ASIA/INDIA - Deeper understanding of lay spirituality: a necessity for Indian Catholics

Saturday, 28 April 2007

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Bangalore (Agenzia Fides) - In India Catholics need to grow in awareness of the specific spirituality of the laity and their important role in ecclesial life and in the life of the nation. This was affirmed by the Commission for the Laity of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India CBCI in a statement issued at the end of a meeting to discuss the role of lay Catholics in India and the challenges they face. The Commission, formed of 30 members, said that despite indications given by the Second Vatican Council, in India most lay Catholics in the daily life of the Church and society are spectators rather than participants. “The duty of the laity is to transform society by promoting the values of the Gospel and so build a more human and fraternal society”, the Commission writes.
Hence the need for formation to help lay people discover their spirituality and prepare them for pastoral service and ever more incisive Christian witness in society. Not only clergy and religious but also lay people are called to be Christ’s disciples and they have an active part to play in the activity of the Church and in society to build a human community of harmony and solidarity.
The Commission noted however that in recent decades there has been a marked increase in missionary awareness among lay people, especially among India’s young Catholics: a growing number of people opt to devote a few years of their life to missionary activity, leaving a job to get involved in evangelisation, or works of charity or other Church activities. In fact the laity today, small groups, families, individuals, shoulders part of the local Church’s missionary endeavour, centring their life on the Word of God and concern for the poor. One can say that Indian Catholics adults, young people and even children are increasingly aware of the missionary responsibility which comes with baptism and they strive to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with the rest of the world. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 28/4/2007 righe 25 parole 251)