Lumen Gentium is the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, as promulgated by the Second Vatican Council, about half a century ago, in 1964 (Weinandy). According to Lumen Gentium Jesus has shared his threefold office, that of Priest, King and Prophet, with the Church and Catholic lay men and women, once the latter get baptized and confirmed (Weinandy). Taking into account that Jesus sanctifies, governs and teaches, one can understand the perceived role of priests, kings and prophets respectively. Analyzing Jesus’ threefold offices, the role of each will become apparent.
Jesus is a priest mainly due to His sacrifice in order to save mankind from their sins, and also for becoming the bridge between God and man (Hoffman). As the Great High Priest, Jesus has offered Himself to an ultimate sacrifice to the Father God, and managed to conquer sin, defeat death with His resurrection, and sanctify people that believe “with the resurrected life of the Holy Spirit” (Hoffman). People that bear the priestly role of Jesus work and live according to the Catholic teachings (Weinandy). Their prayers, works, married and family life, spiritual and physical relaxation, daily routines and secular life, apostolic undertakings, and hardships, if patiently borne, are considered sacrifices that God appreciates, via His son (Weinandy). It is believed that the aforementioned sacrifices and specific areas of life, hence part of priestly roles, can be sanctified by lay men and women. For example, secular life and married life are the responsibility of lay men and women, rather than Catholic priests and bishops, who have no actual authority to sanctify these experiences (Weinandy).
For example, a Catholic lay college student can bring holiness into his relationships, sanctifying his teachers, fellow students, and practically anyone else he/she associates and interact with, through his/her prayers and a number of other loving and good deeds that will become the beacon of what each one’s priestly role is all about. It does not matter if others are Christians or not. Once a Catholic lay man or woman exercises their priestly role, they contribute to other people’s holiness. Of course, where is good, there is evil too. For that reason, the Catholic lay college student of the example mentioned here, can use his/her priestly authority to banish evil from wherever he/she circulates and lives, via prayer in the name of Jesus (Weinandy). Sanctification also comes within the family, from parents and spouses, who are given the priestly power and authority through the sacrament of marriage. With love and nurture, patience and forgiveness, spouses sanctify one another. Indicatively, St. Paul mentions that a husband should sacrifice his life to help his family, wife and children, reach holiness (Weinandy). Parents, on the other hand, are the ones responsible for their offspring’s sanctification. Parents can teach their children to pray, but also need to pray with them and for them, bless them just like a priest would do, and bless them and their house with holly water, casting evil out of their premises and family, exactly as priests do (Weinandy). So, a priest’s role comes with both responsibilities and authorities, which are applied to both Catholic priests and Catholic lay men and women alike, on their majority.
Jesus’ second office is that of a prophet. His teachings and future predictions put Jesus in a prophetic role. It is mentioned in the Lumen Gentium that God’s prophetic word is proclaimed with the Eucharistic celebration, by priests and bishops (Weinandy). But, lay men and women can also teach, meaning to speak prophetic words to other people. They can apply their prophetic role in their workplace, their family and their community, while they can also participate, for that reason, in mind-expanding conversations with people they interact, one way or another, wherever they are (Hoffman). It is something that priests and bishops cannot do, because they exercise their prophetic authority in liturgical setting, where people attending are already like-minders, as members of the Church. Catholic lay men and women, as prophets, need to contact those that do not believe in Jesus, or those who claim to be agnostics. Lumen Gentium states that Jesus’ proclamation by word and life testimony “acquires a specific property and peculiar efficacy because it is accomplished in the ordinary circumstances of the world”. (35) Prophets need to have faith in Gospel’s truth and be ready to teach that faith to others. For that reason, an individual with the prophetic authority needs not be taken aback by what other people’s possible opinions or potential rejection, but stand forward stating the truth as it lies within the scripts of the Catholic Church. Married and family life are also significant in exercising one’s prophetic role, as married partners must be witnesses to Jesus’ love and faith to both their offspring(s) and one another and educate their children in faith (Lumen Gentium 35). Finally, the Jesus’ prophetic office can be exercises in the workplace, by Christian lay men and women, who are called to speak of the Gospel with kindness and knowledge ability, besides any shyness (Weinandy).
The last and third office of Jesus is that of a king. He is considered a king because He carries all the duties and responsibilities of a king, meaning that as a legislator, judge and executor (Hoffman). Christ’s kingship, part of which is the Church, is governed by the Pope and bishops, of course, in union with the Pope. But the governance of the Church can also be shared with lay men and women, through their other two aforementioned authorities. Again, family life is under the spotlight. Parents, via their parental role, exercise their priestly and prophetic authorities within their families, and empowered with the Gospel teachings both themselves and their children can sanctify (Weinandy). Living with Christian principles, family life is properly ordered; yet, it is challenging most of times, as obedience within the family structure must be mutual (Weinandy). A common mistake fathers do is to give up their parental role to their wives, which has negative effects to children. It is considered the father’s responsibility to teach his son about honesty, integrity and how to live as good Christians, respecting all women and living with just (Weinandy). Fathers also need to show their fatherly love to their daughters and inspire the fatherly protection, as part of the fatherly governance (Weinandy).
Family governance is not an easy task. It takes a great deal of patience, wisdom and courage to manage to govern the family, especially in recent days that are considered to represent a non-Christian environment for most community members (Weinandy). A king’s role as demonstrated in the Lumen Gentium involves the ability for right governance and ordering of society, according to God’s will as passed on with the Catholic teachings and the Gospel of Jesus Christ (31). It is believed that in today’s word, Catholic Christians live in a corrupted world and are involved in a cultural war, whose outcome depends on how each lay man and lay woman choses their battles and how they engage in it. The conflict is perceived unavoidable, and as kings all the Catholic body, priests and lay men/women alike, must fight their battle to defend Jesus Christ’s teachings (Weinandy). What Catholics are taught to do is strive to make the world safer for those in need: the sick, the unborn, the dying, and the elderly, and make sure that both technology and science are governed by God’s principles (Weinandy). With the three offices of Jesus, as they have been passed on to the Catholic priests, bishops and lay men and women, honor and respect should be applied, and the world should live with dignity, since every individual is perceived as the image and likeliness of God (Weinandy). For that reason, the core of every society, the family, needs to be untouched by the trends that threatened its significance and role as intended by God when He created men and women (Wanandy). Lumen Gentium states that “through the members of the Church, will Christ increasingly illuminate the whole of human society with His saving light”. (36)
Works Cited:
Hoffman, Rocky (2011). “Priest, prophet, king”. Catholic News Agency. Web. Dec. 11, 2013 <http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/column.php?n=1803>
Weinandy, Thomas (2006). “The Catholic Laity: Priests, Prophets and Kings: Address to Catholic students and laity at Furman College, Greenville, South Carolina”. Voices Online Edition -- Vol. XXI No. 3. Web. Dec. 12, 2013 < http://www.wf-f.org/06-3CatholicLaity.html>
Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (1964). “Lumen Gentium: Solemnly Promulgated by His Holiness, Pope Paul VI”. Web. Dec. 11, 2013 < http://www.wf-f.org/LumenGentium.html>
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