Pope urges laity to live their vocation in the world
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis met members of the Rome-based lay association Seguimi (Follow Me) on Saturday on the occasion of its 50th anniversary.
In his message, the Pope spoke of the importance of the lay vocation in the Church.
Listen to the report by Laura Ieraci:
Lay people are called to permeate the family, work and social environments with Christian values through their witness and words and by meeting people in the concrete situations of their lives, so that they may live in “full dignity” and be “reached by the salvation of Christ,” said Pope Francis.
“Jesus is the fullness for every human person, revealing the mystery of the Father and of his love,” he said.
“As lay people, you are immersed in the world and you are committed to serving the human good within earthly realities,” he said.
The Pope encouraged the members of the lay association to be “lay people on the front lines, to feel part of the mission of the Church” and “to live their secularity dedicated to the realities” of the world.
“This way, you can contribute, like leaven, and put the spirit of the Gospel in the wounds of history with the witness of faith, hope and love,” he said.
The Pope noted that the lay association was founded during the Second Vatican Council and encouraged its members to continue to live their lives centered on Christ.
“Many times, even in the Church, we believe we are good Christians because we do well-organized social and charitable work,” the Pope said. “They are good things but we must not forget that the lifeblood that transforms hearts is the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ. Allow the Lord to occupy the centre of your heart and of your work.”
The Pope also told the association, which is comprised of married, single and consecrated lay people, to preserve and to develop their fraternal communion and exchange of talents, aimed at the human and Christian grown of all.
“Celibates and married, each in their proper state of life, meet and share an enriching experience of complementarity,” he said.
For those who are consecrated, he said the evangelical counsels in the general context of secularism requires faithfulness to the love of the Father, to Christ and his Gospel, and to the action of the Holy Spirit, who is love and freedom, as well as faithfulness to the vocation of each person in the community.
He also encouraged them to be countercultural when necessary.
“Be vigilant on your spiritual journey and help each other always to practice mutual charity, which means fending off egoism in order to be true witnesses of the Gospel,” he said.