Lay Persons Serving in a Church Community: Actual Ecclesiological Perspectives

Dokumenti Drugoga vatikanskog koncila kažu da na laike spada po njihovu pozivu da da kraljevstvo Božje traže poglavito baveći se vremenitim stvarima i uređujući ih po Bogu. No, zadaća ovoga izlaganja nije bila osvjetljavanje područja i perspektiva kršćanskog angažmana te službi vjernika laika u svijetu, nego u Crkvi - u svjetlu današnjih eklezioloških perspektiva te konkretnih potreba i mogućnosti s kojima se suočava Crkva u Hrvatskoj, a na osobit način mjesna đakovačka i srijemska Crkva. U prvom dijelu izlaganja autor osvjetljava neke elemente ekleziologije Drugoga vatikanskog sabora s obzirom no zadanu temu. Među njima izdvaja osobito temeljnu jednakost svih članova Božjega naroda s obzirom na dostojanstvo i na djelovanje te nejednakost s obzirom na različitost službi unutar istoga poslanja; ekleziologiju zajedništva te međusobnu uzajamnost i nezamjenjivost svake karizme i službe u Crkvi. Pojašnjava crkveni identitet vjernika laika te što znači koncilska tvrdnja da na vjernike laike "po njihovu pozivu spada da traže kraljevstvo Božje baveći se vremenitim stvarima i uređujući ih po Bogu" i da je njima svjetovna narav "vlastita i posebna". U drugom dijelu izlaganja autor u svjetlu izazova i poteškoća naznačuje prostore za službe vjernika laika u župnoj zajednici. Pritom slijedi koncilsku strukturu i zaustavlja se na mogućnostima i potrebarna aktivnog uključivanja vjernika laika kao subjekata crkvenog života na tri područja unutarcrkvenog života i djelovanja (naviještanje, liturgija i služenje).The documents of the Second Vatican Council affirm that it is a vocation of a lay person to search for the Kingdom of God taking core, in the first place, of their timely duties and things, ordering them as God commands. The purpose of this exposition is not to clarify the area and the perspective of the engagement of Christians or lay persons\u27 activities in the world, but to clarify the perspective of their engagement within the Church - in the light of present ecclesiological perspectives, as well as in the light of the actual needs and possibilities that Croatian Church, and in a particular way the local Church of Đakovo and Srijem has been brought face to face with. In the first part of the exposition the author clarifies some elements of the ecclesiology of the Second Vatican Council that treat the given subject. He singles out the fundamental equality of all the members of God\u27s people when it comes to dignity and acting, and inequality regarding the distinction of the ministries within the same vocation; the ecclesiology of togetherness and mutual reciprocity as well as the irreplaceability of each and every charisma and ministry within the Church. He also explains the ecclesiastic identity of lay believers and what the Council mean by saying that "according to their vocation lay believers should search for the Kingdom of God dealing with timely things, ordering them as God commands" and that their secular nature is individual and special. In the second part, in the light of challenges and dfficutties, the author denotes the space for lay believers\u27 services inside a parish community. Then he follows the Cotrncil structure, stopping at the possibilities and requiremenls for the active participation of lay believers in the life of the Church, especially in the three areas of ecclesiastic life and activities (evangelisation, liturgy and ministering)