You and I and all Christians have a special call from God
Have you ever stopped to ask: what are the balloons? Their different colors and sizes, adorn parties, in the rejoicing environment, fun kids, they draw attention of those who look at them, they decorate the world. Very well!However, they can only do this if they are full. What are empty balloons? Good for nothing. They have no life, no beauty, cheer, they go in the trash.
And Christians? What are Christians?
God, to save each one of us, sent his son and his son sent the Church, that is, the Apostles and their successors (cf. Mt 10, 16ss; Jo -23 20.21), with the mission to spread the good news of the Kingdom of God around the world. The Mission of the Apostles, and all of us who adhere to Christ, is to continue his mission on Earth. That mission! Hard, strenuous, but very beautiful; it takes each person to live in the Kingdom of God; Kingdom of peace, of love, of truth, justice and freedom. Get people to one day live eternally with God in heaven. St Paul said that “human eyes have never seen, never heard human ears and human heart ever felt what God has prepared for those who love him”. (1 Color 2.9; Is 64.4).
The Didache, a first century Christian document, said: “what the soul is to the body, Christians are to the world.” Without the soul the body has no life, with no Christians the world has no life. That’s why Jesus said, “ye are the salt of the Earth” (Matt 5.13). “Ye are the light of the world” (Mt 5.14). The light of the Christian, that is the light of Christ, illuminates this world of darkness of sin: hatred, greed, fighting, killing, stealing, adultery, vainglory, orgies, drinking …
It is salt that gives flavor to food, and preserves it. Only Christ preserves life with taste and with integrity. And he wants that Christians are the carriers of this radiant light that illuminates the darkness and this salt that gives flavor and life.
But, to continue the Mission of Christ, it is necessary to be like him. He made it clear that without him we can do nothing (cf. John 15.5). So, the Christian that can only be the salt of the Earth and the light of the world is the one filled with Christ. St Paul was a giant evangelist because he was aware that it was not he who lived, but that “Christ lived in him,” and gave him strength and courage to face a lot of travel, persecutions, stripes, prisons, etc.
And who makes us similar to Christ, Christ-filled, bearers of Christ is the Holy Spirit.
The spirit of Jesus dwells in us to make us images of Jesus; This is the will of the father, that every one of us is a replica of his beloved Jesus. And who does that is the Holy Spirit. He takes us to reach a State of the perfect man, the stature and maturity of Christ “(Eph. 4.13). Christians need to be filled with the Holy Spirit.What can make Christians empty? Empty Christians are like balloons! There’s nothing you can do with them.
To continue the Mission of Christ here on Earth is something very serious. Although, many are not aware of this, all are called. Section 900 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church makes it clear that:
“Since, like all the faithful, lay Christians are entrusted by God with the apostolate by virtue of their Baptism and Confirmation, they have the right and duty, individually or grouped in associations, to work so that the divine message of salvation may be known and accepted by all men throughout the earth. This duty is the more pressing when it is only through them that men can hear the Gospel and know Christ. Their activity in ecclesial communities is so necessary that, for the most part, the apostolate of the pastors cannot be fully effective without it.
The participation of lay people in Christ’s priestly office.“
The laity are on more advanced line of the life of the Church in the secular world and need to have a clear conscience, not only of belonging to the Church, but “be” Church.
The lay person has as vocation him or herself, to establish the Kingdom of God acting in the world, at work, on culture, politics, etc., directing them according to God’s will and Plan. Christ calls them to be “salt of the Earth and light of the world”. The lay person arrives where the priest is not enough. He must bring the light of Christ to the environments of darkness, of sin, injustice, violence, etc. So, in the world of work, taking everything to God, the lay person contributes to the praise of the creator, if sanctifies and sanctifies the work. He builds the world for labor, and so puts in the work of God. He or she becomes a co-creator with God.
The Second Vatican Council rescued the layman in the Church’s activity: “Lay people who are capable and trained may also collaborate in catechetical formation, in teaching the sacred sciences, and in use of the communications media” (Cat. No. 906).
The code of Canon law gives the layman the right and the duty to give your opinion to the shepherds:
“In accord with the knowledge, competence, and preeminence which they possess, [lay people] have the right and even at times a duty to manifest to the sacred pastors their opinion on matters which pertain to the good of the Church, and they have a right to make their opinion known to the other Christian faithful, with due regard to the integrity of faith and morals and reverence toward their pastors, and with consideration for the common good and the dignity of persons.” (Cat. 907; 212.3 Canon).
To be steadfast in fulfilling its mission of baptized and missionary, the lay person needs to have a healthy spiritual life. Pope John Paul II once said that: “the effectiveness of the apostolic work of the lay faithful is closely associated with its spiritual base, to their life of personal and community prayer, the frequency of the reception of the sacraments, especially the Eucharist and penance and doctrinal formation straight.”
Without it, we cannot be filled with the Holy Spirit and by the power of Christ in us.The layman who doesn’t pray, does not confess, does not share, does not read and does not meditate on the word of God, does not have perseverance in mission, and as with many priests also, just being away from her.
More than ever, the Church needs today of lay on the battlefield in the world;because today she is hurt, offended, persecuted and regarded by many as the culprit of all evil. A range of pagan values attempts to repeatedly replace the Christian civilization for a culture of death (abortion, euthanasia, destruction of embryos, assisted suicide…); and God is being kicked out of society as if He were evil, and the Catholic religion is being attacked by an aggressive anti-Christian secularism. Our mission today, more than ever, it is by the power of the Holy Spirit, to be witnesses of Jesus Christ; and show the world that without it there is no eternal salvation and not earthly happiness.
Prof. Felipe Aquino