Here and Now with Francis 4/27/16 (Christ, baptism, laity, clericalism, vocation, Church, gift)

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To look continually at the People of God saves us from certain slogans that are beautiful phrases but which do not succeed in
supporting the life of our communities.

From a message
To look at the Holy People faithful of God and to feel an integral part of them positions us in life and, therefore, in the subjects we address in a different way. This helps us not to fall into reflections that can be very good in themselves but that end up by functionalizing the life of our people or theorizing so much that speculation ends by killing action. To look continually at the People of God saves us from certain slogans that are beautiful phrases but which do not succeed in supporting the life of our communities. [...] To look at the People of God is to remember that we all entered the Church as lay people. The first Sacrament, the one that seals our identity forever and of which we should always be proud is Baptism. By it and with the anointing of the Holy Spirit, (the faithful) are consecrated as spiritual house and holy priesthood (LG) 10). Our first and fundamental consecration sinks its roots in our Baptism. [...] Clericalism. This attitude not only annuls the personality of Christians, but it has a tendency to diminish and devalue the Baptismal grace that the Holy Spirit put in the heart of our people. Clericalism leads to the functionalization of the laity, treating them as “messengers,” restricts different initiatives and efforts and I even dare to say the necessary boldness to be able to take the Good News of the Gospel to all the ambits of the social and especially political endeavor. Far from stimulating the different contributions, proposals, little by little clericalism extinguishes the prophetic fire that the Church is called to witness in the heart of  her peoples. Clericalism forgets that the visibility and sacramentality of the Church belongs to the whole People of God (cf. LG 9-14), and not just to a few chosen and enlightened. [...] Today many of our cities have become real places of survival. Places where the disposable culture seems to be installed and leaves little room for apparent hope. [full text]

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