207. Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time (C)

Meditations no. 84 (unofficial computer-aided translation)

Interior life is necessary for the apostolate.

In this sea of the world there are many, many souls being tossed about in turbulent waters… But listen to these words from Jeremiah: Ecce ego mittam piscatores multos … et piscabuntur eos. Behold, says the Lord, I am sending many fishermen - among them, you and me - and I will catch those fish, led by zeal for the salvation of all souls, led by divine concern.

We are living instruments in God’s hands; we are a divine net that Jesus wishes to use in order to draw many souls to himself. Like the Apostles twenty centuries ago, we are in Christ’s boat. Just as the crowds did then, so too now they press upon him to hear the word of God. Our Father urges us: Let’s get moving: the undertaking is a huge one. Let’s go out and fish! People are swimming about in some very bitter waters, amid huge waves. Their lives are troubled and sad, even when they seem to be full of cheerfulness and laughter. It is only a hollow laughter, with which they try to drown out their sadness, that bitterness of theirs which is devoid of all charity and understanding… We have to bring them into the divine net and help them love one another. Jesus tells each of us: “Look, the multitudes are yours because they are mine. Go and fish!” “But Lord,” we reply, “there are so many dangers! People don’t respond, they don’t listen, they don’t come, they don’t move.” Venite post me et faciam vos fieri piscatores hominum; “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

In order to satisfy people’s thirst for doctrine, our Lord has called us by name and told us to do apostolate. And if that apostolate is to be effective and God’s word is to be fruitful on our lips, we need interior life, which is what gives it its strength and power.

This is the lesson we learn from Christ, as we contemplate the Gospel scenes. On one occasion, after preaching to the multitudes beside the Sea of Galilee, our Lord stepped into the boat and commanded them to draw off a little from the shore. How often I have told you that we are in Peter’s boat with Jesus, but slightly apart from the crowd, in order to be heard better by them and to avoid being trampled on. This is what we achieve with our interior life. So long as we fulfil the Norms, we can be in the middle of the world, and in some way separated but at the same time very close to the people. Our spiritual life, our life as contemplative souls, is vital if we are to be apostles. And the various means of formation that the Work gives us are the indispensable foundation for building up our apostolic work. In the silence of our prayer we store up God’s word - the word which people are waiting for -until it overflows for the benefit of others.

Prayer is the way, our Father always told us. In a meditation he gave to his sons in Rome he said: Prayer is the basis of all supernatural work … And what have all the saints done, my sons? I do not think there has been one single saint without prayer. No one has been canonized without being a soul of prayer.

God asks for mortification and penance.

Jesus moved away from the shore and preached to the crowd from Peter’s boat. Then, when he had ceased speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” He ordered the Apostles, who had spent the entire night on the rough waters of the Sea of Galilee, to lower their nets once more for a catch. And Peter’s tired voice made itself heard above the noise of the waves: Master, we toiled all night and took nothing. Peter thought about the previous night’s work of casting and hauling in the nets, and toiling over the oars, with nothing to show for it.

A whole night’s work wasted, and now Jesus was telling them to lower their nets again. Peter was worn out and discouraged, but when he saw the confident look that our Lord was giving him, he gave in and said: “At your word I will let down the nets.” And when they had done so, they enclosed a great shoal of fish; and … their net was breaking.

We need a spirit of mortification in order to overcome tiredness and difficulties. Jesus is waiting for us to listen to his voice, as Peter did, and then he will bring about a great apostolic harvest through us. Apostolate entails self-denial, sacrifice, a holocaust of ourselves. When you consider the beauty, the greatness and the effectiveness of apostolic work, our Father wrote, you say that your head aches thinking of the amount of ground that still has to be covered - there are so many souls who are waiting! But you feel so happy offering yourself as a slave to Jesus. You have a great desire for his Cross and for suffering, for Love and for souls. Without thinking about it, in an instinctive gesture - which was one of Love - you stretched out your arms and opened the palms of your hands, ready for him to nail you to his Holy Cross. You were ready to be his slave - serviam - which is to reign.

We need to be mortified and penitent. And our mortification will be reflected in the sporting spirit we show in overcoming the tiredness and weariness that all apostolate involves. St Paul says that many people, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, live as enemies of the cross of Christ. We, on the other hand, wish to die through mortification in order to yield fruit. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.

Mortification is a necessary premise for every kind of apostolate, and for bringing each apostolate to perfection.

In our apostolate we have to make use of the human means as well.

Apart from the supernatural weapons of prayer and penance, God wants us to make use of all the talents he has given us. Like the Apostles, we too must prepare our nets, which are the personal instruments of apostolate that God wants us to use for a divine catch. These include our professional competence and standing - our hook for fishing men, as our Father wrote - and also our friendliness and good humour, by which we encourage souls to follow Christ. Long face, rough manner, ridiculous appearance, unfriendly attitude. Is that how you hope to inspire others to follow Christ? Another gift we have is our ability to attract and enthuse those around us: I’ve been told that you have the knack of drawing souls to your way. Thank God for the gift of being an instrument for seeking other instruments.

Human virtues are essential if our work with souls is to bear fruit. The Apostles were docile, patient and persevering; and thanks to these virtues they saw their nets filled to overflowing. If we try to imitate them, many other souls will be drawn to Christ’s boat, wounded by love and contrition, surrendering themselves completely or at least with the desire of doing so.

Sincere friendship, perseverance, friendliness and good humour… these are, we might say, the nets that we must always have ready for use. If we practise these virtues daily and set them on the firm foundation of prayer and mortification, we are guaranteed a good catch. Provided we go about our apostolic work in this spirit, we will see our efforts rewarded.

Let us turn to Mary, Regina Apostolorum, Queen of the Apostles. She will ensure that our apostolate is always fruitful, through the sacrifice and effort we put into responding to grace, as God’s instruments.