The Lay Missionary Vocation

DISCOVER AND LIVE YOUR PURPOSE IN LIFE THROUGH YOUR LAY VOCATION! The Church's mission is to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ to everyone. As lay disciples of the Savior, our shared mission is to bring the message of His saving life, death and resurrection to all men and women through our words and deeds. Your personal lay vocation is even more focused: God has created you for a unique purpose only you can accomplish for Him! As you read this book you will discover the intensely interesting history and theology of the lay vocation and how our Church's reemphasis on the role of the laity in our day is meant to help awaken this "sleeping giant." But this is not simply a book of history and theology-it's about your mission in life and your eternal destiny. Russell Shaw's insightful work makes a direct connection between the teachings of the Bible, Vatican II, John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francis I and your everyday life as a lay follower of Jesus. Here you will learn how to begin discerning your unique personal lay vocation and how to establish, deepen and maintain your friendship with Jesus while you live out your lay vocation in the "real world." Jesus told us: I have come that they might have life, and have it more abundantly." Read this book and find that life through your lay vocation!

What does God want you to do with your life? Whether you're ordained, professed religious, single, or married, Personal Vocation will show you how to: discover the elements of your vocation; commit yourself to that mission; and remain faithful to your personal call from God. For the young adult making education and career decisions... For the older individual coming to grips with vocation concerns... this book offers information and a perspective that can encourage, inspire, and re-energize.

Since 1965 the number of priests in the United States has fallen by some 30,000. But over that same time period, more than 30,000 laypeople have come into the employ of parishes and other Church institutions. Laypeople have stepped up to serve in a variety of new ministries, and they are relieving their pastors of many administrative burdens, enabling them to focus on their proper priestly duties. Lay teachers now outnumber nuns, brothers, and priests in Catholic schools by at least 19 to 1. In the history of the Church, laypeople have never been asked to do so much. William E. Simon, Jr. and Michael Novak call attention to this great shift in Living the Call. The first part of the book tells the personal stories of nine faithful laypeople now serving the Church in new and diverse ways. Simon and Novak’s insight is that more and more who work in the Church feel the need to shape their lives in a new way, matched to their different needs and adjusted to the new base of knowledge about the world with which they begin. In response to this need, the second part of Living the Call offers practical examples and reflections on a number of themes, including entering into the presence of God and learning different forms of prayer, reading that refreshes the mind and deepens the soul, and the graces of the sacraments and how being a spouse contributes to holiness.

One of the best-kept secrets in the church is the story of the emergence of the Catholic laity from "pray, pay, and obey" passive spectators to men and women assuming their rightful roles in liturgy, ministry, and other church functions. This evolution is not merely a response to the ever dwindling number of priests and thus the need for others to assume these functions, but is primarily a recognition of the laity's call to serve through the sacrament of baptism in which they all share. In this well-researched book, Aurelie Hagstrom describes the emergence of the laity during the twentieth century and presents a compelling theology of the laity based on scripture, on a renewed understanding of the sacrament of baptism and, especially, on the great watershed in church thinking brought about by the Second Vatican Council. She assures Catholic lay persons that their everyday lives are the "stuff" by which they attain a holiness that is as valid as that lived by clergy and religious. Book jacket.

Does God have a specific plan for each of us, or is it more like general guidelines for all of us? How do my gifts and abilities, my personality and particular circumstances, impact my vocation? What is the role of the church in this process? What are the needs of the world that call us to respond? Awakening Vocation explores these questions and breathes new life into an ancient idea - rousing vocation from a centuries-long slumber. Inspired by the broad and inclusive Vision of the Second Vatican Council, the book traces the history of Catholic reflection on vocation and offers a constructive proposal for the present. In plain language, Edward Hahnenberg argues that Catholic thinking on vocation has been frustrated by a deficient theology of grace and that the key to reclaiming the notion of God's call today lies in a Vision of God's self-gift reaching across al of human history and into every human heart. Rethinking vocation in light of a revitalized theology of grace helps move beyond earlier dead ends, opening up new ways of imagining discipleship and discernment within our wonderfully diverse and yet deeply divided world.

Revolutionary document on the dignity and role of the lay faithful in the Church

That lay women and men increasingly serve as leaders of institutional ministries in the Church is nothing new. Yet, until now, these lay leaders have longed for theological resources and formational training to help them in their vocation and ministry. Called and Chosen: Toward a Spirituality for Lay Leaders is designed especially for women and men who, in collaboration with vowed religious and the ordained, shepherd Church ministries and touch the lives of countless people. Written by leading authorities in biblical studies, theology, spirituality, church history, and ecclesial leadership, the book is broken into four parts: Part one invites lay leaders to claim their own call and commitment by reflecting on the Catholic vision of spirituality, vocation, mission and ministry, and the experiences of other leaders. Part two grounds their work in the larger story of our institutional ministries by examining their biblical, theological, and historical roots. Part three probes the work of the Spirit in communities and institutions, against the backdrop of contemporary cultural realities, to help leaders develop the capacity to discern the Spirit's workings. Part four focuses on issues central to the role of a spiritual leader: the spirituality of administration, the task of building community, the use of power and authority and work of forming and mentoring others. Questions at the end of each chapter invite further reflection on the themes explored.