193. Third Thursday of Ordinary Time

Meditations no. 74 (unofficial computer-aided translation)

The apostolate of good example.

The Letter to the Hebrews encourages us to consider how to stir up one another to love and good works. The early Christians, putting into practice the advice they received from the Apostles, became a living model of holiness for other men and women. By their actions in the middle of the world, they bore witness to the faith they lived by.

The starting point of our work with souls must also be the apostolate of good example. By good example good seed is sown, and charity compels us all to sow.

Our desire to do apostolate stems from our love of God. We want everyone to draw near to God, to believe in him and love him. But God wants this to be achieved through our deeds, even more than through our words. Coepit facere et docere. Jesus began to do and to teach. My children, we must teach by our example. People will believe your doctrine when they see your good deeds, the way you act. Good example is always compelling. But in order to be effective, it must be the result of the simple and natural way in which the members of the Work practise what they preach.

In Opus Dei, through what we call the apostolate of friendship and confidence, we attract souls to God through a word said at the right time, a discreet piece of advice, or a friendly conversation… But the members of the Work do apostolate above all through the example of their upright conduct - through the humble but at the same time daring way in which they show the people around them that they are determined to live an ordinary life that is consistent with their Christian beliefs. They prove their faith by their deeds. For as our Father insists, we do apostolate first of all through our behaviour.

Since our apostolate is essentially personal and based on friendship, our words must necessarily be preceded and reinforced by our good example. It is example that moves and encourages others. The words we say, our apostolate of confidence, will have greater effect if the ground has already been prepared by a holy life, lived in a quite natural way. In the words of St Gregory the Great, a person responds more readily to words that are borne out by the actions of the one who speaks: for while the person speaking invites with his words, his example helps the hearer to live up to them. First, good example, our Father says, which you have a duty to give with a smile, pleasantly. Then, doctrine, in an appropriate way.

Our naturalness in living out our dedication leads us to give a good example.

We cannot hide the spirit that inspires us. As our Lord says in today’s Gospel: Is a lamp brought in to be put under a bushel, or under a bed, and not on a stand?

We are bearers of Christ, and we must necessarily give a good example. In spite of our wretchedness and mistakes, we have to be light and salt, we have to be spiritual health, we have to be constant apostolate, constant drive and service to God and souls.

Always remember Christ’s command: Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

We want to be light. Therefore we strive to serve God naturally alongside our colleagues and in our social surroundings. Others will then be able to recognize our behaviour as truly Christian. How I wish your bearing and conversation were such that, on seeing or hearing you, people would say: This man reads the life of Jesus Christ.

To act otherwise would be to adopt a falsely “natural” way of acting. We can’t stop serving God because others are watching us. When we set a good example, we are not trying to show off our personal merits, which we don’t have. We want to show God’s grace at work in us. Since that is the kind of example a member of the Work should give, it may well be that from a distance, from some way off, he doesn’t attract anybody’s attention. But if anyone were to draw near, and get to know him, they would soon be able to say: here is Christ. For he will feel stirred by the Christi bonus odor (the aroma of Christ), the fragrance of a soul continually speaking to God.

Our Father insists: Don’t worry if by your deeds they “know you.” It is the good aroma of Christ. Besides, since you always work exclusively for him, you can rejoice that the words of Scripture are being fulfilled: May they see your good works and give praise to your Father in heaven. We will rejoice at seeing that our friends are drawn to God by the light he has given us. The power of that light does not consist merely in shining, but in guiding heavenwards those who follow it. Therefore, amid our daily occupations in the world, we must continually seek unbroken conversation and union with Jesus Christ. Then the fire he has enkindled in our hearts will never die out or burn low. And those who come into contact with us will truly sense that we are God’s light shining on the world.

We will come to experience the truth of what our Father wrote about the apostolate of his sons and daughters: By their example and their tactful apostolate of friendship, these souls who are dedicated to God in the middle of the world will promote and spread the desire for sanctity among people of all social classes.

The apostolic effectiveness of a life which allows the spirit of the Work to shine through

Among those around you, apostolic soul, you are the stone fallen into the lake. With your word and your example you produce a first circle… and it, another… and another, and another… wider each time.

Now do you understand the greatness of your mission?

We need to combine good example with the spoken word. Example paves the way for our words, and gives them strength. Example and the spoken word are inseparable means for our apostolate of friendship and confidence. When we carry out the apostolate of the word, we are also following Christ’s example. Our Lord didn’t lead a solitary life, but showed himself in public, talking with people in a friendly way, encouraging them to approach him trustingly. He attracted people by his light. Those who accepted him, those who responded to his love, he called his friends; and he confided to them things that are shared only among friends.

We want to imitate Christ, to be alter Christus, ipse Christus, another Christ, Christ himself. We have received the light of the spirit of the Work, which enables us, through the example of our ordinary life, to set the hearts of those around us on fire with the love of God.

We must learn to put ourselves to one side, sacrifice ourselves, forget about ourselves. We must learn to burn before our God, out of love for others and love for God, like those candles burning before the altar, giving light until they are completely spent.

As our Father taught us, we need to defend the Faith fervently, through our teaching and the example of a life that is lived in accordance with our beliefs. We need to imitate our Lord who acted and taught, coepit facere et docere. The apostolate of doctrine will be deficient and incomplete, unless it is reinforced by example. There is a proverb from popular wisdom that clearly expresses what I am saying: Friar Example is the best preacher.

We win other people’s confidence by showing them a good example, by being generous and willing to help them, and by trying to be understanding and cheerful. This will lead to what Don Álvaro referred to as those little confidences that allow us to speak about God, about the apostolate, and about being faithful to grace. They will bring consolation and light to troubled souls and will end up by being true spiritual guidance. Let us ask our Lady, Queen of Apostles, who is also our Queen, to help us fulfil our duty of giving a good example through our apostolate of friendship and confidence.