Lay Life in a Year

52 Reflections on JPII's vision for the Laity

Week 5: The Urgent Issue of Secularism

Everyday life is filled with extreme challenges and temptations. Our culture is surrounded by sexual exploitation, unhealthy lies about how to live, and everywhere there is rage, anxiety, and despair.

This is the reality of secularism.

But the laity is called to more than just complaining and hiding away. To be a lay person is to take on the task of bringing Christ to a world that has forgotten all about Him.

Do you realize that you are called to evangelization? That, in a world that has forgotten all about God and His love, it is our responsibility to remind them? Even if it’s uncomfortable or hard. Even if it means being ignored, ostracized, or persecuted.

Jesus wants to send us out on mission everyday to fight the darkness in our culture by bringing Him to our schools, jobs, families, friends, and neighborhoods.

He doesn’t ask us to do this through some perfect program or long-term plan.

He just wants us to remind every person we know that He loves them.

Lay Life in a Year Overview

Read the original: Introduction, No. 4
Last week: Why Do You Stand Here Idle?
This week: The Urgent Issue Of Secularism In The World
Next week: Secularism In The Church

Week 45 – Human Dignity Can Never Be Taken Away!

Dec 8, 2024

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,...

Week 44 – Family, Hope, and A Little Wink

Dec 1, 2024

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...

Week 43 – Evangelizing Ourselves: The Key To Loving God

Nov 24, 2024

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...