Following the recent victory for life, I have heard a surprising number of public figures espouse a common mantra directed towards Catholics and other Christians. The message is clear: people of faith are free to believe whatever they want so long as they keep it private. 

 

In other words, Catholics are free to believe but not live their faith. Our faith touches the deepest part of our identity. It not only affects our beliefs and worship, but also our values and the way we live. It is worth noting the irony of a culture claiming to champion self-expression with problematic slogans such as “live your truth” or “be true to yourself” but then will not afford that opportunity to Christians. 

 

This is not isolated to life issues. The erroneous assertion that faith and the secular world are opposed and must remain separate is prevalent in our culture. It has even seeped into the consciousness of many of the faithful, yet it is antithetical to our faith. The term secular does not mean religion-free, it simply means relating to temporal or worldly matters. 

 

As the laity, the majority of our life, work, interactions, and relationships take place in the secular world. It is our position in the secular world that affords us a unique opportunity to transform the world. In Lumen Gentium, the Church says God specifically calls the laity to “work for the sanctification of the world from within as a leaven.” (LG 31). Echoing Christ words in Matthew 13:33, as leaven (yeast) transforms flour into bread, so too, the people of God (us) must transform the world. 

 

Jesus uses similar imagery by calling us “salt” and “light” (Mt. 5:13-16). When a light is turned on in a dark room or salt is added to bland food, both radically change what they enter. They permeate every part of their surroundings. This is our role in the secular world, “led by the spirit of the Gospel” we enter it, permeate every corner, and transform it (LG 31). 

 

Jesus concludes the image by saying, “Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.” (Mt. 5:16). This does not sound like the keep-your-faith-to-yourself approach to life.

 

“Sanctification of the world” may sound like the role of the clergy, or too daunting of a task, until we understand that God is calling us to do it through our daily lives. 

 

Lumen Gentium goes on to say, “For all their [the laity’s] works, prayers and apostolic endeavors, their ordinary married and family life, their daily occupations, their physical and mental relaxation, if carried out in the Spirit, and even the hardships of life, if patiently borne — all these become “spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.’” It is through the normal activities of our daily lives that we can bring God’s love into the world. 

 

Jesus’ life is a great example. Thirty years of His private life are spent enmeshed in the secular world of family, work, and community. Likewise, His public ministry is filled with secular activities, meals, conversations, travel, fishing, boating, and campfires. These daily secular activities have a transformative power because He interweaves them with the Gospel message. 

 

This is our goal, to bring God and His love into the activities of our daily life. There are many, who, like the elites of Jesus day, will have no interest and try to silence us. 

 

However, there are even more that through our witness will receive and be nourished by the Gospel. Let us pray for the willingness and courage to proclaim and live God’s love in a world that wants us to remain silent.