The laity and ordained in partnership

But our Church is filled with good, generous and holy people called the "laity." In fact, for the first 100-150 years of our Church history, there were no ordained clergy as we know them. The early Church was led by the laity, the people of God. Many different gifts were recognized among the community members and tapped by the larger community as gifts from God. The sacrament that called one to ministry was Baptism, not Ordination.

In fact, Rev. Edward Shillebeekx, a prominent Church scholar, argues that for the first 1,000 years of our Church history, the ministries of the Church were shared by all its members. It was only in the Middle Ages that the ordained ministry began to absorb all the ministries into itself.

As we enter the third millennium of the Church, perhaps the Holy Spirit is leading us all back to those days when priests and laity were partners in ministry. Each with distinct gifts and tasks, but all called by the Spirit to serve the needs of the sisters and brothers, both in the community and in the world.

As Bishop Howard J. Hubbard has often reminded us, Baptism is the sacrament that calls us all into discipleship. In Baptism, we were made brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ, heirs of the Kingdom of God. At Baptism, we were called to hear God's voice from the heavens: "You are my beloved children. With you I am well pleased."

Since Baptism, we have been invited to grow in faith to be the Body of Christ in our world. As the Body of Christ, we must serve the needs of others rather than look to be served. Feeding the hungry and giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked and visiting the imprisoned, visiting the sick and welcoming the stranger -- when we have done those things for the least of our brothers and sisters, we have done them to and for Jesus Christ.

Every institution needs good order and people to help order the community. It is the task of "ordering" the community that is the primary task of the priest and the pastoral ministers. The priest most clearly orders the community when he presides at the Eucharist. We all gather to worship, to sing and to pray. The priest leads us in prayer. He is not the only one praying.

Might we not make the same connection to ministry? The priest and pastoral ministers can help us put good order into the many ministries of our communities. Priests and pastoral ministers must work collaboratively for the good of the community. The priest is not the only one doing ministry. The tasks are too great. All of our gifts are needed.

We are in both exciting and challenging times for our Church. All of our gifts are necessary to meet the challenges our world and our Church face. Together, we are the Body of Christ. Together, we will be able to walk through the pain, the suffering and even the death that must occur in our day into the new life that is always promised to those who believe. Together, laity and clergy, working in the world and working in the Church, we are one body united in one faith.

(Editor's note: Rev. Christopher DeGiovine is dean of Spiritual Life and chaplain at The College of Saint Rose in Albany. He is also an adjunct faculty member at Saint Bernard's Institute and at Saint Rose.)

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