Lay Life in a Year

52 Reflections on JPII's vision for the Laity

Week 42 – The Missing Piece to Passing on the Faith

There have been times when I’ve tried so hard to share my faith but felt like I was missing something.

I wasn’t sure where I was going wrong until I had a conversation with my older sister. She helped me see that I wanted to follow God, but I wasn’t giving it my all—I wasn’t running after Jesus with my whole heart. 

That’s when everything started to click.

In Christifideles Laici , Pope John Paul II shares an important message: if we want to share our faith with others, we first need to let Jesus into every part of our own lives.

We have to take responsibility for how we respond to God’s call. That doesn’t mean we do it all on our own—it’s God’s grace that helps us —but we do have to say “Yes” and take action by following Him.

It’s not just about doing religious practices or learning facts—it’s about encountering Jesus and doing what He asks of us…making the choice to follow Him every day. It’s kind of like my sister encouraged me to do—respond to God’s call with your whole heart.

And starting small is okay! Praying a few minutes here and there, living out a life of service with the parish, and bringing the Faith back into the home by talking about our deep love for Christ.

When we take that step to follow Jesus, others will see how being close to God makes a difference in our lives and will be inspired to do the same.

Slowly, we’ll start transforming our families, our friends, and even our communities—all because we’ve said Yes to Jesus.

When we live our faith authentically—personally— the Church gets stronger, and the fire of the Holy Spirit spreads like wildfire, inflaming everyone around us!

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Week 41 – This Is The Moment for Re-Evangelization!

Pope Benedict XVI tells a story about a clown who runs into a village, crying out that the circus is on fire. He jumps, shouts, and pleads for help—but the more he yells, the more they laugh. They can’t see beyond his costume, so they ignore him. Then comes the punch...

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Week 40 – Every Disciple Is Called By Name

This week I want to do something a little different. We’ve talked A LOT about being called. We’ve said that the laity is called to: the universal call to holiness evangelize and sanctify the secular participate in our parish and help build up the Church But if we...

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Week 39 – The Mission of the Church

I think we've all been there—sitting through a homily when the "mission appeal" part comes up. Our minds drift, we hear the familiar phrases—“mission,” “help the poor,” “time, talent, treasure,” “spread the faith…” —and yet sometimes, it feels like the message gets...

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