Kitchen Catechism: Eye on The Pope
It's up to the laity to show timeliness of the Gospel
Words of John Paul II, from his address at Loreto, Italy, September 5, 2004: "Holiness is the greatest gift you can give the Church and the world."
To the faithful who constantly interrupted him with applause, he said: "Carry in your hearts what the Church carries in her heart: that many men and women of our time be conquered by the attraction of Christ."
May His Gospel "shine again as a light of hope for the poor, the sick, those hungry for justice."
"May Christian communities be ever more lively, open, attractive; may our cities be welcoming and livable for all; may humanity be able to follow the ways of peace and fraternity."
It corresponds to the laity to "witness to the faith through the virtues that are specific to you," among them, "fidelity and tenderness in the family, competence in work, tenacity in serving the common good, solidarity in social relations, creativity in undertaking works that are useful to evangelization and human promotion."
"….also to show, in close communion with pastors, that the Gospel is timely, and that faith does not remove the believer from history, but submerges him more profoundly in it."