Are the laity more involved now?

The Second Vatican Council raised important points for the life of the Church in the modern world, and we've been hearing about people's interprations and exegesis about what the Council "really" meant or intended for almost 50 years now. At the heart of most of these discussion is the laity's role in the Church, with debates raging about a wide variety of perceived "goals" of the Council. Really:

We have been obsessed with liturgy, with lay-involvement in parish structures, parish councils, the role of women within the Church, ecumenism, catechesis. All these are important but only of people who are already "churched", and not directly concerned with revealing the face of Christ.

So, if the Vatian Council was all about the laity and our role in the mission of the Church, then... what? Check out this insightful post by Fr. Blake which deals with that essential question: Are more people involved in Church now than fifty years ago?