136. Third Thursday of Easter

Meditations no. 182 (unofficial computer-aided translation)

The apostolate of good doctrine.

In fulfilment of the Lord’s command, Philip headed for the road leading from Jerusalem to Gaza. There on the road before him, he saw an Ethiopian courtier in a chariot. And the Spirit said to Philip: “Go up and join this chariot.” So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and asked: “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said: “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

There are many people with big, noble hearts, capable of loving God, who are waiting for us. They need the light of doctrine to direct and give meaning to their lives, and it is our duty to provide it. It is the Lord’s imperative command: Go out into the world and teach all nations…

The doctrinal apostolate is one of our ruling passions. We wish to smother evil in an abundance of good. We know perfectly well that ignorance is a great evil, that God’s worst enemy on earth is ignorance, because only ignorance can let a person commit crimes and not be aware of it.

Revealed truth, Christ’s doctrine, brings salvation and life, St Ambrose says. Nothing gives more life to the soul than divine teaching. The more God’s word increases in our souls and the better we receive and understand it, the more the life of the soul grows. And by contrast, when doctrine is lacking, that life will fade away.

Our Father always urged us to carry out this task of bringing the light of Christian doctrine to a confused world: Do you see how science, art, agriculture and industry are being de-Christianized, along with the people who work in them? Do you see how the number of large families is decreasing? Don’t you suffer when you encounter the sort of “naturalistic” outlook which is incapable of understanding self-denial, hidden dedication or the evangelical virtues?

Our Lord came so that all might have life and he wants us to cooperate in his mission: ut eatis, go forth! We have to bring sound doctrine to everyone, because we are interested in all souls. But we must begin with those whom God has placed at our side.

Opus Dei’s apostolates can all be summarized as giving good doctrine.

The Ethiopian was reading a passage from the Bible. Now the passage of Scripture which he was reading was this: As a sheep led to the slaughter, or a lamb before its shearer is dumb, so he opens not his mouth. Then Philip, beginning with this Scripture, told him the good news of Jesus.

We must spread the good news of Jesus. We must get rid of ignorance by means of an abundance of revealed doctrine, the truth of Christ. The Christian apostolate - and I’m talking about an ordinary Christian, living as just one more man or woman among equals - is a great work of teaching. Through real, personal, loyal friendship, you create in others a hunger for God and you help them discover new horizons - naturally, simply: with the example of your faith lived to the full, with a loving word which is full of the force of divine truth.

In the Work we have been taught that whatever the external forms our apostolates may adopt, they always tend towards one end: that of giving doctrine. We must teach doctrine, taking advantage of every occasion, and making opportunities where none exist. We have to teach the truth of Christ ardently, enabling others to share in the treasure we have received.

St Paul writes to Timothy: I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus … preach the word, be urgent in season and out of season, convince, rebuke and exhort, be unfailing in patience and in teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching … and they will turn away from listening to the truth. St Jerome adds: Teach what you were taught. Preserve good doctrine and sound teaching, so that you may exhort in good doctrine and confute those who deny it.

Venite post me, et faciam vos fieri piscatores hominum, come, follow me and I will make you fishers of men. Not without reason does our Lord use these words: men - like fish - have to be caught by the head.

More intense formation means greater apostolic effectiveness.

There are many very important things that we have to look after in this apostolate of teaching good doctrine. It is precisely for this reason that we need to do as our Father told us: Build up a store of good doctrine and fill your heads with clear ideas. Absorb our God-given spirit in its fullness so that you can give to others from your abundance. To teach good doctrine, you have to possess it; nobody can give what they don’t have. We can’t wait for some inspiration from God, who has no need to give it to us. He has already given us the practical human means: work and study. We must study; we have to learn.

We are to be pious, then, as pious as children, but not ignorant. Insofar as possible, each of us should study the faith seriously, rigorously - all of which means theology. Ours should be the piety of children and the sure doctrine of theologians.

Our desire to advance in theological knowledge, in sound, firm Christian doctrine, is sparked, above all, by the will to know and love God. It likewise stems from the concern of a faithful soul to attain the deepest meaning of the world, seen as coming from the hands of God. Every now and then, monotonously sounding like a broken record, some people try to resurrect a supposed incompatibility between faith and science, between human knowledge and divine revelation. But such incompatibility could only arise - and then only apparently - from a misunderstanding of the elements of the problem.

If the world has come from God, if he has created man in his image and likeness, and given him a spark of divine light, the task of our intellect should be to uncover the divine meaning embedded in all things by their nature, even if this can be attained only by dint of hard work. And with the light of faith, we can also perceive their supernatural purpose, resulting from the elevation of the natural order to the higher order of grace. We can never be afraid of developing human knowledge, because all intellectual effort, if it is serious, is aimed at truth. And Christ has said: I am the truth, ego sum Veritas.

The Christian must have a hunger to know. Everything, from the most abstract knowledge to manual techniques, can and should lead to God. For there is no human undertaking which cannot be sanctified, which cannot be an opportunity to sanctify ourselves and to cooperate with God in the sanctification of the people with whom we work. The light of the followers of Jesus Christ should not be hidden in the depths of some valley, but should be placed on the mountain peak, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

As well as doctrinal formation - indeed, as an integral part of it - we also need the gift of tongues which our Father so often talked about. Such a gift of tongues does not mean knowing a number of languages, but knowing how to adapt oneself to the capacities of one’s hearers.

It’s not a question of “simplifying the message to get through to the masses”, but of speaking words of wisdom in clear Christian speech that all can understand.

This is the gift of tongues that I ask our Lord and his holy Mother for all their children.

Let us also ask Our Lady, Seat of Wisdom, for this gift of tongues.