The important and transforming action of baptism incorporates all who receive the sacrament into the triple anointed role of priest, prophet and king. The Church is very clear that as the laity live out their baptismal identity they share in these important Christological activities of Jesus. Each of the anointed roles highlight the messianic nature of Christ which is shared with the baptized as a way to inform and empower them for their ministry. St. Francis deepens this understanding in his reflection in Admonition V that women and men are created not only in the image of the Divine, but more specifically in the image of Christ “according to body and to His likeness according to the Spirit.” [5] As Christ was and is priest, prophet and king so also are all those created in His image and likeness. The sacrament of baptism enlivens and energizes this image and encourages those who receive it to live up to their birthright. While much can be said about each of these three dimensions it is important to understand them as they are lived out and embraced by women and men in their day to day life.
The figure of the priest evokes the images of sacrifice and mediation. The priest is one who offers sacrifice as a way to worship and thank God for the Divine presence in the world. The priest is also a mediator, one who stands before God and intercedes for people. That is, the priest stands before God in order to ask for pardon, peace and grace. This is the true and proper role of the laity as they participate in the saving mystery of Christ.
Through the daily activities of their Christian lives the laity give praise to God and ask for the Divine to be ever more present in the world. In “worshiping everywhere by their holy actions, the laity consecrate the world itself to God, everywhere offering worship by the holiness of their lives.” [6] The lay person is to both intercede for the world and to recognize that they are part of God’s answer to this plea.
People everywhere seem to be asking where God is in the midst of the problems of the world. As they cooperate with the Divine will the laity form at least one aspect of this response. God is in and works through the laity. The role of priestly mediation is heightened with the understanding of the role of a prophet who is challenged to clearly and boldly speak the word of the Lord – even when it is inconvenient or difficult. The prophet is one who lives two realities at the same time. On one hand, he or she is to be deeply immersed in the Will of God and know it intimately. Only then can the prophet be a willing instrument in transmitting the Divine will to people in a way in which it can be understood and followed.
On the other hand, a prophet is also to be deeply immersed in the currents of human society, to know and understand the struggles and travails of the people to whom she or he is called to minister. The prophet’s challenge is to live vibrantly in this dual reality as a way to participate in the Church’s work of evangelization. For lay people, “this evangelization … acquires a specific property and peculiar efficacy because it is accomplished in the ordinary circumstances of the world.” [7]
The identification of the laity as “king” also brings out the gracious desire of God to share the essence of the divine nature with the women and men who are created in the image and likeness of the Divine. Although the kingship of Jesus is not greatly emphasized in the New Testament [8] one of the most powerful images of Christ in Christian devotion is his representation as King: King of heaven and earth, King of creation and King of history. In part this royal title highlights the Divine authority that was given to Christ, that same authority that is passed on to his followers in order to empower them for their ministry in the world.
Again, the laity are encouraged to exercise this authority in the secular sphere as a way of transforming the world through their witness. As the Catechism states, by uniting their forces let the laity so remedy the institutions and conditions of the world when the latter are an inducement to sin, that these may be conformed to the norms of justice, favoring rather than hindering the practice of virtue. By so doing they will impregnate culture and human works with a moral value. [9] What a tremendous challenge, particularly in the world of the twenty-first century with its incredible potential… and its myriad problems.
