229. Seventh Thursday of Ordinary Time

Meditations no. 102 (unofficial computer-aided translation)

Christ’s example of true charity.

Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. The greatest proof of God’s love for mankind was the Incarnation of his Son; and the whole of Christ’s life is a continuous calling to us to love God and our neighbour.

Our Lord began by setting us an example: coepit facere et docere, he began to do and to teach. St John, the beloved disciple, recounts his own experience in words that reveal great tenderness. He would never forget the signs of personal affection that Jesus showed him. At the Last Supper, as he rested his head on our Lord’s breast, he heard from his lips the commandment of love: Mandatum novum do vobis: ut diligatis invicem. A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another. St John never tired of repeating this commandment to Christians. This is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another … We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren … And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, even as he gave us commandment.

By dying on the Cross, Christ gave us proof of his utterly unmeasurable love. By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. Love should direct our every action. Our daily struggle to grow in virtue can’t be a self-centred affair, but is intimately bound up with the love we owe to God, and in God to every human being. Let us seek those virtues, St John Chrysostom urges, which, while ensuring our salvation, also serve the interests of our neighbour … In matters of this world, no one lives for himself alone. The craftsman, the soldier, the labourer, the merchant, everyone without exception contributes to the good of all and to the profit of his neighbour. How much more, then, should this be so in matters of the spirit, which is life in its highest form? He who lives only for himself and despises others is a useless being; he is not human, he is not of our lineage.

It is by our genuine effort to serve others that we show God that we truly love him. Love seeks not its own interests, but the interests of others.

Our charity embraces all mankind, and is apostolic.

If we truly love others, we will be concerned for the salvation of all mankind and be consumed by apostolic zeal. As we read in one of the documents of the Second Vatican Council: The apostolate is lived in faith, hope and charity poured out by the Holy Spirit into the hearts of all the members of the Church. And the precept of charity, which is the Lord’s greatest commandment, urges all Christians to work for the glory of God through the coming of his kingdom and for the communication of eternal life to all men, that they may know the only true God and Jesus Christ whom he has sent.

The Holy Spirit, who gradually fashions Christ’s likeness in us, urges us to love our fellow men for whom Jesus gave his life. No one has ever seen God, St John tells us. If we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his own Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Saviour of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. Here, then, is the essence of our apostolate. We must confess in word and deed that Jesus is the Son of God, and that his life is what gives meaning to the life of every person. Love is the foundation for our apostolate; and in our spirit, that apostolate begins with human friendship. If you ask me, our Father says, how we are to achieve the charity we seek, I answer that we should carry out our apostolate in the manner that is specifically ours, a natural expression of the Work’s supernatural spirit. First, as you well know, comes our work of friendship and confidence with young people from every sector of society, who are our hope for a tomorrow that is already beginning to take shape.

Then comes the constant practice of the virtues that we need in order to live in harmony with others, cheerfully offering up to God, without anyone noticing it, the inevitable frictions that occur between people with different characters, tastes and ways of thinking, doing so cum omni humilitate et mansuetudine, cum patientia supportantes invicem in caritate, with all humility and meekness, patiently forbearing one another in love.

Don’t exaggerate the difficulties involved. Contemplative souls see Christ in those around them and easily put up with any annoyance that arises in living alongside other people. What is more, they’re not satisfied merely with putting up with others; their goal is much higher. They strive to imitate Jesus Christ in showing a charity that knows no bounds, and a willingness to give way in any personal matters, so long as God is not offended.

We should never regard any sacrifice we make for another person as being excessive. Each soul is worth the whole of Christ’s Passion; the ransom of his life is costly, as the Psalm says. When we sacrifice ourselves for others, we become more Christlike, more Godlike. This is why St Gregory says that there is nothing in man so divine, so Christlike, as meekness and patience in doing good out of love for souls.

Supernatural charity enlivens our interior struggle and expresses itself in small details.

It is our particular calling to seek holiness in everyday work. To sanctify your work, our Founder tells us, you must observe the commandment of Love in everything you do.

Selfishness makes people think only of themselves and arrange everything to their own advantage. But your apostolic zeal must lead you not only to practise the virtue of justice with the utmost care, but also to surpass yourselves in charity. Never allow anyone to pass by unnoticed. Have a friendly word and a helping hand for everyone, following St Paul’s advice: Alter alterius onera portate et sic adimplebitis legem Christi. Bear one another’s burdens, and thus you will fulfil Christ’s law.

Practise this spirit yourselves, and instil it in others. Let it be seen in every aspect of your lives: in the way you pay attention to your colleagues when they share their problems with you; in the silent help you give, perhaps without even being noticed, when someone is unable to cope with all the things he has to do; or in the sincere advice you give to a colleague to help him work better.

Jesus’ promise in today’s Gospel will inspire us to be more attentive in our charity, and to take care even of the tiniest details. Truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ, will by no means lose his reward. This promise should encourage us to show our love for God in specific deeds, seeking ways to serve others and to bring joy into their lives. And we should also think about those areas where we could all too easily lack charity. We can never allow ourselves to make rash judgements. Never think badly of anyone, our Father tells us, not even if the words or conduct of the person in question give you good grounds for doing so. Similarly, our conversations should always reflect an attitude of affection and understanding. Don’t make negative criticism: if you can’t praise, say nothing.

We feel our love is still very weak, while our aim is so high: to love, as I have loved you, with the Heart of Christ. As we finish our prayer today let us ask God to help us grow in charity. We know that generally this will show in small things, such as a smile, a friendly word, the helping hand we offer someone at work… Have you noticed how human love consists of little things? Well, divine Love also consists of little things. Nothing is small in God’s eyes.

We have a model of perfect charity in our Lady. Her life contained few extraordinary events, and she will teach us to how to practise charity gently and sensitively, in such a way that we may turn the little things of each day into something great in the eyes of God.