174. First Wednesday of Ordinary Time
Meditations no. 59 (unofficial computer-aided translation)
Faith in the supernatural character of the Work.
Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name, make known his deeds among the peoples! Sing to him, sing praises to him, tell of all his wonderful works! The Psalmistās words invite us to proclaim Godās goodness to all peoples, telling them that he has brought forth Opus Dei for the good of all mankind.
Many years ago, at the beginning of the Work, our Father wrote to us: My dearest children: in my conversations with you I have repeatedly pointed out that the enterprise we are engaged in is not a human enterprise, but a great supernatural enterprise, which from the beginning fulfilled exactly all the conditions to be truly called without boasting the Work of God.
We have been called to achieve something that greatly exceeds our capabilities: to spread Godās Work throughout the world. To fulfil this supernatural mission, we need great faith. As the Apostle teaches us, through the Spirit, by faith, we wait for the hope of righteousness. We need faith in God; faith in the Work, which is the way he has marked out for our sanctification; and faith that he himself will give us the grace needed to attract souls.
We humbly ask our Lord to give us a lively and effective faith, like that of our Father and our older brothers, who worked from the start with the certainty that they were carrying out Christās command. Do not forget, my children, that we are not souls who have joined with other souls, in order to do a good thing. That is a lotā¦ and yet it is little. We are apostles who are fulfilling an imperative command of Christ.
The firm conviction that we are accomplishing Godās will fills us with assurance and courage, enabling us to overcome any obstacle. In the words of the Psalm: Whatever the Lord pleases he does, in heaven and on earth.
Faith in our personal vocation.
Our faith in the supernatural nature of the Work should also make us certain that the personal calling that we have received will bear fruit. For when God our Lord plans some work for the benefit of mankind, he first thinks of the people he will use as instrumentsā¦ and gives them the necessary graces.
Our Lord has chosen us as his instruments. You did not choose me, he tells us, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide. In choosing us, he has promised us the grace we need. Our dedication gives us a title, a right we might say, to the graces needed to be faithful to the way we undertook one day because God called us. Faith tells us that, whatever the circumstances of our journey, these graces will never be lacking if we ourselves do not wilfully reject them. But we must cooperate.
The Lord is mindful of his covenant for ever, of the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations. With these words, the Psalmist invites us to place our trust continually in Godās action, without becoming discouraged when we see more clearly how small we really are. Our Father tells us: When men want to do some work, they use the most suitable means. If I had lived centuries ago, I would have used a quill pen to write with. Today I use a fountain pen. But when God wants to carry out some work, he uses disproportionate instruments, so that it can be seen that the work is his. Therefore you and I, who know the enormous weight of our wretchedness, should tell God: although I am wretched, I know I am a divine instrument in your hands. With such a humble and trusting disposition, there will be no difficulty that can shake your optimism.
Faith in the means which God gives us to carry out our mission.
Our faith in the supernatural character of the Work, and our faith in our own vocation, should give rise to faith in the means, which are also supernatural: prayer, mortification and work.
We should be bold in our requests, trusting in our Lordās promise: Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. Our prayers will be answered if we persevere, encouraged by the firm assurance that those who are wholly perfect in the faith ask everything with reliance on the Lord, and they receive, because they ask without wavering, without divided purpose.
We add to our petitions a constant spirit of mortification, which is the guarantee of our upright intention in our actions and our work. This is how the fruit will come: we can be sure of it. But we have to fight hard, and not give up hope. Reject the discouragement you feel when - in spite of your sacrifices, prayer and perseverance - a particular soul with whom you are doing apostolate does not come, does not respond.
We must be convinced that prayer is always fruitful and that sacrifice is never sterile.
We go to our Mother, the Blessed Virgin, to seek the faith we need. We should thank the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit for the road we have already covered, offering our thanksgiving through the Virgin Mary: Cor Mariae dulcissimum, iter para tutum! (Most Sweet Heart of Mary, prepare a safe way!) She is the Mother of God, the Mother of men, the Mother of Opus Dei, the Mother of each one of us.
And we should be full of confidence as far as the future is concerned, trusting in the maternal, loving intercession of our Lady: Recordare, Virgo Mater Dei, dum steteris in conspectu Domini, ut loquaris pro nobis bona (Remember, Virgin Mother of God, while you stand in the sight of the Lord, to speak good things on our behalf. ) A trusting and tender recourse to our Mother is a principal part of our spirit. Mary has given us tangible proof of her special favour; she has always smiled on us. When we realize how small and weak we are, and how often we go wrong, we will seek all the strength we need from God through our filial devotion to Mary.