"With numerous citations from Pope John Paul II's Christifideles Laici and the 1983 Code of Canon Law, Russell Shaw deftly tackles what Pope John Paul II called the "clericalization of the laity and the laicization of the clergy." Considering that this book was published in 1994, it is understandable that it was unable to incorporate Pope John Paul II's phenomenal 1995 call to embrace the Gospel of Life. It is disappointing, however, that Shaw did not better incorporate the Catechism of the Catholic Church - as further evidence of support for his insights. Be that said, he highlights some fascinating (& seemingly oft overlooked) sections of Canon Law....
"'Can. 212....
§3. According to the knowledge, competence, and prestige which they possess, they [the laity] have the right and even at times the duty to manifest to the sacred pastors their opinion on matters which pertain to the good of the Church and to make their opinion known to the rest of the Christian faithful, without prejudice to the integrity of faith and morals, with reverence toward their pastors, and attentive to common advantage and the dignity of persons." Tragically, it sometimes seems that it's the least informed members of the laity who get the most attentive hearing!
"Shaw expands on some inherent dangers of the "clericalization of the laity": "An authentic lay spirituality must recognize that for the laity, work, family life, and secular activities of all kinds are the raw material of their sanctity. So, for example, the difficulties faced by a married couple in practicing Natural Family Planning out of fidelity to the Church's teaching are not so much 'obstales" to their holiness...but means by which God wills them to become saints....All members of the Church have a grave duty to learn religious truth and participate in the work of imparting it to others" (p. 77 - 80). BEAUTIFULLY SAID! I wish that I said that!
"'As for the laity, their first responsibility is to understand that they have serious obligations in conscience to work on behalf of a social order informed by justice and charity....responsible lay people, well formed in social doctrine, enjoy autonomy in judging and bringing about a social order of this kind....As Vatican II says, "Let the layman not imagine that his pastors are always such experts, that to every problem which arises, however complicated, they can readily give him a concrete solution, or even that such is their mission....enlightened by Christian wisdom and giving close attention to the teaching authority of the Church, let the layman take on his own distinctive role' (Gaudium et Spes, 43)....the apostolate proper to the laity lies in and to the secular world....This point is in danger of being obscured when a spirit of clericalist elitism [Note: Shaw does NOT ascribe such to the clergy in general or to some clergy, exclusively. He sees this as a danger among some lay people.] leasdslarge numbers of lay-peole to seek jobs in the ecclesiastical bureaucracy, in the belief that it is a 'higher' calling than the calling to bring Christian values to bear upon secular professions and jobs" (pp. 87 - 102). "If young people have problems making commitments, ...one reason may be that adults...have failed to tell them that they have personal vocations" (p.210)
"Shaw can become truly provocative: "the 'vocations shortage' is a myth....What is in short supply among Catholics is the awareness that everybody has a vocation....Parishes and Church-related institutions across the United States are pining for more lay involvement and vitality, but hardly anybody talks about 'apostolate' of the laity in and to the world....American who describe themselves as Catholic number about 60 million. Yet who would seriously suggest that authentically Catholic views are reflected in the law...to a degree at all proportionate to the influence one might reasonably expect....lay ministry is only for some; whereas all lay people, without exception, are called to take part in the apostolate in and to the secular world....as Pope John Paul [incredibly] remarks, the great danger comes down to this: 'Being so strongly interested in Church services and tasks that [they] fil to become actively involved in their responsibilities in the professional, social, cultural, and political world' (Christifideles Laici, 2)...." (pp. 135 - 151).
"Shaw absolutely recognizes that the seeds of true renewal lie within the authentic Christian family. While I cannot remember whether it was quoted, Shaw most fervently agrees with Pope John Paul II, in that "The future of humanity passes by way of the family" (Familiaris Consortio).
(See this review on Amazon.com....)
