HopE
The Lay Commitment
“See, I place my words in your mouth! This day I set you over nations and over kingdoms; to root up and to tear down, to destroy and to demolish, to build and to plant.”
Jesus speaks these words to Jeremiah, the same way He calls upon us, His beloved people to fulfill the same mission—live a life of holiness through faith hope and charity, by being witnesses to Christ’s truth, by evangelization and by service to others.
The call to Jeremiah is a vivid example of the fact that nobody is excepted from receiving a mission from the Lord, we may be young, innocent of the real colors of the world, but we are still called to celebrate the Glory of God by doing good, following God’s will, preaching His Word, actively participating the Mass, and serve our fellow beings.
The lay commitment is living with an understanding that all of us have a part in spreading the love God has given the Catholic Faith. There has been a common misconception that only the faithful who choose to get in Holy Orders and Religious state are obliged to be bearers of the mission God has entrusted to the Church.
Let us realize that when we live more and more our vocation and mission in the Church and in the world, the ordained will likewise discover the meaning of their own vocation and mission.
If the laity and the clergy discover such a wonderful realization, we can all attain a deeper acceptance of our mission and calling in this life.
All the works of the laity may it be secular or religious, whether it concerns work or family, social activities or personal needs, governance or reforms, charity or for self satisfaction, are ways of sharing in the three-point mission of the Church, thus we commit ourselves to our mission to holiness.
“The laity has a commitment to answer the call to holiness initiated at their baptism. They can do this by being true witnesses to God through their words and action as when they carry out their duties faithfully, humbly, and joyfully; when they share the earth’s resources justly and conserve the works of Creation; and when they give aid to works of charity.”
There are two states of life open to the laity- the unmarried and married life. The single life may have been chosen by others because of a career, because of the absence of compatibility, or for the sake of service, for privacy and independence. They answer the call of God better than those in the married state through their total availability to service and to God since they are free from the obligations of married life.
God creates both man and woman and assigns them particular functions according to His Divine plan. But nevertheless, they still have to fulfill God’s will as He gives them the mission of creative and redemptive work. Husband and wife are called to cooperate together in carrying out God’s plan for them.
Let us contemplate in the real purpose of our existence in this world. Let us awaken our senses to the real works we should focus on and let us recall all that we have done as we strive to correct our mistakes through doing good and being a better person dedicated to serve and love the Lord.
Let us make a difference…its possible!
