Joe Heschmeyer writes

I wrote a post yesterday about the proper role of the laity in online

apologetics (it’s here), and it prompted some good discussion. Specifically, this response post, is far more interesting than anything I’d originally written. The crux of the discussion is: “Will a lay-dominated Internet presence harm vocations to the priesthood by making Holy Orders seem irrelevant in the way that Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion did?” I answered a tentative yes, but that it was somewhat unavoidable, given the pastoral demands upon priests; Jess at museologist.org says no, and provides some good examples for how the institutional parts of the Church are staying on top of the digital age. I know you’re a busy man, what with the new grandbaby, but if you get some free time, could you check out at least her post, and let me know what you think?

I would basically agree with Jess. Lay evangelization is complementary to, not in competition with, the ordained office and is as old as the Church. In Acts, it was laypeople (those “scattered” by the persecution of Stephen) who began the evangelization of the Samaritans (Act 8), and so far from regarding this as competition or a diminution of their office, the apostles simply took it as a move of the Spirit and followed up by providing the institutional structure, sacraments, etc. Witness also the joyful cooperation of Priscilla and Aquila with Paul. Likewise Apollos. Proclamation of the gospel is not an exclusively sacerdotal function but is the task of the whole body of Christ. More than this, about the last thing Catholic laity need to be told is to hold back or hestitate to bear witness. They already have plenty of incentives to do that and most are already quite eager to obey Christ’s command “Go and tell no one” (Mark 1:44).

The main issue in lay evangelization is that we lay evangelists speak the truth in love–an ongoing struggle that I, at any rate, do not live up to (though I can think of others who do). You can’t have too many lay evangelists. You can however, have lay evangelists who do their work poorly. For the many times I have done my job poorly, mea culpa! For your fine blog, Joe: Deo gratias!