Lay Life in a Year

52 Reflections on JPII's vision for the Laity

Week 16: Temples of the Spirit

Have you ever lost your keys and ended up searching all over the place? Maybe you even look in the same drawer two or three times? You know they’re around, but they just don’t seem to be anywhere.

Well, sometimes this is how it is with God too.

We know He is everywhere. We know that because of Confirmation and Baptism, He is even in our souls. But we don’t always experience it. It can often feel like God is a stranger in our souls. We don’t hear Him. We don’t see Him. We don’t always even feel Him.

It can be hard to admit, but searching for the Lord is tough. And, just like checking the same cabinet over and over again to find the keys, looking for God in our souls can feel pointless, or even like a waste of time. So sometimes, we even stop looking.

But Jesus tells us that “the one who seeks, finds” (Mt. 7:8). Do we really believe Him? Are we prepared to keep looking for Him even when we can’t seem to find anything? Living with faith isn’t about things feeling good, or getting immediate results. It’s about seeking even when it feels pointless. It’s about trusting even when it seems hopeless.

Constantly searching for the Lord in our hearts and in our lives can be grueling. But sometimes, even though you’ve already checked the drawer a thousand times, you look again and find the keys sitting there ready to be grasped. ​

Lay Life in a Year Overview

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Week 45 – Human Dignity Can Never Be Taken Away!

A couple of weeks ago, I went on a pilgrimage to Rome, unsure what I was looking for—peace, clarity, maybe both. But as God often does, He surprised me. I met a priest who shared something that cut through the noise of life: no matter what divides us—politics,...

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Week 44 – Family, Hope, and A Little Wink

My dad was the youngest of seven, so our family celebrations were raucous. Aunts, uncles, cousins, and even random neighbors piled up around the dinner table, and everyone talked—loudly . As the youngest with the smallest voice, I often felt overlooked. The...

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Week 43 – Evangelizing Ourselves: The Key To Loving God

Going on a mission trip is deeply impactful. I remember years ago, when I was much younger, my home parish took a trip to Eastern Kentucky to serve the poor. It was eye opening in ways that I could have never anticipated. Yet, while the trip changed me, it didn’t...

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