| This dissertation demonstrates that the overlap between the legitimate, proper and ordinary roles of the lay and the ordained faithful, as revealed by a close examination of the conciliar texts of the Second Vatican Council, is so significant and meaningful for ecclesial life within the Roman Catholic Church (especially the Latin Rite) that it yields a substantial theological foundation for the future development of theologies of the laity. Examining at the outset certain dichotomies sometimes used to set the laity and the ordained apart (spiritual/temporal, or sacred/secular, for example), this study shows these to be untenable when actual lay roles become the object of conscious reflection.;Equal in value to those of the ordained, the laity's essential contributions to ecclesial life justify an end to centuries of negative contrast between the two groups. Practical implications of the theology of the 'overlap' and suggestions for further research are made at the conclusion.;Chapter one surveys various possible meanings of the word 'temporal' and related terms, evident in the theological and pastoral literature of the decades preceding the Second Vatican Council, and compares them with the Council's own view of the 'temporal' as a gift of God, autonomous and useful, and sharing a common destiny with humanity. Chapter two demonstrates the laity's exercise of the priestly office of Christ: as sacramental ministers of marriage (Latin Rite Catholics), as artists enhancing communal worship, and as those who consecrate and offer. Chapter three features the laity's share in the prophetic office of Christ: equipped with the sensus fidei and individual charisms, the laity as individuals (parents, godparents, sponsors, catechists and theologians) and as part of the entire Christian community responsible for initiating new members, powerfully proclaim Christ. Chapter four explores the laity's participation in Christ's royal office: their efforts to promote Christian unity, the mutual help and service of spouses, the governance of parents within the domestic Church, and the pursuit of holiness of life. Chapter five develops a theology of the 'overlap', grounding the lay faithful's dignity, status and value in the Church in the call, consecrations, capacities, offices, gifts of the Holy Spirit, and spiritually significant ecclesial roles which they share with the ordained. |
