Lay Life in a Year

52 Reflections on JPII's vision for the Laity

Week 4: Why Do You Stand Here Idle?

“Why do you stand here idle all day?” (Mt. 20:6)

The world needs you. The Church needs you. Christ is calling you. So why do you stand here idle?

Is it because the brokenness of the world feels too overwhelming? Is it because it is easier to spend life doing things we pretend are important rather than face the immensity of our real call? Is it because deep down we are afraid that we are too weak and will fail?

You’re the only one who knows what tempts you to be idle. But the reason doesn’t really matter. Regardless of why, Jesus Christ is looking you in the eyes and telling you to give up a life on the sideline and join Him.

The world is suffering; too many hearts are shattering for you to sit idly by when you have so much to give.

The world needs you. The Church needs you. Christ is calling you. Do you trust Him enough to go?

Lay Life in a Year Overview

  • Read the original: Introduction, No. 3

  • Last week: Real Holiness

  • This week: Why Do You Stand Here Idle?

  • Next week: The Urgent Issue Of Secularism In The World 

Read More Reflections

Week 25 : An Urgent Diagnosis

Imagine you go to a routine check up, and your doctor sits you down: “Look, you need to urgently change some things. In fact, I know you’re already taking some medicine and don’t want to hear this, but as I look at your bloodwork all the fundamental indicators are not...

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Week 24 : Salt of the Earth

I didn’t grow up a Catholic, or even a Christian. So when I would hear my Christian friends say things like “that guy is salt of the earth” I never really understood what it meant or where it came from.  But over time, I began to notice something.  These “salt of the...

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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...

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