Sacramental ministry does not belong only to those who receive holy orders. Each one of us has a sacramental ministry, for we are all priests in virtue of our baptism. Thus we have a responsibility to foster, in our everyday lives, the reverence and hospitality that are marks of sacramental living, as we foster the dignity of each member in the one body. In Becoming the Sign, Kathleen Hughes contends that the “full, conscious and active participation” envisioned by Vatican II does not simply apply to our involvement in the liturgy. Rather, it is a commitment we make to personal involvement in the life of the church and its continuous coming to be in this present age.
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