Lay Life in a Year

52 Reflections on JPII's vision for the Laity

Week 23 : Identity and Mission of Lay Christians

Who are you supposed to be and what are you supposed to do?

The answer is really the center of the entire document because it has the potential to change everything about our lives.

John Paul II does not mince words: You cannot be a Christian and live just like everyone else. If we find our way of living Christianity is mostly compatible with modern life, then we are doing it wrong. Baptism sets us apart and makes us different.

But we work, study, live, get married, have friends, and in many ways do the same sorts of things that everyone else does. We still live in the secular world.

But we are not of the world. The lay person lives a “radical newness of life.” And this fact—that we are to live in the world in an entirely different way—is what defines a lay Christian.

But it is not enough that baptism transforms our life. Our presence in the world transforms the secular too! Our “involvement and participation has as its purpose the spreading of the Gospel.”

Everything about our lives should transform the world around us to be more in line with the Gospel. 

John Paul II makes a bold claim: The Kingdom Christ promised comes primarily through the way you live your life. Jesus’ mission, the Church’s mission is YOU.

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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