Main Points
Vocation, Lay Faithful, Secularism, Baptism, Apostolate..
Description
Christifideles Laici, the 1988 Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation by St. John Paul II following the 1987 Synod of Bishops, examines the vocation and mission of the lay faithful (Christifideles Laici) in the Church and the world, portraying them as laborers in the Lord's vineyard—the whole world to be transformed according to God's plan. Its main themes include the baptismal dignity and identity of the laity as branches of the vine united to Christ, their sharing in his priestly, prophetic, and kingly missions through daily life, work, and apostolate, and the urgent need for a new evangelization amid secularism and indifference. Theologically significant, it affirms the fundamental equality of all baptized in sanctifying grace and ecclesial communion, distinguishes the unique "secular character" of lay vocation from clerical roles, and calls all to holiness as essential for renewing the Christian fabric of society.
Page Count: 240 pages
