Youcat commented through CCC – Question n. 139 - Part V.

YOUCAT Question n. 139 - Part V. What is the lay vocation?

(Youcat answer - repeated) The Laity are sent to engage in society so that the kingdom of God can grow among men.         

A deepening through CCC

(CCC 904) "Christ… Fulfills this prophetic office, not only by the hierarchy… But also by the laity. He accordingly both establishes them as witnesses and provides them with the sense of the faith [sensus fidei] and the grace of the word” (LG 35). To teach in order to lead others to faith is the task of every preacher and of each believer  (St. Thomas Aquinas, STh. III, 71, 4 ad 3).    

Reflecting and meditating 

(Youcat comment) A lay person is not a second-class Christian, for he shares in the priestly ministry of Christ (the universal priesthood). He sees to it that the people in his walk of life (in school, family and work) come to know the Gospel and learn to love Christ. Through his faith he leaves a mark on society, business, and politics. He supports the life of the Church, for instance, by becoming a lector or an extraordinary minister, by volunteering as a group leader, or by serving on church committees and councils (for example, the parish council or the board of directors of an institution). Young people especially should give serious thought to the question of what place God might want them to have in the Church.

(CCC Comment)

(CCC 905) Lay people also fulfill their prophetic mission by evangelization, “that is, the proclamation of Christ by word and the testimony of life.” For lay people, “this evangelization… Acquires a specific property and peculiar efficacy because it is accomplished in the ordinary circumstances of the world” (LG 35 § 1, § 2). This witness of life, however, is not the sole element in the apostolate; the true apostle is on the lookout for occasions of announcing Christ by word, either to unbelievers… or to the faithful (AA 6 § 3; cf. AG 15).    

(This question: What is the lay vocation? is continued)