Ruth's Book I

Evangelizing is the

Apostolate of the Laity

    Our role as evangelizers has been emphasized all along for us by what, we as Franciscans, have been studying over the years. It is the substance of the section of Vatican II, “Apostolate of the Laity,” which states, one of its goals is to intensify apostolic activity throughout the laity. “Where priests are few,” it says, “the Church would barely exist without a functioning laity.”

    Participation of the laity carries into the Church’s apostolic activities those aims of the Church to spread Christ’s kingdom. This is always the starting point for spiritual activity. From there we go to involvement by us, the laity, in Christ’s saving redemption, relating the whole world to Christ. This is evangelizing.

    The Christian calling is a calling to evangelize. We of the laity have this right and duty. It is centered squarely on Christ and nourished by the Sacraments.

    The Holy Spirit gives special gifts to each individual, who in turn, has the duty and freedom to exercise these gifts under the guidance of our pastor for the building up of the Church. You will find a very similar statement in our Rule.

    Lay apostolic success must begin with union with Christ, aided by the liturgies of the Church.

    Through faith, hope and love, lay people should permeate all their activities with the spirit of Christ.

     Since we Franciscans follow the Gospel Way we have the freedom to exercise through faith the Word of God. We find God and are able to seek His will and see Christ in all men, and make sound judgments on the true meaning and value of temporal things. We are then freed from bondage of riches and are able to look for everlasting values. In life’s trials, it gives us the hope and belief that the sufferings of the present cannot be compared to the glory to come.

    Our purpose is to respect and promote the welfare of all people, putting aside what is vicious and deceitful and shun pretense, jealousies, and disparaging remarks. This is the way to attract people to Christ, and perhaps in our case, to our Franciscan way of life.

    Following the poor Jesus, lay people should not be depressed in want or proud in plenty. They should seek to please God, not man. Their spirituality is centered on their particular circumstance in life, health and abilities. They work out of that center.

    Each person’s talents and gifts have been given to him by God; specifically, because God thought them suitable to that person. These gifts and talents should be cultivated diligently, along with social virtues such as justice, courtesy, etc.

    The perfect model of these virtues is the Blessed Mother. As Vatican II says, everyone should have an authentic devotion to the Blessed Mother.