227. Seventh Tuesday of Ordinary Time
Meditations no. 100 (unofficial computer-aided translation)
Our mission: to co-redeem with Christ.
They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he would not have anyone know it; for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, âThe Son of man will be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him; and when he is killed, after three days he will rise.â
This wasnât the first time Jesus told his Apostles of his approaching Passion and Death on the Cross. But they did not understand the saying, and they were afraid to ask him. They were far from understanding that it was only by means of his Passion and Death that the Redemption of mankind would be achieved.
We know this very well; and we also know that it is our mission to co-redeem, which means cooperating as Godâs instruments so that the fruits of redemption may reach every soul. God chooses to make great things depend on our cooperation. Therefore, our vocation includes a guarantee from Christ that we will always have the grace we need for this supernatural task. He will give us his divine strength to renew the earth, and spread to people across the whole world the desire to achieve holiness in and through their state in life.
Our mission is to arouse the desire for holiness in each soul we come close to. We have the necessary grace, and a great responsibility before God and before other souls. You must inspire others with love of God and zeal for souls, so that they in turn will set on fire many more who are on a third plane and each of these latter spread the flame to their professional companions.
What a lot of spiritual calories you need! And what a tremendous responsibility if you let yourself grow cold! And - I donât even want to think of it - what a terrible crime if you were to give bad example!
Our calling to the Work gives us another reason for seeking holiness: the duty we have of acting according to a specific vocation, with a view to helping bring about the Redemption of all people. Feel the responsibility you have for your mission: all heaven is watching you.
To be co-redeemers, we must be united to Jesus, like branches to the vine.
Co-redeeming souls is a task that seems beyond us, weak and useless as we are, and so full of shortcomings. But then again, the Apostles hardly seemed to have the qualities needed for the mission Christ entrusted to them. Nevertheless, they did carry it out, because Godâs grace was at work in them.
Apostolic fruit depends not on our natural capabilities, but on our union with Christ. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. Our Father comments: You have the whole parable in your mind and imagination. You see that a branch separated from the stock, from the vine, is useless and canât produce fruit; itâs just a dry stick to be thrown onto the fire or used for hurrying animals along; itâs a worthless bit of wood that people trample underfoot without noticing.
But when it is united to the vine, the branch yields all the fruit asked of it. My child, you are the branch. Draw your own conclusions. You must be united to those whom God has placed in positions of government; they are the trunk, the vine to which the others must be closely united. Otherwise you wonât yield any fruit, or at best you will yield the fruit of vanity or even fruit that is completely rotten; and instead of providing nourishment for souls and fostering virtues, you will spoil everything and be the cause of corruption and evil
Sine me nihil potestis facere (apart from me you can do nothing). You have to be convinced that if you donât know how to obey, you will never be effective. By obeying, you will be united to our Lord. And then there will break forth from your heart that cry of Paulâs: Omnia possum in eo qui me confortat! (I can do all things in him who strengthens me. ) When united to your Directors by obedience, nothing will hinder your apostolic work, and you will be a good child of God in Opus Dei: active, enthusiastic, effective, hardworking - the way you should be. And you will produce fruit: fruit for making wine that inebriates, and the wine that the priest changes into the Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Our union with Christ is founded on humility.
Awareness of our own shortcomings, and the knowledge that we have feet of clay, will help us overcome the worst enemy of our interior life and apostolate: namely, discouragement. The saints were able to conquer it. Let us learn to do the same by acting supernaturally, by seeking Godâs help in the sacraments and the Norms, and by not trusting in our own strength but in the power of God who will not forsake his saints.
The fragile clay of which we are made will hold firm provided we are humble. Humility allows the strength of Christ to sustain us, and opens the door to Godâs action in us. Only by being humble and obedient, only by being supernatural, will we be strong and effective. Only then will we fulfil the mission of co-redemption that Christ himself has entrusted to us. Forget that despair produced by the realization of your own weakness. True: financially you are a zero, in social standing another zero, another in virtues, and another in talent. But to the left of these noughts stands Christ. And what an incalculable figure we get!
Co-redemption: God has given us all the means we need in the Work to carry out this divine mission. I want you to be absolutely certain, our Father tells us, absolutely convinced, that since God hears you, loves you and promises you his glory, and since you are protected by an invisible armour (the great shield of the Norms, the spirit, the Customs and the activity of our Work), then if you so desire you can become a soul of great strength, a great instrument for spreading the Work of God throughout the world.
Let us place these desires in the hands of our Blessed Lady, Refugium nostrum et virtus, our refuge and our strength. We ask Mary to ensure that our resolutions yield the fruit our Lord expects of us.