175. First Thursday of Ordinary Time

Meditations no. 60 (unofficial computer-aided translation)

Optimism in the apostolate: a necessary consequence of faith.

You hear people saying sometimes that there are fewer miracles nowadays, our Father writes. Might it not rather be that there are fewer people living a life of faith?

Most of Christ’s miracles were carried out in response to a humble attitude of faith. A good example of this is found in today’s Gospel. A leper came to him, writes St Mark, beseeching him, and kneeling said to him, “If you will, you can make me clean.” Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him, and said to him, “I will; be clean.” And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. On another occasion, when he was asked to heal the centurion’s servant at Capharnaum, Christ was astonished at the centurion’s faith and praised him, saying that he had never found such belief among the people of Israel. And he granted the centurion’s request, restoring his servant to health.

The faith shown by the centurion and the leper moved Jesus to reveal his almighty power. The same happened in the case of the Canaanite woman, and in the other miracles recorded in the Gospels. Whenever faith is humble and daring, Christ is moved to display his power. In Jesus Christ God has established a new and everlasting covenant with mankind. He has placed his almighty power at the service of our salvation. When his creatures lose confidence and are afraid through lack of faith, we hear once again the voice of Isaiah who speaks out in the name of the Lord: Is my hand too short to redeem? Have I not strength to save? With one threat I can dry the sea and turn rivers to desert; so that their fish shrivel up for want of water and die of thirst. I clothe the heavens with darkness, and make sackcloth their covering.

Faith always produces optimism and the certainty of victory. If we were to rely on our own power alone, we would have good reason to be discouraged. Certain obstacles would seem insurmountable, and many of our apostolic targets would appear totally unrealistic. But if we live by faith, then we know we are not alone when we have to face difficulties and when we strive to make our dreams a reality. With us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles. And so we can say with the Psalmist: On God rests my deliverance and my honour; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. Faith, the certainty that we are working with God and for his glory, is the victory that overcomes the world. It always brings a sense of calm and optimism to our apostolate.

We must be optimists. However, our optimism springs from faith in God’s almighty power: God does not lose battles! Our optimism does not stem from thoughtless, human satisfaction or from foolish and presumptuous complacency.

Inter medium montium pertransibunt aquae: difficulties are overcome with faith.

I send you forth throughout the world with a strong sense of confidence, a “superiority complex”, since it is God our Lord who wants you to do this apostolate. Be convinced of it Pray about the things I am telling you now. Think: “I am worth little, I can do little, I have no resources.” It may also be the case that in your Region the Work has not got any resources either, but omnia possum in eo qui me confortat! (I can do all things in him who strengthens me. ) Keep going! Keep going forward, with a stubbornness that is holy and that, in the spiritual sphere, is called perseverance.

The Work will be carried out, as it is at present and as it always has been, in spite of all the difficulties. In 1934 our Father wrote: I am fully aware of the “obstacles” you will encounter. Some of them might seem insurmountable… However, inter medium montium pertransibunt aquae (the waters will pass through the mountains). The supernatural spirit of the Work and your drive and zeal will traverse the mountains, and you will overcome those obstacles.

The important thing is not to create obstacles for ourselves through our lack of faith, love or hope. We shouldn’t become discouraged in the face of misunderstandings, or when we come up against a lack of generosity - at least initially - on the part of people we are in touch with. Nor should we be disheartened when we see ourselves the way we really are; or when we realize how few resources we have at our disposal. The faults of others should not cause our own charity to become less fervent. Nor should our faith suffer because of apparent setbacks, or because of our own wretchedness.

Opus Dei is a great work of faith. Our Father asked the early members of the Work to have faith in the mission he had received from God. Have great faith in God, he would say, and a bit of faith in this poor sinner as well. Now, as ever, the Work needs our faith. There are always many obstacles, and the goals are hard to attain. Let us stir up our faith, as we are all joined together in prayer. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.

Pray then. And if, in spite of everything, our faith should falter, let us cry out to Jesus, the Great King whom we want to serve as soldiers, using the same words that escaped from the souls of the disciples, as St Luke recounts: Adauge nobis fidem! Increase our faith!

Need for faith in our daily apostolate.

Adauge nobis fidem, we ask our Lord, with the Apostles. And the Church exhorts us: Let us praise the God who is our refuge; in him we have placed all our hope. Let us call on him devoutly saying: Lord, look upon your children! God does not turn his back on the prayers of his beloved children. But we do need faith, a practical faith that sheds light not only on the great truths and fundamental principles, but also on the ordinary events of each day.

St Bernard writes: Sometimes our faith appears uncertain about things of the present although it is very firm about the future … But what sort of unbelief is that? Or rather, is any greater madness possible? Could uncreated Wisdom, the eternal Truth, deceive? Could infinite Charity not wish to give us what he has offered, or the Almighty be unable to fulfil his promise? He will fulfil his promise not only in heaven, but here and now as well, in our daily pursuit of holiness and apostolate, in our efforts to win new apostles, in the fulfilment of our small daily duties, and in our fight to overcome the various difficulties that crop up.

Let us ask God to increase our faith and to cast his divine light upon our daily tasks, so that we can be filled with love and hope and our efforts can bear fruit. God is always the same. It is men of faith that are needed. Then there will be a renewal of the wonders we read about in Sacred Scripture.

Ecce non est abbreviata manus Domini. God’s arm, his power, has not grown weaker!

This is the faith with which we want to face up to all that the day has in store for us, all the challenges of the interior struggle, our work, and the apostolate. Once again we will be able to say with our mother Mary: the

Lord has shown strength with his arm. For if you are faithful you will be able to boast of victory, and in your life you will not experience defeat There is no such thing as failure as long as we work with a pure intention and the desire to fulfil God’s will. Whether or not we are successful, we have still triumphed, because we have done our work for Love.