Many times, I have written on the role of the laity in the Church.
Too many trads are not acting like lay people, but acting like clerics.
We do not have the same call, the same vocation, as the priests or bishops.
We do not have the same work to do. Our work is to make holy the workplace, the home, the public sphere.
Our job is not to meddle with things which are not our responsibilities.
I am convinced that one reason why the Church is weak is that the laity want to act like priests and do priestly work instead of lay work. This not only reveals the sin of pride, but a denial of the necessity of the lay life.
One reason why there is so much evil in the world is that the laity has not gone out and evangelized. Instead of taking the Gospel into the world, beginning with the domestic church, people want to change things which are not their responsibilities.
Two areas come to my mind immediately as areas where the laity is not letting go of issue which are none of their business, but the business of bishops and priests.
One is the issue of the so-called dedication of Russia to the Immaculate Heart, and the second is the decision regarding Medjugorje.
These are decisions for the hierarchy. The Pope and the bishops decide and act on such things, not us.
While too many people are writing and doing work to push certain aspects of these topics, the real work of the laity suffers.
When is the last time you spoke of Christ and His Church to someone at work?
When was the last time you invited someone to attend Mass with you or with your family?
When was the last time you tried to get a lay community going in your parish?
When was the last time you prayed at home with your family and made time for your spouse to pray daily?
Are you tithing?
Are you going to daily Mass and weekly Adoration?
When was the last time you took part in faith formation for the laity in your parish?
The work of the laity is strenuous and demanding.
Let the priests and clergy do their work, and do your work. If the laity were really doing the work God has called us all to do, the Church would be stronger.
