Wednesday, March 2 : Vatican Council II

For the gospel cannot be deeply imprinted on the talents, life and work of any people without the active presence of laymen…Their main duty, whether they are men or women, is the witness which they are bound to bear to Christ by their life and works in the home, in their social group, and in own professional circle. For in them there must appear the new man created according to God in justice and true holiness (Eph. 4,24). But they must give expression to this newness of life in the social and cultural framework of their own homeland, according to their own national traditions. They must be acquainted with this culture. They must heal it and preserve it. They must develop it in accordance with modern conditions, and finally perfect it in Christ. Thus the faith of Christ and the life of the Church will no longer be something extraneous to the society in which they live, but will begin to permeate and transform it. Let them be one with their fellow countrymen in sincere charity, so that there may appear in their way of life a new bond of unity and of universal solidarity, drawn from the mystery of Christ…This obligation is all the more urgent, because very many men can hear of the gospel and recognize Christ only by means of the laity who are their neighbors… Let the clergy highly esteem the arduous apostolate of the laity. Let them train the laity to become conscious of the responsibility, which as members of Christ they bear for all men. Let them instruct them deeply in the mystery of Christ, introduce them to practical methods, and be at their side in difficulties… While pastors and laymen, then, retain each their own due functions and their own responsibilities, the whole young Church should render one vital and firm witness to Christ, and thus become a shining beacon of the salvation which comes to us in Christ.

maronite readings – rosary,team