181. Second Monday of Ordinary Time
Meditations no. 64 (unofficial computer-aided translation)
Each of us has a specific task within the Work.
When our Lady told the servants at the wedding feast of Cana: Do whatever he tells you, Christ said to them: âFill the jars with water.â And they filled them up to the brim. They probably didnât understand why they were given this instruction, and only learned of its effectiveness after the miracle had been worked. But they did what they were told, and they did it well. In order to perform the miracle, God made use of their work, which was unimportant in itself, but which was done well and carefully: usque ad summum, up to the brim.
God relies on us, his creatures, to carry out his plans. And within those plans, within the Work which God is accomplishing in the world, each of us has a small part to play, like the servants at the wedding feast. Jesus wishes to transform the water of temporal reality, all our human endeavour, into something of supernatural value.
Our work may be hard and even quite demanding at times. Yet the love of Christ is urging us on, as St Paul reminds us. God looks for our prompt, generous response. He expects us to plan ahead, to be orderly and to make good use of our time, so that we manage to do all that we should, and so fulfil our share of the work.
Your responsibility should make you vigilant, like the sentry on duty, on whom the safety of a large part of an army may depend. Ours is an army of Christians fighting a marvellous war of Peace and Love. Even when a soldier is exhausted, he doesnât let himself be overcome by sleep.
That is how we should watch, without losing our good spirit, nor the supernatural strength of our divine vocation. We show this loving vigilance in the jobs assigned to us, by gratefully accepting the things we are told, and working with a spirit of enterprise. That is how we will be effective in carrying out the portion of work which God himself has entrusted to us.
The supernatural meaning of our work should often lead us to ask ourselves: âAre we really doing all we can?â
Our sense of responsibility will lead us to work diligently.
We feel an even greater sense of responsibility when we realize that the work entrusted to us is not an isolated task but fits into a much larger undertaking. We are not separate pieces. In fact, the truth is quite the reverse, as our Father reminds us: Despite your own passions and failings, the divine weight of caring for the holiness of the others falls on each of you; and you have on your shoulders the weight, which is equally divine, of protecting the holiness of our Mother the Work, the duty to help safeguard the Christian and social honour of all your brethren in the Holy Church, and the sublime obligation of cooperating in the task of winning souls for God, a work which is so great that at the beginning it is hardly noticed, but which has no limits. How many great things depend upon us!
The extension and complexity of our apostolates require an ever closer unity in our work. Diligence, a virtue we always need, is even more necessary when our work forms part of a project that involves other people as well. If you stop, you make everyone stop, our Father warns us.
Nor can we settle for defective work, with the excuse of its being urgent. That would oblige someone else to finish our task, as well as having to finish their own work. âDiligentâ comes from the verb diligo, which means to love, to appreciate, to choose something after careful consideration and attention. The diligent man does not rush into things. He does his work thoughtfully and lovingly. We shouldnât rush things, nor pass on to others something that is only half-finished. What we are asked to do is not hold back any piece of work a minute longer than is necessary to do it well.
We should see ourselves as part of a joint endeavour, as Godâs instruments united in achieving the same objective, which is that of carrying out his Work in the world. This will help us to look after the hodie et nunc, ours and everyoneâs, our Father says, so that we all do our duty. This will make the whole task effective, and everything will go ahead harmoniously. Then we will be able to offer God a proper human foundation -one that is well-finished - on which he can build his divine Work.
We should endeavour never to be a stagnant pool, but rather a fruitful oasis.
Commenting on one of the questions in the examination of conscience in the Circle, our Father once told us: A person isnât diligent if he forms a stagnant pool that prevents the waters of work from following their course; he isnât diligent, even though his desire is to do a better job. That son of mine should know that he canât do everything by himself; and that, if he behaves in this way, he doesnât have the right spirit. Perhaps deep down there lies a tyrantâs mentality, which is incompatible with the spirit of Opus Dei. Notice I donât deny that this person works: what I am saying is that he doesnât let others work.
In the Work, each of us should be a pool of clear water, through which the river flows, and slows down, just as long as is needed; but not a stagnant pool, a swamp of inefficiency, which would cause it to become blocked, and the land beyond to dry up. It would make it difficult for the water to get to the sea, and of course it would take longer. We should be concerned both to do our own work and to facilitate that of the others. We should each feel responsible for the effectiveness of the entire Work.
And so we need to be diligent in carrying out the tasks entrusted to us by the Work. Each of us needs to have the necessary unity of life that leads us to put the same intense effort into all our activities. Donât forget that the unity of life required by our vocation to the Work of God entails a generous spirit of sacrifice and great self-denial. We are making our way along a divine path, and we must follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ, carrying our own cross, the holy Cross! God our Lord expects us to be generous in our efforts
Referring to our desire to serve, our Father says: This good desire must be translated into deeds, for the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power. And we canât be of constant assistance to others without sacrifice.
A large part of our happiness on earth - the hundredfold promised us by Christ - will consist in seeing the fruit of the combined work to which we have all contributed. The Workâs activity each day is like a great woven fabric that we offer to God. If we all fulfil our work, if we are faithful and dedicated, this great fabric will be beautiful and faultless. When seen as a whole, the Workâs beauty will delight us even more. St John Chrysostom says that if all bear the burden as a single individual, the reasons for joy are all the greater.
When we feel responsibility for the whole of the Workâs activity, we also experience joy at its overall effectiveness, the fruit of the efforts of us all.
We all accomplish the Work, by all pulling together, at the right time, without slackening. Then God blesses our efforts, giving them a wonderful, divine fruitfulness. Let us formulate resolutions that will help us work well. And to strengthen our hope, let us not forget that we have the powerful intercession of Mary, as at Cana.