People pray during the April 13, 2019 transitional diaconate ordination of diocesan seminarian Stephen Van Lal Than at Holy Spirit Parish in Bowling Green. FILE PHOTO

BY DCN. JAY W. VANHOOSIER, SPECIAL TO THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC

Oct. 10 is Laity Sunday. This is a day when many Christian denominations, including the Catholic Church, celebrate the ministry of all Christians as their lives are empowered by the Holy Spirit. It is a special time when the lay faithful are encouraged to take time to consider their varied God-given gifts for ministry – inside and outside the walls of the church building.

The laity plays a critical role in the Church today

When the bishops deliberated at the Second Vatican Council, it became clear that the role of the laity needed serious attention and prayerful consideration. It was clear that the laity, the largest segment of the faithful, was not represented in an active nor participatory manner. What emerged from these deliberations was “Apostolicam Auctuositatem” (The Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity), – a beautiful and inspiring document that highlighted the dignity and role of the laity in the Church and the world. The baptized laity is an essential dimension of the Body of Christ with special responsibility for family life and the evangelization of the secular world as “leaven, conscience, outreach and witness.”

The laity is called to be present and active in the world

Lay people are sharers in the priestly, prophetic, and kingly mission of Jesus Christ by virtue of their baptism. Consequently, as Pope St. John Paul II stated in his 1988 apostolic exhortation “Christifideles laici,” “…for the lay faithful, to be present and active in the world is not only a [physical] reality, but in a specific way, a theological… reality as well”

Lay people are expected to strive to embody the teachings of the Church, and to share the gift of the Catholic faith. The laity should be active members of their parishes and their communities. They are called to act as everyday ministers of the faith, living out the principles of Christianity and Catholicism to work, school, marketplace, home, and family. In short, they are to evangelize always.

Lay ministry: Evangelization

Lay people are called by God. Being led by the Holy Spirit and the Gospel, the Catholic laity may contribute to the sanctification of the world – as from within, like leaven – by fulfilling their own particular routine duties. Thus, especially by the witness of their lives, imbued with faith, hope, and love, they must be the face of Christ to the world.

“Preach the Gospel at all times. Use words if necessary.” – Attributed to St. Francis of Assisi

Dcn. Jay W. VanHoosier is the Director of Faith Formation for the Diocese of Owensboro. For more information visit owensborodiocese.org/faith-formation, email [email protected] or call (270) 852-8324.

Originally printed in the October 2021 issue of The Western Kentucky Catholic.