Discover the Lay Vocation
What does it actually mean to be a lay person in the world? How are we to serve God, His Church, and His world? How are we to reach holiness?
A lot of the answers we hear can be boiled down to one of two misguided views:
Mistake 1: “The laity can just sit back and do the bare minimum. Most of the work is for the bishops, priests, and religious.”
OR
Mistake 2: “The laity needs more authority and power and we really don’t need these bishops and priests telling us what to do.”
The issue? Neither of these takes are what the Church actually teaches. For years, there has been extreme confusion about what it means to be a lay person, which is why Pope St. John Paul II wrote Christifideles Laici.
52 Weekly Reflections
This is his Apostolic Exhortation on the Mission and Vocation of the Lay Faithful and it has gone largely unread! In it, he shows how the lay life is central to God’s plan for the world and how it is meant to lead us to the height of holiness.
The lay life, like priestly and religious life, is designed to make us saints who transform the world and renew the Church.
Here at reCatholic, discovering Christifideles Laici has lit a fire in our hearts and transformed how we live out our lay vocation to help serve Jesus. And we want to make this treasure accessible for you too.
Sign up to discover the lay life in a year as we break open John Paul II’s vision for the laity in 52 short, weekly reflections.
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Read Past Reflections
Week 35: Answering God’s Call—Even in the Small Things
It was a regular Wednesday—sun shining, birds chirping—and there I was: 15 years old, grumbling as I stood over the lawnmower. Mom had asked me to mow the lawn, and like most teenagers, I dragged my feet. The job seemed pointless and hot, and honestly, I’d rather be...
Week 34: Overlooked at the Parish?
Do you ever feel like your dedication to the parish is taken for granted? As we get involved at our local Church, we find disregard more frequently than appreciation as we give our time, talent, and treasure. After pouring in our heart and soul, we are left...
Week 33: From Cranberry Cookies to the Eucharistic Family
We often hear phrases like "family of God" and "a welcoming home." But what do these truly look like in our daily lives? What is their deeper meaning? My grandma ‘s cookies were an acquired taste–cranberries, pecans, and unusual spices. Initially, I didn’t like them...
Week 32: We are the last line…of space heaters?
Last winter, I set up space heaters in the basement. I go down there every so often and it is just so cold. I was determined to heat up the space. Successfully, with 5 space heaters plugged in, I looked around, content with my work...until the breaker tripped and I...
Week 31: Polly Pocket Cruise Ship
When my wife was a kid, there was one year when the only thing she wanted for her birthday was a Polly Pocket cruise ship toy. I recently learned this was the single greatest present any 8 year old girl could get circa 2008. Well, a few weeks later a family friend...
Week 30 : Maybe the Church is just like everything else?
Early in my conversion I was afraid to go to Mass. I was scared I would feel isolated. But when I learned about the Church as the Body of Christ I realized that Catholic community was completely different from the world’s idea of community. So I got up the courage,...