Mary Thorne says that lay people must claim ministry as a gospel response.

We have to take care with language. It is sometimes inadequate to convey the finer nuances of meaning and we can get things wrong. With this in mind, thinking about lay ministry, I double-checked the definitions of the words I was pondering.

Minister (noun) is a person employed in the execution of some purpose, especially pertaining to the institutions of state or Church. This is a leadership or governance role.

Ministry (noun) is the body of ministers of government or religion.

Minister (verb) is to render aid or service, especially in a situation of sickness or need.

Even in the dictionary, the challenge of that paradoxical servant leadership is there, as it seems to be at the nub of many of our current troubling issues. Could that pernicious dis-order of clericalism have crept into our thinking and language about the work we do?

Structures No Longer Supportive

Years ago, a Dominican sister helped me view the institutional Church differently. She reminded me that all human organisations have a structure. If I was planting a kiwifruit orchard, my first tasks would be to plant shelter and build the supportive framework that the vines would grow on. The frames are required to ensure sound fruit but they are not the important thing — the important component is the fruit-bearing vine. All people in the Church are the people of God. We are the branches receiving life from the deep roots of divine energy. Roles undertaken within the liturgical and pastoral realms of Church life are called ministry (recognised and valued) and all healing, caring, sustaining work carried out in the world is classified as service. Our supportive structure is outdated, worm-eaten and falling apart but in the world, God’s people, clergy and laity are needed as never before.

Vatican II Vision of People of God

The notion of the laity participating in ministry in the Catholic Church was inconceivable until the late 1960s. In the heady days following Vatican II there was great excitement among many lay members of the Church that more equal status would be achieved between clergy and lay people. The image of the Church as the People of God fired the imaginations of lay women and men and they were eager to participate alongside priests, in meaningful ways. Lay people moved from being passive recipients to active contributors. Indeed, lay people now fill very many roles at parish, diocesan and national levels. Their work, paid and voluntary, is massive and ensures the ongoing life of the Church.

The fact remains, however, that final decision-making authority remains the preserve of the ordained and the involvement of lay people often depends on the goodwill of the clergy. Diocesan and parish pastoral councils exist as advisory bodies only and it is not unknown that they receive the response: “I am the parish priest and I won’t consider that.” The original enthusiasm and energy seem to have diminished and some feel disheartened.

Who Is Ministering?

We can examine our language more closely. The lay people who prayerfully prepare and proclaim the Word and share the bread and wine of Eucharist with reverence and dignity perform ministries. Is the quiet parishioner down the back, who is caring for their spouse on the cancer journey and nearing the end, ministering? Yes, I think so.

The young mum and her team who prepare children and their families to participate in the sacramental life of the community?

Yes, definitely ministry.

The woman in whose home the children on the street gather after school because there’s always a snack and a listening ear for worries and problems? Yes, surely, an important ministry.

The faithful priest who draws on every scrap of creative energy to communicate the depth, power and beauty of this particular piece of Scripture to his congregation? Ministry.

The parishioner who hears, goes home and tries again to bring some warmth and kindness into a marriage which has become cold and distant? Ministry? Yes, I think so.

What about the elderly woman who walks with her old dog around her area every morning, always with a bag to collect litter which she recycles and disposes of appropriately? Or the friend who goes out in the heat of the day to pick flowers from her garden and travels by train to take them to her elderly friend in hospital waiting for hip surgery? She hoped that with the flowers they could take an imaginary walk around the garden. The tradesman who gives a youth a chance at employment which may lead to apprenticeship? The environmentalist who pleads with an insatiable society to be aware? All these show the world the love of God.

All Are Called

We the People of God, all of us, were sent out by Jesus, whom we follow, to continue his work across the face of the Earth. It was a reconciling, restoring, justice-bringing work. There are some lovely word pictures that help us understand. We are to be the yeast that causes the dough to rise and be delicious. We are to be the salt in the porridge that makes it edible. We are to be like light in a dark place so we can all see. We are to be people who loved greatly.

Regaining Our Focus

To enable us to carry out this work, to replenish our energy and joy, we must gather and recall the stories that are our story and share the bread that is Life for us. This seems to be where we’ve got things a bit wrong. Instead of gathering to build up the body to go out and do the work, we’ve allowed the gathering to become just about building up the body. Building up the body for its own sake becomes about the magnificence of the body. It becomes a spectacle and the work becomes a secondary or even a forgotten thing.

There seems to me to be no doubt that we need to achieve a healthy balance between the ecclesial and the lay parts of our Church. We have become introverted and the sacred/secular divide has become almost un-navigable. Perhaps I exaggerate, but sometimes who says what, or who sits or stands where, seems to absorb more energy than the fact our Earth is burning.

There is an effective parenting strategy which advises not to buy into the nonsense. The institutional Church will either renew or die. With all my energy I send aroha to Pope Francis and thank God for this voice which gives hope but there is other work that cries out to be done. There are other lay and ecclesial voices which speak a renewed language to articulate an original vision of God’s people as a community of mutual respect and kindness, with courage to address our own failings, and a commitment to our big work.

In 2019, God’s people are an adult people. We are ready, willing and able to do God’s work in a world beset by crises. For us, MINISTER is a verb. God has no favourites, we are diverse beyond imagining but we are equal and we know without a shadow of a doubt, that we must minister first to the most broken and vulnerable and distressed, no matter what the cost to status or reputation.

Tui Motu Magazine. Issue 236 April 2019: 4-5