John Paul II knew pain and suffering. He experienced it personally. His mother and father died when he was young, many of his friends were killed during World War II, and he had to live his vocation in a time of oppression, watching his flock deal with injustice on a...
We have seen that the laity is called to bring Jesus into society. And John Paul II drives home this point by telling us that it is through the lay faithful that the world is introduced to Jesus. We are on the Church’s front lines. Each interaction someone has with...
Last week we looked at Christifideles Laici’s teaching that the laity belong to the Church. But, in the same paragraph, John Paul II quickly goes on to teach us that while we belong to the Church the laity does have a distinct call. We are meant to follow Jesus too,...
Last week we saw that the laity is a source of hope and love. This leads us to paragraph No. 9 of Christifideles Laici and John Paul II’s next teaching that the laity belongs to the Church and is responsible for helping Her to thrive! The laity plays an important and...
The challenges are immense, even overwhelming. Facing the sheer depth of despair, anxiety, helplessness, and fear in the world and in the Church can make us discouraged. Very quickly we begin to hear the lie creep in, “This is all too much. What can you do? You are...
When you look at those who don’t follow Jesus or engage with Catholics who don’t take their Faith seriously, what do you see? Do you see an enemy? A problem to be dealt with? An annoyance to be ignored or side-stepped? Or do you see someone who is secretly miserable,...
