According to the Second Vatican Council, as Christians are “united in Christ” through baptism, then we take part in Christ’s threefold mission: priestly, prophetic and kingly (cf. Lumen Gentium, no. 34-36).
The lay faithful take part in the priestly mission of Christ. For this reason they are called to offer spiritual worship to God and all that comes from a life of true holiness. “For all their works, prayers and apostolic endeavours, their ordinary married and family life, their daily occupations, their physical and mental relaxation, if carried out in the Spirit, and even the hardships of life, if patiently borne – all these become ‘spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ’ (cf. 1Pet 2:5). Together with the offering of the Lord's body, they are most fittingly offered in the celebration of the Eucharist” (Lumen Gentium, no. 34). For most lay people, the priestly and doxological dimension, which is an expression of the common priesthood of the whole people of God, is a treasure that has yet to be discovered. We must always remember, however, that between the common priesthood of the baptised and the ministerial priesthood, there is a difference in essence and not only in degree (cf. Lumen Gentium, no. 10). Therefore, we must avoid any kind of confusion in ecclesial practice.
As the lay faithful take part in the prophetic mission of Christ, they are called to proclaim the Gospel by word and witness of life. “This evangelization [...] takes on a specific quality and a special force in that it is carried out in the ordinary surroundings of the world” (Lumen Gentium, no. 35). The laity should not forget that if they are to be true announcers of God’s word, then they must be listeners first. True Christian proclamation comes through prayer, meditation and the study of Sacred Scripture. Those who are bearers of the word of God must remember that they are not its owners but its humble servants. The Church today is called to the new evangelisation, and there is a need for lay apostles who are seen to be courageous heralds of the Gospel. This means that we must ask the question: how can we awaken and activate the enormous missionary potential of the laity? It is so often hidden and dormant.
The laity partake in Christ’s kingly mission and are called to build up the Kingdom of God within themselves and in the world around them. They do this by fulfilling their vocation as lay people. This means that they work like leavening in the dough to permeate the world with the spirit of the Gospel. This obviously involves constant combat against the forces of evil, the “structures of sin”. Vatican II tells us: “let the laity also by their combined efforts remedy the customs and conditions of the world, if they are an inducement to sin, so that they all may be conformed to the norms of justice and may favour the practice of virtue rather than hinder it. By so doing they will imbue culture and human activity with genuine moral values” (Lumen Gentium, no. 36). Christians must be at the vanguard in advancing human dignity and defending the inalienable rights of all human beings.
