The Priesthood of the Faithful: A Theology of Hope for the Church

By Edward J. Hahnenberg

With the declining numbers of priests in the Catholic Church, the priesthood of the faithful, as defined in Lumen Gentium of Vatican II, is a sign of hope for the future of the church. But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people set apart. 1 Peter 2:9. Growing numbers of ecclesial lay ministers are helping fulfill the needs of the Body of Christ. This book gives innovative suggestions for an expanded role of the laity in the mission of the Church.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jan 25, 2006
• ISBN: 9781468520385

Edward J. Hahnenberg

Edward J. Hahnenberg is married and the father of eight children.  He taught philosophy, theology, world history, comparative world religions, and creative writing in his forty years as a teacher. He has studied Greek, Hebrew, Latin, and Spanish extensively. He holds a BA in philosophy and an MA in biblical studies. He also holds advanced degrees, an MA and an Ed. S, in education. The Michigan Education Association honored him in 2000 for excellence in curriculum writing. He has authored: “The Religious Cantatas of J.S. Bach,”  “The Evolution of the Belief in the Afterlife in the Old Testament,” and “The Children of the Apostles,” ISBN 1594675570.  

Book preview

Contents

Dedication

Acknowledgements

Introduction

I. The Priesthood

of the Faithful

II. Lay Ministry and Ordained Priesthood

III. The Restored Permanent Diaconate

IV. The Exercise of the Priesthood of the Faithful

V. Priesthood of the Faithful: Sacrificial Aspects of Parenthood in the Education of Children

VI. The Role of Mary in the Priesthood of the Faithful

VII. The Need for an Educated Laity in the Priesthood of the Faithful Regarding Other Christian Religions

VIII. By Your Fruits You Will Know Them

IX. Self-denial

X. Prayer and Thanksgiving

XI. Works of Active Charity

XII. The Eucharist and the Priesthood of the Faithful

XIII. Suggestions for the Future

XIV. Concluding Thoughts

About the Author

Dedication

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I want to recognize the dedication of my mother, who for many years was the church sacristan, who donated of her time to assist in tutoring youngsters in our parish school, and who spent countless hours hand-sewing quilts for parish auction. These ministries, humble though they were, were true Christian ministries of charity. I want also to sing the praises of my wife of thirty-six years, Marlene, who, besides giving birth to nine children and rearing eight from infancy to childhood, was the chief teacher of our children by her selfless daily acts of caring. The Christian ministry of motherhood she exemplifies is in the mold of the Church’s mother Mary.

Edward J. Hahnenberg

Feb. 26, 2006

Acknowledgements

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I would like to recognize the efforts of those who have been instrumental in providing an ever-increasing library of resources on the Internet. I want to refer the reader to http://www.vatican.va/ for the Catholic documents from popes and councils alike. In addition, I referenced selected works which I have quoted by including bibliographical information in the text, thus eliminating footnotes and bibliography. Where scripture is quoted, the source is the NAB (New American Bible) published by several publishers in various editions.

Edward J. Hahnenberg

Introduction

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Although the universal Church of God is constituted of distinct orders of members, still, in spite of the many parts of its holy body, the Church subsists as an integral whole, just as the Apostle says: We are all one in Christ. No difference in office is so great that anyone can be separated, through lowliness, from the head. In the unity of faith and baptism, therefore, our community is undivided. There is a common dignity, as the apostle Peter says in these words: And you are built up as living stones into spiritual houses, a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices which are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. And again: But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people set apart. 1 Peter 2:9.

For all, regenerated in Christ, are made kings by the sign of the cross; they are consecrated priests by the oil of the Holy Spirit, so that beyond the special service of our ministry as priests, all spiritual and mature Christians know that they are a royal race and are sharers in the office of the priesthood. For what is more king-like than to find yourself ruler over your body after having surrendered your soul to God? And what is more priestly than to promise the Lord a pure conscience and to offer him in love unblemished victims on the altar of one’s heart?

The above is read on November 10 each year by all who pray the Liturgy of the Hours, which would include the Pope, bishops, priests, deacons, religious, and many of the faithful.

The author? Pope St. Leo the Great who occupied the papacy from 440-61. A great reformer of rules for the ordination of clerics, Leo was the most influential member of a group who met Attila the Hun and dissuaded him from sacking Rome.

The concept of the priesthood of the faithful and its implications for the Catholic Church is one of the hottest topics discussed in the Church today.

As this book was being written, the American bishops issued, in November, 2005, the document Co-Workers in the Vineyard of the Lord: A Resource for Guiding the Development of Lay Ecclesial Ministry.

In the beginning of the document, the reality of lay ecclesial ministry is recognized:

All of the baptized are called to work toward the transformation of the world.

Most do this by working in the secular realm; some do this by working in the Church and focusing on the building of ecclesial communion, which has among its purposes the transformation of the world. Working in the Church is a path of Christian discipleship to be encouraged by the hierarchy. The possibility that lay persons undertake Church ministries can be grounded in Scripture and the teachings of the Church, from St. Paul, the Second Vatican Council and in more recent documents. Sharing in the function of Christ, priest, prophet and king, the laity have an active part of their own in the life and activity of the church. Their activity within the church communities is so necessary that without it the apostolate of the pastors will frequently be unable to obtain its full effect. (Second Vatican Council, Decree on the Apostolate of the Lay People (Apostolicam Actuositatem) (AA), no. 10)

Today in parishes, schools, Church institutions, and diocesan agencies, laity