Lay Life in a Year

52 Reflections on JPII's vision for the Laity

Week 22 : Responsible for the Church’s Mission

Have you ever told God no?

Moses did. He tried to get out of going to Egypt and came up with all sorts of excuses. Faced with the weight of this responsibility he began to panic:

“Who am I?”

“What do I tell them?”

“Suppose they don’t believe me or listen to me?”

“I am slow of speech and tongue.”

“Send someone else!”

Maybe Moses doesn’t feel relatable, though? Maybe we think, “He had a big mission; I don’t”.

But actually, we do! Each one of us participates in the biggest mission of all—the mission of the Church. John Paul II tells us that the lay faithful share a responsibility for the Church’s mission with ordained ministers and religious.

Each one of us has our own little piece; we all have a part to play. There is a piece that only you can do. And the sooner we give the Lord our yes and take it on with complete abandonment, the sooner the Church benefits.

The Church is waiting for you just as the Israelites waited in Egypt for Moses. Your role matters. Your responsibility matters. The task that God has given to you matters.

And if you don’t do it, who will?

Lay Life in a Year Overview

Read the original: CFL Introduction, No. 15
Last week: Kingly Mission
This week: Responsible for the Church’s Mission
Next week: Our Mission: Transformation of the Secular

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