Welcome to the Jeff Kaven show where we talk about the Bible, discipleship and evangelization putting it all together and living as activated disciples.

This is show 291. Is there a laity shortage or two?

Well, we had a wonderful time last week. I think talking about is there a laity shortage and appreciate all of your participation.

Thank you for going to Apple Spotify, wherever and just giving it a thumbs up to show, making some comments, sharing it with other people.

I really believe that God has allowed us the privilege of using some of this technology for the greater good for his kingdom and you and I together are a team.

I mean, some of I know some of you have been with me from the beginning. That's 291 shows together. That's a lot of time together, isn't it?

So thank you. I really, really appreciate it. Hey, if you do want to show notes and you are just picking up on this episode 291, is there a laity shortage part two?

I do encourage you to go back and listen to part one last week. And if you would like the show notes, all you got to do is send my name, one word, Jeff Kavens, text it to the number 337773377.

My comments today about the is there a laity shortage as I was pretty strong last week, you know, about that.

I want you to know that it's in love and I care and I moved in my heart. I moved in my heart to to press on and to encourage people and challenge people.

And you know, maybe I maybe I'll make uncomfortable the comfortable, but this is what I feel the Lord is telling me in my heart is to really, really challenge the lay faithful to be Christ in the world.

Last week when we were together, I was talking to you about the fact that in the parable of the vineyard where the men come at different times of the day and they're all paid the same.

The Lord in this parable sees a guy that is just standing around idle. He says, what are you doing standing around idle in my vineyard?

You know, then this vineyard says, well, nobody put me to work. He says, I'll put you to work. And that's Jesus in the church today. You know, there is no room for just standing around idle.

And I made quite a quite a big deal out of that statement where John Paul the second said, he said the lack of commitment is always unacceptable when it comes to being a witness.

It's always unacceptable, a lack of commitment. And then he also said that it is not permissible for anyone to remain idle.

So if you are Catholic, you've been baptized and you are a Catholic today and you have gone by the by the name Catholic by that title in your life, then the Lord would say to you, lack of commitment is always unacceptable when it comes to being a witness and it's not permissible for anyone to remain idle.

By the way, I'm getting a lot of this. I'm going to share more with you today from this amazing document from St. John Paul the Great, the second, Christopher Delis Leici.

It's a post-cended apostolic excertation of his and it's called the lay members of Christ, faithful people. You can get it at Pauline book and media.

We'll put that in the show notes for you, but I recommend you get it and just digest it. It is so good. I'm only talking about what is this? I'm only talking about 40 pages or so in this tremendous book of his and it has moved me.

Clearly, it has moved me and I said last week that I wanted to share with you a little bit about the lay faithful in their participation with Christ in a threefold mission.

And that's what I'd like to start off with this week is that we are one with Christ and we are so much one with Christ that he is in us and he gives himself to us every time we go to mass in the Eucharist.

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