27. December 22

Meditations no. 27 (unofficial computer-aided translation)

Christ is King of all peoples and all nations.

O King of the Gentiles and the Desired of all, you are the cornerstone that binds two into one. Come, and save poor man whom you fashioned out of clay.

The Saviour is near; he is at the door. Twenty centuries have gone by since the first Christmas, and still there are nations and peoples awaiting the Messiah. But there are also cries of revolt from those who oppose Christ’s kingship: Nolumus hunc regnare super nos. We do not want this man to reign over us.

The Lord’s yoke is sweet and his burden light, but many reject it. The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and his anointed, saying, “Let us burst their bonds asunder and cast their cords from us.” But the Lord is king: I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill. His power has not diminished, and of his kingdom there will be no end. All peoples and all races belong to him: Ask of me and I will give you the nations for an inheritance and the ends of the earth for your possession.

We are the soldiers and messengers of this king. All power in heaven and on earth belongs to him, and he has given us the mission to teach all people and bring them into his kingdom. Our Father writes: our Lord wants to be placed once more at the summit of all human activities. We are asked in a special way for this service, this help in ensuring that throughout the world there are even more abundant fruits of the Redemption, which is the only true freedom for man. We are working with this hope and this responsibility. The war of peace and love that we are engaged in is certain to be a long and demanding one. Yet victory is assured. God always conquers: He does not lose battles.

Apostolate ad fidem: many souls still await the faith.

For many people Christ is still the Desired of all, in the sense that he is just a longing, a vague aspiration. They need him, they await him without realizing it, but they set their hearts on the things of this earth. My people have committed two evils, says the Lord. They have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.

Many still await their first Christmas. They are waiting to hear the Good News that the Desired of all has come at last. My soul thirsts for thee; my flesh faints for thee, as in a dry and weary land where no water is. Our apostolic hunger must encompass even those who are completely estranged from God. We deeply love all those who love Jesus Christ. And we also deeply love all those who don’t love him, though we also feel sorry for them. So we try to treat them kindly, to befriend and help them, seeking to drown evil in an abundance of good.

We have to put special effort into reaching those who are furthest from Christ. They may be victims of unbelief, or they may see certain disorders in their lives as insuperable obstacles. They may still harbour certain prejudices regarding the Church; or they may have heard nothing about the Church except things said in ignorance, or by God’s enemies. We will try to get close to them, but never by means of force or showing imprudent zeal. Eventually they will come to realize that Christ is knocking at their door, as he is at everyone’s. Ecce ego, ecce ego ad gentem, quae non invocabat nomen meum. Behold I am here, on my way to a people who did not call me. Each of God’s children in this work of God, our Father writes, wants to live only ut portet nomen tuum coram gentibus, to bring your name to all peoples, so that omnes gentes agnoscant quia tu es Deus, so all nations may know that you are God.

We will bring God’s light to those who do not know him, if we feed the flame of our own faith with the oil of charity. My daughters and sons, our Father says, have faith, a sturdy faith, a living faith, a faith that works through love, veritatem facientes in caritate. Have this spirit when dealing with our separated brethren and with non-Christians. Love everyone, be charitable to everyone, offer friendship to everyone. No one who has approached any of our corporate apostolates has ever been pestered about his or her religious convictions. We never speak to anyone about our faith if that person doesn’t want us to.

Yet on seeing how you live, these people often ask themselves, and then ask you, about the interior strength that explains our joy. Then you speak to them about God, about your love for Christ, about your own wretchedness and the wonders of grace that inspire you to be faithful. And you have often seen how God, who guides hearts, has used your words to move their hearts.

Being positive and charitable when practising this apostolate.

Our apostolic activity is always positive. By virtue of our mission we are sowers of peace and joy. The members of Opus Dei try to drown evil in an abundance of good. Thus their work is never negative or “anti-” anything. It is affirmative and optimistic; it is youth, joy and peace.

Precisely because we rest firmly on Christ, we should be understanding and generous in our judgements. We can’t give way in doctrine, but we should nonetheless be very understanding towards others, however far from God they might be. In the middle of the world we rise above all differences of nationality, race, class, or party, working to achieve the unity which Christ won for us. As St Augustine writes: All this is hard for those who do not love. But for those who love, it is easy. There is no difficulty that love does not make bearable and reduce to practically nothing.

To everyone we meet, we would like to show a charity which is cheerful, gentle and strong, human and supernatural; a charity which is affectionate, which welcomes everyone with a smile and with understanding for their ideas and feelings, and which attracts them to cooperate in our work.

And thus, gently but firmly, without yielding in our behaviour or in doctrine, the charity of Christ that we try to incorporate into our lives will give us a spirit of conquest, and every day our thirst for souls will increase.

Our apostolic horizons are unlimited. They embrace all people, those who know Christ and those who do not. They extend to the nations who welcome the Lord as king, and to all those peoples who are still longing for the Desired of all.

With this universal perspective, we ask our Lady to kindle an apostolic spirit in our hearts, so that each day we may experience an increase in our hunger to work for souls.