Promoting the Apostolate of Women in the World
A space for all Christian women seeking to explore and exercise their lay apostolate in the world through the ordinary responsibilities and realities of life.
Serving God Is More Within Reach Than You Think
Your daily and ordinary life — what does it look like?
You have relationships, family, work, responsibilities, decisions to make, and concerns to deal with. These ordinary circumstances are not separate from your Christian life. They are the very places where your apostolate can be lived. The question, therefore, is this: would you like to live your apostolate consciously?
The term apostolate comes from the same root as apostle, meaning one who is sent. Apostolate is about being sent by Christ and living as someone sent by Christ.
For Christians who are not ordained ministers, this is often referred to as the lay apostolate: the call to live, act, serve, and bear witness to Christ in the world through daily life.
The reality is that you are already in the field of apostolate. What you need is to shift the way you approach your ordinary realities: consciously and intentionally as opportunities for Christian action. By doing so you can actively contribute to the mission of Christ, the mission of all Christians everywhere, and the renewal of the temporal order.
One life. Ordered to God.
A life that serves God is simply one life.
Not a spiritual life on one side and real life on the other.
One life. Lived before God.
When you understand this, you begin to see your lay vocation more clearly: to serve Christ in the world through the realities of life.
WHY THE LAY APOSTOLATE
What does the lay apostolate have to do with me?
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Baptised in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, you have received an identity that is not merely symbolic. This identity shapes how you are meant to participate in human society and brings with it responsibilities towards God, and towards the people and life entrusted to you.
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In Matthew 25:31–46, Jesus names ordinary, concrete actions that improve the human condition as what sets the righteous apart, adding that what is done for “the least of His brothers and sisters” is done for Him. This is mission in ordinary life: doing the Will of God through concrete acts of love, service and responsibility. And Jesus Himself tells us who His brothers and sisters are: those who do the Will of God. (Mk 3:35)
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“The truly capable woman — who can find her? She is far more precious than pearls.” Proverbs 31 describes a woman who honours the responsibilities entrusted to her in household life, economic life and public life. Yet, as active as she is, she does not lose sight of what matters most: being a woman of God. “Charm is deceitful, and beauty empty; the woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”
Living the Lay Apostolate
What do I need to exercise my lay apostolate?
A sound understanding of discipleship and stewardship, ongoing faith formation, a strong will and determination to align our lives with Christian values, human formation, Christian maturity, and above all, grace.
Start where you are, with what you already have: your life circumstances, responsibilities, talents, skills, relationships, aspirations and influence.
A practical example: if you long for a world where justice prevails, begin by exercising God’s justice today — towards yourself, your family, your relationships, in your workplace, in your decisions, and in the way you treat the people placed before you.
Where do I start?
One day at a time. One task at a time. With what you have now, not with what you hope to have later.
The lay apostolate is not something we postpone until our life is perfect or until all our needs are met. It is serving God in the present with what we already have, guided by the Holy Spirit, and working towards multiplying it to expand our reach beyond what we ever thought possible.
How do I live it?
Questions about the lay vocation, the lay apostolate, or how to live it in your circumstances?
What Is Needed?
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Understanding of discipleship and stewardship
Because the lay apostolate begins with recognising that we belong to Christ and that we have a purpose.
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Ongoing faith formation
Because we cannot live according to a faith we do not understand, or exercise a mission we have not been formed to recognise.
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A strong will and determination
Because knowing God’s Will and doing God’s Will are not the same thing; the lay apostolate requires courage and perseverance.
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Human formation
Because God works through human persons. Weaknesses in character, relationships, judgement and self-mastery limit our ability to serve Him.
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Christian maturity
Because the lay apostolate requires more than enthusiasm. It requires stability, wisdom, prudence and fidelity.
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Grace
Because the lay apostolate cannot be sustained by human effort alone. Without grace, we cannot love and serve God faithfully.
TAKE ACTION TODAYYour Everyday Life Can Be Your Apostolate
Apostolate begins with being sent.
“As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
— John 20:21
God is already at work, and the baptised are invited into that work. We have a place within it. We have responsibilities within it.
Our work as Christians is to live our call to serve God. We can serve Him through family, society, culture, politics, economics, education, service to the poor and creation. We have a mission within each field: to influence and shape it so that it reflects Christ.
If you are ready to explore the lay apostolate with the intention of living it, reach out.
Questions MA can help you answer
I am being asked to do something at work that conflicts with my faith or conscience. How do I do what is right without putting my job at risk?
How do I remain faithful to God when doing the opposite would be easier, more profitable, and more acceptable to others?
I want to raise or support children in the faith, but I do not want faith to become only rules or church attendance. How should I go about it?
How do I balance the demands of my busy life without compromising my responsibilities before God or my relationship with Him?