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âDo not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil
with goodâ (
Rom
12:21). And again: âLet us not
grow weary in doing what is rightâ (
Gal
6:9). We
all have our likes and dislikes, and perhaps at this
very moment we are angry with someone. At
least let us say to the Lord: âLord, I am angry
with this person, with that person. I pray to you
for him and for herâ. To pray for a person with
whom I am irritated is a beautiful step forward
in love, and an act of evangelization. Let us do
it today! Let us not allow ourselves to be robbed
of the ideal of fraternal love!
Other ecclesial challenges
102.âLay people are, put simply, the vast ma-
jority of the people of God. The minority â or-
dained ministers â are at their service. There has
been a growing awareness of the identity and
mission of the laity in the Church. We can count
on many lay persons, although still not nearly
enough, who have a deeply-rooted sense of com-
munity and great fidelity to the tasks of charity,
catechesis and the celebration of the faith. At
the same time, a clear awareness of this respon-
sibility of the laity, grounded in their baptism and
confirmation, does not appear in the same way in
all places. In some cases, it is because lay persons
have not been given the formation needed to take
on important responsibilities. In others, it is be-
cause in their particular Churches room has not
been made for them to speak and to act, due to
