Every job that is not opposed to the divine law is good and noble, and capable of being raised to the supernatural plane, that is, inserted into the constant flow of Love which defines the life of a child of God.[i]
Undoubtedly, for some Catholics, getting a degree in theology is exactly what God wants. Some might be destined for the priesthood or religious life but have not yet discovered their vocation. These people could definitely put advanced theological formation to the service of the Church. There are also those lay people made for academia—like Dr. Scott Hahn—for whom advanced studies in theology are simply a must. Then, there are other lay men and women who thrive as catechists, leading an apostolate or an evangelization effort for their diocese. For them also, advanced theology studies might be of great service to the Church.
However, if the entire body of the laity in the Catholic Church were to dedicate their lives to the academic study of the Faith, then many of us would simply not (have time to) be true to what is specifically asked of us as lay people by the nature of our vocation. The nature of the lay vocation was front and center in the renewal called for and imagined by the fathers of Vatican II.
We are not discouraging the advanced academic study of theology by lay people. It is fundamental that the laity have a relationship with Christ and His Church, through the frequent reception of the sacraments. We also believe that every lay Catholic must be an integral part of a parish and diocesan community, at their service whenever possible. But having a burning passion for the Faith and love for God does not necessarily equate to altering one’s life or career, resulting in turning all lay Catholics into aspiring theologians, catechists, or apologists. We are not disputing every Catholic’s need for continuous formation in the Faith. All Catholics must seek ongoing Faith formation throughout their lives.
Our response to these concerns is to ask “Doesn’t the Church and society also need doctors, lawyers, businesspeople, accountants, nurses, engineers, social workers, communicators, and educators committed to use their professional fields as mission territory?” It is this book’s mission then to propose a more complete vision of an engaged Catholic laity. We need to start thinking differently about the most effective ways in which we can serve God and His Church.
Imagine for a second: What if there were more committed lay Catholics in the professional world? Catholics are already present everywhere from the most remote corners of society all the way up to the highest spheres of power. The Catholic population in the world is now over 1.3 billion! But let’s face it, while we are present virtually everywhere, what we don’t have are enough faithful Catholics.
So often, when lukewarm Catholics have an experience of encounter or re-encounter with Christ, their first instinct is to drop everything to become a full-time minister—hence the growing number of aspiring apologists or theologians in the Church. These lay men’s and women’s hearts and instincts are in the right place. They want to be servant leaders. What hasn’t occurred to some of those discovering or coming back to the Catholic Faith is that our legislative systems, our public healthcare, the mass media, our schools and universities are crying out for more faithful lay Catholic leadership! We are referring to intentional Catholic leadership which is exercised within the bounds of the most secular institutions. Unfortunately, it seems that it has not dawned on the minds of many lay Catholic professionals that there are institutions and places in society that our beloved priests and bishops, precisely because of their vocation and state of life, are not able to influence.
So what does this mean in practice? How does a lay Catholic professional sanctify him or herself by sanctifying the world? Those are some of the questions we’d like to answer for you.
Before moving on to the next section, we ask you to ponder…
- In a world where some doctors and politicians are no longer defending the dignity of all human beings;
- In a world where some teachers, pastors, and even parents are violating the innocence of the children whom God has placed in their care;
- In a world where science continuously defies the perfect designs of God, making the human person a means instead of the end of its work;
- And in a world of frequent mass-shootings and terrorist attacks, in the post COVID-19 world of left/right continuous political antagonism…
Where does a lay Catholic professional have the most potential to support the mission of the Church, influence the culture, and serve the common good? After all, we are not all called to be theologians!
The above chapter comes from the book Catholic Leadership for Civil Society. Listen to the audio version of this chapter, here.
[i] Josemaría Escrivá. Friends of God (London: Scepter, 1981), No. 60.
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