Page 1 of 6

WEEK 1
TOPIC/ CONTENT
Introduction and Etymology of the word “Laity”
 The Lay Faithful
 Foundation of the Lay Apostolate
 The Apostolate of the Laity
 Ordained Ministries
 Pope
 Bishop
 Priest/Religious
LEARNING OUTCOME/ OBJECTIVE
 Define “Laity”
 Explain the Challenges of the Church for each Layperson
 The Apostolate or Mission of the Laity
 Explain and Understand the Four Truths of the Identity of Laymen
 Explain and understand the obligation of each lay person in
leading a profound Christian life.

THE LAITY AND THE CHRISTIAN FAMILY

 The Laity are the class of people lower than the Clergy or the priests.
They are the followers of a religion who are not a clergy. (cf. Encarta
Dictionaries 2009)

ORIGINS OF THE WORD “LAITY” (cf. The Filipino Laity: Called to be

Holy)
 The “Layman” (Laikos) is not a scriptural word which means
“people of God” occurs frequently in the Bible. The word “Laikos”

THEOLOGY 8: THE LAITY AND THE CHRISTIAN FAMILY

INSTRUCTOR: PAUL JOHN STEEVE B. ACOBA
 Page 2 of 6
came from the Greco-roman usage, meaning “a member of the
people, but is not its head.”
 In Greek translations of the Old Testament, “Laikos” also meant no-
consecrated, i.e., not dedicated to God with a view to divine service.
 But according to Pope Clement of Rome, “Laikos” means “that part
of the people which is neither priestly nor levitical… the non-piestly,
non-levitical element among the holy people.”
 The word Schillebeeckx concludes that the primitive Church,
“Layman” meant
a) A member of the people of God
b) Distinct from the hierarchy within the community, and
c) Having a definite relation to the profane world.
 But according to art. 31 of Lumen Gentium, the term “Laity” is here
understood to mean all the faithful except those in holy orders and
those in a religious state sanctioned by the Church. They are, by
virtue of Baptism, made one body with Christ and are established
among the people of God. They share the priestly, prophetic and
kingly functions of Christ.
 The Laity, by their very vocation seek the kingdom of God by
engaging in temporal affairs and by ordering them according to the
plan of God. . . They live in the ordinary circumstances of family and
social life, from which the very web of their existence is woven.

THE COMMUNITY OF DISCIPLES: WORKERS O

F RENEWAL
The call to discipleship is a vocation to commission and mission.
1. Vocation – a calling to a particular career or occupation, especially
to a religious life; a sense of fitness for a particular career.

THEOLOGY 8: THE LAITY AND THE CHRISTIAN FAMILY

INSTRUCTOR: PAUL JOHN STEEVE B. ACOBA
 Page 3 of 6
2. Commission – authority of act; a body of people appointed for a
specified duty.
3. Mission – a group of people sent by a church to carry out a special
duty or task.
 Discipleship therefore is a special calling of group of people either
possessing a particular career or occupation in the religious life or
secular life. These people are called to union of love with God and with
one another. In order words, all, without exception, are called to
holiness, the perfection of charity, though all not do pursue the same
path to holiness. In other words, all, without exception, are called to
evangelize.

THE APOSTOLATE OF THE LAITY

 “For this the Church was founded: that by spreading the Kingdom
of Christ everywhere for the glory of God the Father, she might
bring all men to share in Christ’s saving redemption; and that
through them the whole world might in actual fact be brought into
relationship with Him.” All activity of the mystical body directed to
the attainment of this goal is called the “apostolate”.
 Apostolate is a participation in the execution of the total mission of
the Church: the mission to bring men and the world itself to God;
you are sent by Christ just as Christ was sent by the Father.
Apostolate is synonymous with mission.
 As laity or the chosen people of God, “the first value is not
organization, mediatorial functions, or authority, but the Christian
life itself and being a disciple.”
 The Christian life itself is the laity’s basic title to the apostolate. By
its very nature the Christian vocation is also a vocation to the
apostolate. It also exists in virtue of that life which flows from Christ
THEOLOGY 8: THE LAITY AND THE CHRISTIAN FAMILY
INSTRUCTOR: PAUL JOHN STEEVE B. ACOBA
 Page 4 of 6
into His members. “Whoever they are, they are called upon, as
living members, to extend all their energy for the growth of the
Church and its continuous sanctification.”
 Since the laity is send into an apostolate or mission, “This sending
by the Lord means that it is the Lord who continues his saving work
through them and hence they must remain in constant union with
the Lord.”
 For Laymen, engagement in the business of this world is a God-
chosen locus (place) of encounter with God and God-chosen field of
the apostolate. It is the layman’s seeking and promotion of God’s
kingdom by his full engagement in secular affairs which
distinguishes him from those in holy orders and religious.
 But whether they carry out the Church’s mission in the Church or in
the world, in the spiritual or temporal sphere, the laymen’s
apostolate, if it is to be fruitful must be animated by love. Love is the
soul of the apostolate. The Church comes forth from the eternal
Father’s love and is founded on the Redeemer’s love.

SOME PASTORAL IMPLICATIONS FOR THE LAITY

1) Acknowledge the dignity of layman, his Christian Dignity.
2) Allow and encourage in lay people a responsible exercise of their
God-given freedom: Freedom of thought and Inquiry, Freedom of
Speech and Freedom of Action. There are profound theological
reasons for confidence that the layman will use his gifts for the
promotion of the kingdom. Let us name only three:
a) The Layman is sent by Christ as Christ was sent by the Father
b) It is Christ who continues to exercise through the layman his
three-fold messianic office.

THEOLOGY 8: THE LAITY AND THE CHRISTIAN FAMILY

INSTRUCTOR: PAUL JOHN STEEVE B. ACOBA
 Page 5 of 6
c) The Layman has received the Spirit and his gifts, and is led by
his same spirit
3) Challenge Laymen! Point out to them that bishops and the clergy
have not been called to bear alone the mission of the Church. Tell
them that the universal sacrament of salvation is not alone the
Church as institution but the Church as the People of God, which
they constitute. Explain to them the spiritual motherhood of
Christian community that Presbyterorum Ordinis talks about.
Explain to them their share in Christ’s triple messianic office of
priest, prophet and king. Challenge them to find out their own
charism which entitles and obliges them to participate in the mission
of the Church. Point out to them what it means to belong to a
messianic people.
4) Teach the people “the principles concerning the purpose of creation
and the use of temporal things” so that “all the earthly activities of
the faithful will be bathed in the light of the gospel” and make
available the moral and spiritual aids by which the temporal order
can be restored in Christ.
5) Bring home with emphasis these four truths:
a) The profoundly apostolic value of a genuine Christian life: “Let
all realize that their first and most important obligation toward
the spread of the faith is: to lead a profoundly Christian life. The
main duty of lay people is “the witness they are bound to bear to
Christ by their life and words, in the home, in their social group,
and in their own professional circle.”
b) The task of restoring and transforming the temporal order is a
Christian task, and is a genuinely apostolic work. In fact, this is
the laity’s special obligation and the “Gospel cannot be deeply
imprinted on the talents, life and work of any people without the
THEOLOGY 8: THE LAITY AND THE CHRISTIAN FAMILY
INSTRUCTOR: PAUL JOHN STEEVE B. ACOBA
 Page 6 of 6
active presence of laymen.” Hence, the apostolate is not simply
spiritual cooperation with the clergy or direct evangelization, but
every good work done by individuals and groups in the spirit of
faith, hope and charity.
c) Only God knows a man’s real apostolic effectiveness. And things
be done or suffered in silence can have world-wide repercussions.
d) Show a good example to the people. The council reminds pastors
that “by the daily conduct and concern they are revealing the face
of the Church to the world.” Specifically, the faithful have a right
to expect that you show justice and charity in the ordering of your
won temporal affairs and that in your actuations it should be
evident that you are no interested in simply preserving the
institution or your own powers, but are genuinely motivated by
love to spread the faith.

THEOLOGY 8: THE LAITY AND THE CHRISTIAN FAMILY

INSTRUCTOR: PAUL JOHN STEEVE B. ACOBA