sign very much in
keeping with our times, and a manifestation of Christ living in his
faithful. Then, by the apostolate of the word, which in certain
circumstances is absolutely necessary, the laity proclaim Christ, explain
and spread his teachings, each one according to his condition and
competence, and profess those teachings with fidelity.
Moreover, cooperating as citizens of this world in all that has to do with
constructing and conducting of the temporal order, the laity should, by
the light of faith, try to find the higher motives that should govern
their behaviour in the home and in professional, cultural and social life;
they should too, given the opportunity, let these motives be seen by
others, conscious that by so doing they become cooperators with God the
creator, redeemer and sanctifier, and give him glory.
Finally, the laity should vitalize their lives with charity and, to the
extent of the capability of each give concrete expression to it in works.
All should remember that by public worship and by prayer, by penance and
the willing acceptance of the toil and hardships of life by which they
resemble the suffering Christ (cf. 2 Cor. 4:10; Col. 1:24), they can reach
all men and contribute to the salvation of the entire world.
INDIVIDUAL
APOSTOLATE IN CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES
17. There is an imperative
need for the individual apostolate in those areas where the Church's
freedom is seriously hampered.
In such difficult circumstances the laity take over as far as possible the
work of priests, jeopardizing their own freedom and sometimes their lives;
they teach Christian doctrine to those around them, train them in a
religious way of life and in Catholic attitudes, encourage them to receive
the sacraments frequently and to cultivate piety, especially eucharistic
piety.[1] The Council renders God most heartfelt thanks that even in our
own times he is still raising up laymen with heroic courage in the midst
of persecutions; the Council embraces them with gratitude and fatherly
affection.
The individual apostolate has a special field in regions where Catholics
are few and scattered. In such circumstances the laity who exercise only
the personal apostolate --- whether from the reasons mentioned above or
from particular motives arising, among other things, from their
professional activity --- can gather for discussion into small groups with
no rigid form of rules or organization.
This is particularly appropriate in the present instance, for it ensures
the continual presence before the eyes of others of a sign of the Church's
community, a sign that will be seen as a genuine witness of love. Thus, by
affording mutual spiritual aid by friendship and the exchange of personal
experiences, they get the courage to surmount the difficulties of too
isolated a life and activity and can increase the yield f their
apostolate.
GROUP
APOSTOLATE
18. The faithful are called as
individuals to exercise an apostolate in the various conditions of their
life. They must, however, remember that man is social by nature and that
it has been God's pleasure to assemble those who believe in Christ and
make of them the People of God (cf. 1 Pet. 2:5-10), a single body (cf. 1
Cor. 12:12). The group apostolate is in happy harmony therefore with a
fundamental need in the faithful, a need that is both human and Christian.
At the same time it offers a sign of the communion and unity of the Church
in Christ, who said: "Where two or three are gathered together in my
name, I am there in the midst of them" (Mt. 18:20).
--- 1. Cf. Pius XII, "Alloc. ad I Conventum ex Omnibus Gentibus
Laicorum Apostolatui provehendo", 15 Oct 1951: AAS 43 (1951) p. 788.
---
For that reason Christians will exercise their apostolate in a spirit of
concord.[2] They will be apostles both in their families and in the
parishes and dioceses, which already are themselves expressions of the
community character of the apostolate; apostles too in the free
associations they will have decided to form among themselves.
The group apostolate is very important also for another reason: often,
either in ecclesial communities or in various other environments, the
apostolate calls for concerted action. Organizations created for group
apostolate afford support to their members, train them for the apostolate,
carefully assign and direct their apostolic activities; and as a result a
much richer harvest can be hoped for from them than if each one were to
act on his own.
In present circumstances it is supremely necessary that wherever the laity
are at work the apostolate under its collective and organized form should
be strengthened. In actual fact only a well- knit combination of efforts
can completely attain all the aims of the modern apostolate and give its
fruits good protection.[3] From this point of view it is particularly
important for the apostolate to establish contact with the group attitudes
and social conditions of the persons who are its object; otherwise these
will often be in-capable of withstanding the pressure of public opinion or
of social institutions.
VARIOUS
TYPES OF GROUP APOSTOLATE
119. Great variety is to be
found in apostolic associations.[4] Some look to the general apostolic end
of the Church; others aim specifically at evangelization and
sanctification; others work for the permeation of the temporal order by
the Christian spirit; and other engage in works of mercy and of charity as
their special way of bearing witness to Christ.
First among these associations to be given consideration should be those
which favour and promote a more intimate unity between the faith of the
members and their everyday life. Associations are not ends in themselves;
they are meant to be of service to the Church's mission to the world.
Their apostolic value depends on their conformity with the Church's aims,
as well as on the Christian witness
--- 2. Cf. Pius XII, "Alloco. ad I conventum ex Omnibus Gentiubs
laicorum Apostolatui provehendo", 15 Oct. 1951: AAS 43 (1951) pp.
787-788. 3. Cf. Pius XII, Encyclical Letter "Le pelerinage de
Lourdes", 2 July 1957: AAS 49 (1957) p. 615 4. Cf. Pius XII, "Alloc.
ad Consilium Foederationis internationalis virorum catholicorum", 8
Dec. 1956: AAS 49 (1957) pp. 26-27. ---
and evangelical spirit of each of their members and of the association as
a whole.
As a consequence of the progress of institutions and the rapid evolution
of modern society, the universal nature of the Church's mission requires
that the apostolic initiations of Catholics should more and more perfect
the various types of international organizations. Catholic international
organizations will the more surely gain their object, the more intimately
the groups that compost them, as well as their members are united to them.
While preserving intact the necessary link with ecclesiastical
authority[5] the laity have the right to establish and direct
associations,[6] and to join existing ones. Dissipation of forces must,
however, be avoided; this would happen if new associations and works were
created without sufficient reason, if old ones now grown useless were held
on to, if out-of-date methods continued to be employed. It will not always
be a wise procedure, either, to transfer indiscriminately into some
particular country forms that have arisen in another.[7]
CATHOLIC
ACTION
20. Several decades ago lay
people, dedicating themselves increasingly to the apostolate, in many
countries formed themselves into various kinds of movements and societies
which, in closer union with the hierarchy, have pursued and continue to
pursue ends properly apostolic. Among these institutions, as indeed among
other similar older ones, special mention must be made of those which,
though using differing methods, have yielded abundant fruit for the
kingdom of Christ. Deservedly praised and promoted by the popes and
numerous bishops, they have received from them the name of Catholic
Action, and have most often been described by them as a collaboration of
the laity in the hierarchical apostolate.[8]
These types of apostolate, whether or not they go by the name of Catholic
Action, are today doing a work of much value. They are constituted by the
combination of all the following characteristics:
--- 5. Cf. below, Chap. V, no. 24. 6. Cf. Decree of the Sacred
Congregation of the Council, "Corrienten.", 13 Nov. 1920: AAS 13
(1921) p. 139. 7. Cf. John XXIII, Encyclical Letter "Princeps
Pastorum", 10 Dec. 1959. AAS 51 (1959) p. 836. 8. Cf. Pius XI, Letter
"Quae nobis", to Cardinal Bertram", 13 Nov. 1928: AAS 20
(1928) p. 385. Cf. also Pius XII, " Alloc. ad A.C. Italicam", 4
Sept. 1940: AAS 32 (1940) p. 362. ---
(a) The immediate end of organizations of this class is the apostolic end
of the Church; in other words: the evangelization and sanctification of
men and the Christian formation of their conscience, so as to enable them
to imbue with the Gospel spirit the various social groups and
environments.
(b) The laity, cooperating in their own particular way with the hierarchy,
contribute their experience and assume responsibility in the direction of
these organizations, in the investigation of the conditions in which the
Church's pastoral work is to be carried on, in the elaboration and
execution of their plan of action.
(c) The laity act in unison after the manner of an organic body, to
display more strikingly the community aspect of the Church and to render
the apostolate more productive.
(d) The laity, whether coming of their own accord or in response to an
invitation to action and direct cooperation with the hierarchical
apostolate, act under the superior direction of the hierarchy, which can
authorize this cooperation, besides, with an explicit mandate.
Organization which, in the judgment of the hierarchy, combine all these
elements should be regarded as Catholic Action, even if they have forms
and names that vary according too the requirements of localities and
peoples.
The council most earnestly commends those institutions which certainly
meet the requirements of the Church's apostolate in many countries; it
invites the priests and laity working in them to develop more and more the
characteristics mentioned above, and always to give brotherly cooperation
in the Church to all other forms of the apostolate.
SPECIAL
COMMENDATION
21. Proper esteem is to be
shown to all associations of the apostolate; those, however, which the
hierarchy has praised, com- mended, or decided to found as more urgent to
meet the needs of times and places, should be valued most by priests,
religious and lay people, and developed each in its own way. And among
these organizations today especially must be numbered the international
associations or societies of Catholics.
22. Worthy of special respect and praise in the Church are the laity,
single or married, who, in a definitive way or for a period, put their
person and their professional competence at the service of institutions
and their activities. It is a great joy to the Church to see growing day
by day the number of lay people who are offering their personal service to
associations and works of the apostolate, whether within the confines of
their own country, or in the international field, or, above all, in the
Catholic communities of the missions and of the young Churches.
Pastors are to welcome these lay persons with joy and gratitude. They will
see to it that their conditions of life satisfies as perfectly as possible
the requirements of justice, equity and charity, chiefly in the matter of
resources necessary for the maintenance of themselves and their families.
They should too be provided with the necessary training and with spiritual
comfort and encouragement.
CHAPTER
V
THE
ORDER TO BE OBSERVED
23. The lay apostolate,
individual or collective, must be set in its true place within the
apostolate of the whole Church. Union with those whom the Holy Spirit has
appointed to rule the Church of God (cf. Acts 20:28) is an essential
element of the Christian apostolate. Not less necessary is collaboration
among the different undertakings of the apostolate; it is the hierarchy's
place to put proper system into this collaboration.
Mutual esteem for all forms of the church's apostolate, and good
coordination, preserving nevertheless the character special to each, are
in fact absolutely necessary for promoting that spirit of unity which will
cause fraternal charity to shine out in the Church's whole apostolate,
common aims to be reached and ruinous rivalries avoided.[1]
This is appropriate most of all when some particular action in the Church
calls for the agreement and apostolic cooperation of both classes of the
clergy, of religious and of the laity.
RELATIONS
WITH THE HIERARCHY
234. The hierarchy's duty is
to favour the lay apostolate, furnish it with principles and spiritual
assistance, direct the exercise of the apostolate to the common good of
the Church, and see to it that doctrine and order are safeguarded.
Yet the lay apostolate allows of different kinds of relations with the
hierarchy, depending on the various forms and objects of this apostolate.
In the Church are to be found, in fact, very many apostolic enterprises
owing their origin to the free choice of the laity and run at their own
discretion. Such enterprises enable the Church, in certain circumstances,
to fulfil her mission more effectively; not seldom, therefore, are they
praised and commended by the hierarchy.[2] But no enterprise must lay
claim to the name "Catholic" if it has not the approval of
legitimate ecclesiastical authority.
Certain types of the lay apostolate are explicitly recognized by the
hierarchy though in different ways.
--- 1. Cf. Pius XI, Encyclical Letter "Quamvis Nostra", 30 April
1936: AAS 28 (1936) pp. 160-161. 2. Cf. Sacred Congregation of the
Council, Resolution "Corrienten.", 13 Nov. 1920: AAS 13 (1921)
pp. 137-140. ---
Ecclesiastical authority, looking to the needs of the common good of the
Church, may also, from among apostolic associations and undertakings
aiming immediately at a spiritual goal, pick out some which it will foster
in a particular way; in these it assumes a special responsibility. And so,
organizing the apostolate differently according to circumstances, the
hierarchy brings into closer conjunction with its own apostolic functions
such-and-such a form of apostolate, without, however, changing the
specific nature of either or the distinction between the two, and
consequently without depriving the laity of their rightful freedom to act
on their own initiative. This act of the hierarchy has received the name
of "mandate" in various ecclesiastical documents.
Finally, the hierarchy entrusts the laity with certain charges more
closely connected with the duties of pastors: in the teaching of Christian
doctrine, for example, in certain liturgical actions, in the care of
souls. In virtue of this mission the laity are fully subject to superior
ecclesiastical control in regard to the exercise of these charges.
As for works and institutions of the temporal order, the duty of the
ecclesiastical hierarchy is the teaching and authentic interpretation of
the moral principles to be followed in this domain. It is also in its
province to judge, after mature reflection and with the help of qualified
persons, of the conformity of such works or institutions with moral
principles, and to pronounce in their regard concerning what is required
for the safeguard and promotion of the values of the supernatural order.
RELATIONS
WITH THE CLERGY AND WITH RELIGIOUS
25. Bishops, parish priests
and other priests of the secular and regular clergy will remember that the
right and duty of exercising the apostolate are common to all the
faithful, whether clerics or lay; and that in the building up of the
church the laity too have parts of their own to play.[3] for this reason
they will work as brothers with the laity in the Church and for the
Church, and will have a special concern for the laity in the apostolic
activities of the latter.[4]
A careful choice will be made of priests with the ability and appropriate
training for helping special forms of the lay apostolate.[5] Those who
take part in this ministry in virtue of a mission
--- 3. Cf. Pius XII, "Ad Il Conventum ex Omnibus Gentibus Laicorum
Apostolatui provehendo", 5 Oct. 1957: AAS 49 (1957) p. 927. 4. Cf.
Dogmatic Constitution "De Ecclesia", chap. IV, no. 37: AAS 57
(1965) pp. 42- 43. 5. Cf. Pius XII, Apostolic Exhortation "Menti
Nostrae", 32 Sept. 1950: AAS 42 (1950) p. 660. ---
received from the hierarchy represent the hierarchy in this pastoral
action of theirs. Ever faithfully attached to the spirit and teaching of
the church they will promote good relations between laity and hierarchy,
they will devote their energies to fostering the spiritual life and the
apostolic sense of the Catholic associations confided to them; their wise
advice will be there to help these along in their enterprises. In constant
dialogue with the laity they will make painstaking search for methods
capable of making apostolic action more fruitful; they will develop the
spirit of unity within the association, and between it and others.
Lastly, religious Brothers and Sisters will hold lay apostolic works in
high regard; and will gladly help in promoting them in accordance with the
spirit and rules of their institute;[6] they will strive to support,
assist and complete the ministrations of the priest.
SPECIAL
COUNCILS
26. In dioceses, as far as
possible, councils should be set up to assist the Church's apostolic work,
whether in the field of evangelization and sanctification or in the fields
of charity, social relations and the rest; the clergy and religious
working with the laity in whatever way proves satisfactory. These councils
can take care of the mutual coordinating of the various lay associations
and undertakings, the autonomy and particular nature of each remaining
untouched.[7]
Such councils should be found too, if possible, at parochial,
interparochial, interdiocesan level, and also on the national and
international plane.[8]
In addition, a special secretariat should be established at the Holy See
for the service and promotion of the lay apostolate.
This secretariat will act as a center which, with the proper equipment,
will supply information about the different apostolic initiatives of the
laity. It will undertake research on the problems arising today in this
domain; and with its advice will assist the hierarchy and laity in the
field of apostolic activities. The various apostolic movements and
institutes of the lay apostolate all over the world over should be
represented in this secretariat. Clerics and religious should also be
there to collaborate with the laity.
COOPERATION
WITH OTHER CHRISTIANS AND NON-CHRISTIANS
--- 6. Cf. Decree "De Accomodata renovatione vitae religiosae",
no. 8. 7. Cf. Benedict XIV, "De Synodo Dioecesana", book III,
chap. IX, no. VII. 8. Cf. Pius XI, Encyclical Letter "Quamvis
Nostra", 30 April 1936: AAS 28 (1936) pp. 160-161. ---
27. The common patrimony of the Gospel and the common duty resulting from
it of bearing a Christian witness make it desirable, and often imperative,
that Catholics cooperate with other Christians, either in activities or in
societies; this collaboration is carried on by individuals and by
ecclesial communities, and at national or international level.[9]
Not seldom also do human values common to all mankind require of
Christians working for apostolic ends that they collaborate with those who
do not profess Christianity but acknowledge these values.
Through this dynamic, yet prudent, cooperation,[10] which is of great
importance in temporal activities, the laity bears witness to Christ the
Saviour or the world, and to the unity of the human family
--- 9. Cf. John XXIII, Encyclical Letter "Mater et Magistra", 15
May 1961: AAS 53 (1961) pp. 456- 457; Cf. Decree " De Oecumenismo",
chap. II, no. 12: AAS 57 (1965) pp. 99-100. 10. Cf. Decree "De
Oecumenismo", chap. II, no. 12: AAS 57 (1965) p. 100; cf. also
Dogmatic Constitution "De Ecclesia", chap. II, no 15: AAS 57
(1965) pp. 19-20. ---
CHAPTER
VI
TRAINING
FOR THE APOSTOLATE
THE
NEED FOR TRAINING
28. A training, at once
many-sided and complete, is indispensable if the apostolate is to attain
full efficacy. This is required, not only by the continuous spiritual and
doctrinal progress of the layman himself, but also by the variety of
circumstances, persons and duties to which he should adapt his activity.
This education to the apostolate must rest on those foundations which the
council has in other places set down and expounded.[1] Not a few types of
apostolate require, besides the education common to all Christians, a
specific and individual training, by reason of the diversity of persons
and circumstances.
PRINCIPLES
OF TRAINING
29. Since the laity
participate in the Church's mission in a way that is their own, their
apostolic training acquires a special character precisely from the
secularity proper to the lay state and from its particular type of
spirituality.
Education for the apostolate presupposes an integral human education
suited to each one's abilities and conditions. for the layman ought to be,
through an intimate knowledge of the contemporary world, a member well
integrated into his own society and its culture.
But in the first place he should learn to accomplish the mission of Christ
and the Church, living by faith in the divine mystery of creation and
redemption, moved by the Holy Spirit who gives life to the People of God
and urges all men to love God the Father, and in him to love the world of
men. This education must be considered the foundation and condition of any
fruitful apostolate.
Besides spiritual formation, solid grounding in doctrine is required: in
theology, ethics and philosophy, at least, proportioned to the age,
condition and abilities of each one. The importance too of a general
culture linked with a practical and technical training is something which
should by no means be overlooked.
If good human relations are to be cultivated, then it is necessary for
genuine human values to stand at a premium, especially the art of living
and working on friendly terms with others and entering into dialogue with
them.
--- 1. Cf. Dogmatic Constitution "De Ecclesia", shaps. II, IV,
V: AAS 57 (1965) pp. 12-21, 37-49; cf also Decree " De Oecumenismo",
nos. 4, 6, 7, 12: AAS 57 (1965) pp. 94, 96, 97, 99, 100; cf. also above,
no. 4. ----
Training for the apostolate cannot consist in theoretical teaching alone;
on that account there is need, right from the start of training, to learn
gradually and prudently to see all things in the light of faith, to judge
and act always in its light, to improve and perfect oneself by working
with others, and in this manner to enter actively into the service of the
Church.[2] Inasmuch as the human person is continuously developing and new
problems are forever arising, this education should be steadily perfected;
it requires an ever more thorough knowledge and a continual adaptation of
action. While meeting all its demands, concern for the unity and integrity
of the human person must be kept always in the foreground, in order to
preserve and intensify its harmony and equilibrium.
In this way the layman actively inserts himself deep into the very reality
of the temporal order and takes his part competently in the work of the
world. At the same time, as a living member and witness of the Church, he
brings its presence and its action into the heart of the temporal
sphere.[3]
THOSE
WHO TRAIN OTHERS FOR THE APOSTOLATE
30. Training for the
apostolate should begin from the very start of a child's education. But it
is more particularly adolescents and youth who should be initiated into
the apostolate and imbued with its spirit. This training should be
continued all through life, to fit them to meet the demands of fresh
duties. It is clear, then, that those with responsibility for Christian
education have also the duty of attending to this apostolic education.
It rests with parents to prepare their children from an early age, within
the family circle, to discern God's love for all men; they will teach them
little by little --- and above all by their example --- to have concern
for their neighbours needs, material and spiritual. The whole family,
accordingly, and its community life should become a kind of apprenticeship
to the apostolate.
Children must be trained, besides, to go beyond the confines of the family
and taken an interest in both ecclesial and temporal communities. Their
integration into the local parish community should succeed in bring them
the awareness of being living, active members of the People of God.
Priests, for their part, should not lose sight of this question of
training for the apostolate when catechizing, preaching and directing
souls, and in other functions of the pastoral ministry.
--- 2. Cf. Pius XII, "Ad I Conferentiam internationalem
'boy-scouts'", 6 June 1952: AAS 44 (1952) pp. 579-580; John XXIII
Encyclical Letter "Mater et Magistra", 15 May 1961: AAS 53
(1961) p. 456. 3. Cf. Dogmatic constitution "De Ecclesia", chap.
IV, no. 33: AAS 57 (1965) p. 39. ---
Schools and colleges and other Catholic educational institutions should
foster in the young a catholic outlook and apostolic action. If the young
do not get this type of education, either because they do not attend these
schools, or for some other reason, all the greater is the responsibility
for it that devolves upon parents, pastoral and apostolic bodies. As for
teachers and educators, who by their calling and position practice an
outstanding form of lay apostolate, adequate learning and a thorough grasp
of pedagogy is a prerequisite to any success in this branch of education.
The various lay groups and associations dedicated to the apostolate or to
any other supernatural end should look after this education to the
apostolate with care and constancy, in ways consistent with their
objectives and limits.[4] Frequently they are the ordinary channel of
adequate apostolic training; doctrinal, spiritual and practical. The
members, gathered in small groups with their companions or friends,
evaluate the methods and results of their apostolic action, and measure
their everyday behaviour by the Gospel.
The training should ,be pursued in such a way as to take account of the
entire range of the lay apostolate, an apostolate that is to be exercised
in all circumstances and in every sector of life --- in the professional
and social sectors especially --- and not confined within the precincts of
the associations. In point of fact, every single lay person should himself
actively undertake his own preparation for the apostolate. Especially for
adults does this hold true; for as the years pass, self-awareness expands
and so allows each one to get a clearer view of the talents with which God
has enriched his life and to bring in better results from the exercise of
the charisms given him by the Holy Spirit for the good of his brothers.
FIELDS
CALLING FOR SPECIALIZED TRAINING
31. Different types of
apostolate require their own appropriate method of training:
(a) the apostolate of evangelization and sanctification: the laity are to
be specially trained for engaging in dialogue with others, believers or
non-believers, their aim being to set the message of Christ before the
eyes of all.[5] but as materialism under various guises is today spreading
far and wide, even among Catholics, the laity should not make only a
careful study of Catholic doctrine, especially points that are called into
question, but should confront materialism of every type with the witness
of evangelical life.
--- 4. Cf. John XXIII, Encyclical letter "Mater et Magistra", 15
May 1961: AAS 53 (1961) p. 455. 5. Cf. Pius XII, Encyclical Letter "Sertum
laetitiae", 1 Nov. 1939: AAS 31 (1939) pp. 635-644; cf. idem.,
"Ad 'Laureati' Act. Cath. It.", 24 May 1953. ---
(b) The Christian renewal of the temporal order: the laity are to be
instructed in the true meaning and value of temporal goods, both in
themselves and in their relation to all the aims of the human person. The
laity should gain experience in the right use of goods and in the
organization of institutions, paying heed always to the common good in the
light of the principles of the Church's moral and social teaching. They
should acquire such a knowledge of social teaching especially, its
principles and conclusions, as will fit them for contributing to the best
of their ability to the progress of that teaching, and for making correct
application of these same principles and conclusions in individual
cases.[6]
(c) works of charity and mercy bear a most striking testimony to Christian
life; therefore, an apostolic training which has as its object the
performance of these works should enable the faithful to learn from very
childhood to sympathize with their brothers, and help them generously when
in need.[7]
AIDS
TO TRAINING
32. Many aids are now at the
disposal of the laity who devote themselves to the apostolate: namely,
sessions, congresses, recollections, retreats, frequent meetings,
conferences, books and periodicals; all these enable them to deepen their
knowledge of holy scripture and Catholic doctrine, nourish the spiritual
life, and become acquainted also with world conditions and discover and
adopt suitable methods.[8]
These educational aids take into account the various types of apostolate
exercised in this or that particular area.
With this end in view higher centres or institutes have been created;
these have already given excellent results.
The Council rejoices at initiatives of this kind now flourishing in
certain regions; it desires to see them take root in other places too,
wherever the need for them makes itself felt.
Moreover, centres of documentation and research should be established, not
only in theology but also in anthropology, psychology, sociology,
methodology, for the benefit of all fields of the
--- 6. Cf. Pius XII "Ad congressum Universalem Foederationis
Juventutis Femininae Catholicae", 18 April 1952: AAS 44 (1952) pp.
414-419; cf. idem., "Ad Associationem Christianam Operariorum Italiae"
(A.C.L.I.), 1 May 1955: AAS 47 (1955) pp. 403-404. 7. Cf. Pius XII,
"Ad Delegatos Conventus Sodalitatum Caritas", 27 April 1952: AAS,
pp. 470-471. 8. Cf. John XXIII, Encyclical Letter "Mater et Magistra",
15 May 1961: AAS 53 (1961) p. 454. ---
apostolate. The purpose of such centres is to create a more favourable
atmosphere for developing the aptitudes of the laity, men and women, young
and old.
EXHORTATION
33. The Council, then, makes
to all the laity an earnest appeal in the Lord to give a willing, noble
and enthusiastic response to the voice of Christ, who at this hour is
summoning them more pressingly, and to the urging of the Holy Spirit. The
younger generation should feel this call to be addressed in a special way
to themselves; they should welcome it eagerly and generously.
It is the Lord himself, by this Council, who is once more inviting all the
laity to unite themselves to him ever more intimately, to consider his
interests as their own (cf. Phil. 2:5), and to join in his mission as
Saviour. It is the Lord who is again sending them into every town and
every place where he himself is to come (cf. Lk. 10:1). He sends them on
the Church's apostolate, an apostolate that is one yet has different forms
and methods, and apostolate that must all the time be adapting itself to
the needs of the moment; he sends them on a apostolate where they are to
show themselves his cooperators doing their full share continually in the
work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord their labour cannot be lost
(cf. Cor. 15:58).
 
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