Nihal Abeyasingha

Laity Nihal Abeyasingha

Too many chiefs and not enough Indians is a saying that refers to a situation with too many managers and not enough people to do the work. And perhaps this may be the situation in a church that has come to be too dependent on priests both for their sacramental as well as administrative functions. Sometimes the latter function takes more time and energy than the former. The vocation of both the ordained minister and the lay person derives from Christ, who has called each by name. The first person called to bear witness to the resurrect ion was the woman who came to the tomb. On her message, the apostles ran to the tomb and later awaited his appearances to them. A study of the role of lay people in the church through history underlines their importance in the spreading of the gospel. Perhaps the best known case is the Church in Korea where the laity has been present and active from the very origin of the Church in the country. With the present shortage of priests, the present author raises the question whether in the context of history, this is the hour for the laity to play the role of priest, prophet and king, to which they have been consecrated at baptism. Formation at several levels - human, spiritual, pastoral, social - can be provided. But they are the ground troops, who will ultimately ensure victory for the Kingdom of Christ.