437. Thirtieth Friday of Ordinary Time

Meditations no. 387 (unofficial computer-aided translation)

Holy shamelessness and naturalness.

One sabbath when he went to dine at the house of a ruler who belonged to the Pharisees, they were watching him. Our life, like that of Jesus, unfolds among people in the heart of society. And sometimes we may find ourselves in a situation similar to that in today’s Gospel: people are watching Christ closely in an attempt to catch him off guard. They don’t believe in his divine mission, nor do they understand his supernatural teaching. Moreover, many are envious because the number of his disciples is increasing.

At the banquet all eyes are fixed on Jesus. And behold, there was a man before him who had dropsy. And Jesus spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath, or not?” But they were silent.

Jesus does what he has to do, unconcerned about false scandals. And then, he explains his behaviour. That is how we should practise our faith. At times those around us may not appreciate our example or may even oppose it. They may criticize or look for twisted motives in some aspects of our apostolate or professional work. But we can never make concessions in essential matters, nor hide our light, in a false attempt to adapt ourselves to the environment around us.

Perhaps at times our Christian conduct may cause surprise among people who are far from God: you must have the courage then, supported by divine omnipotence, to be faithful. I ask that all my children may have the strength of spirit that enables them to carry their own environment around with them. For it would be a very sad thing if anyone looking at the way Catholics in society behave, concluded that they were sheepish and easily imposed upon.

Never forget that our Master was, indeed is, perfectus Homo, perfect Man.

We need strength of character to lead a Christian life with all its consequences. Therefore, my daughters and sons, we have no alternative at times but to give a hard time to ourselves and to others, to help them be better. We wouldn’t be apostles if we weren’t ready to have other people misinterpret our actions and react disagreeably.

We need to be convinced that the saints - we don’t consider ourselves to be saints, though we want to be -are necessarily uncomfortable people, men and women - like my holy Catherine of Siena! - who by their example and word are a continual source of unease for consciences compromised by sin.

Therefore, our Father concludes, you have to learn to disagree charitably with others - whenever the need arises - without becoming unpleasant.

For apostolic reasons also.

In the Gospel reading we see that after healing the man with dropsy, Jesus speaks to the banquet guests about humility and generosity. Our Lord always has an apostolic intent: to save us, to be light for our minds and life for the world.

With the straightforwardness our Founder always asked of us, we too must seek the good of all souls. By our good example and sound doctrine, we will try to draw them closer to God. Our Father wrote: I was telling you that a saint is an “uncomfortable” person. But that doesn’t mean he has to be “unbearable”. His should never be a bitter zeal. When he corrects he should not do so in a wounding manner. His example should not be a “moral slap in the face” for his friends. Christ’s charity, the holy forbearance towards others I referred to, should soften everything, so that there may never be said of a son or daughter of mine what has been said, unfortunately but at times justifiably, of certain good people: It takes two saints to put up with one.

Our attitude ought to be just the opposite. We don’t want anyone to go away because we haven’t known how to understand them or treat them affectionately. We should never be people who are looking for a fight. Let us follow St Paul’s advice: If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.

We should be careful never to hinder the path to God for those who draw near us, by falling into a mistaken shamelessness. Here charity is our sure guide. Our behaviour must always be marked by sensitivity and affection. We should listen to and take an interest in other people’s concerns and struggles. As our Father wrote, you should always be well-mannered towards everybody, especially towards those who present themselves as your adversaries (you should never have enemies), when you are trying to let them see their mistake.

Besides the gentle tact that makes the path toward holiness more agreeable, our Christian life will be marked by its naturalness. Since we share in the same problems as everyone else and speak the same language, we have no need to adapt ourselves. It is true that you must always live among the people of your time, in accordance with their mentality and customs. But always be prepared to make a defence … for the hope that is in you in Christ Jesus. It should never happen that the fact that you don’t have to adapt to your surroundings, since you are already among your fellow men, means that you cannot be distinguished as disciples of Christ. What a great deal of wishful thinking, fear and cowardice there is in certain desires for adaptation!

Fulfilling all our duties, even amidst storms.

The usual environment in which we carry out our activities, relate to others and seek holiness, is our professional work. There, among our colleagues, we find our apostolic opportunities. We must therefore do our best to fulfil the duties deriving from our professional work.

However, our work may also give rise to obstacles, unjust criticism and slander. We need to be ready for this and confront these situations with the necessary tact and prudence. In any case, such criticisms and misunderstandings should be no reason to lessen our apostolic zeal or get discouraged. Don’t grieve, don’t be downcast, St John Chrysostom says. The Apostles too were the fragrance of death for some and the fragrance of life for others. Let us not give reason for slander and we will be free from all blame, or rather, our joy will be greater in the face of false accusations.

Let our exemplary lives shine forth then, and let us pay no attention to unjust criticism. A person determined to be a saint will inevitably encounter opposition. But this only serves to increase his crown of glory. Therefore, we should seek one thing alone: to order our own conduct perfectly. If we do so, we will lead those who walk in darkness to the Christian life. For the power of this light consists not just of shining, but of raising up those who follow it. If others see we do not seek things here below but build for eternity, more than any discourse they will believe our deeds.

Let us always be serene. Nothing on earth is fixed for ever. No situation is beyond remedy. The passing of time favours those who work with an upright intention and don’t seek their own advantage. By our peace, we’ll be a beacon of light for our colleagues and friends, leading them to seek God, to serve him, and come to love our vocation.

If we persevere in our work and fulfil all our social duties, the apostolic fruits are sure to come. We’ll win the friendship and trust of those around us. And we’ll be able to carry out a deep work of apostolate, spreading doctrine with the gift of tongues, with daring. Our

Father wrote: The spreading of Christian teaching need not provoke antagonism or harm those who do not know our doctrine. Caritas omnia suffert - love bears all things. If one proceeds with charity, anyone who might otherwise have been opposed to Christianity and been deceived by error may easily and honestly end up committing himself to it. However, there can be no giving ground in dogma in the name of a naive “breadth of belief”, for if anyone acted in this way he would risk putting himself out of the Church. Instead of winning a benefit for others he would harm himself.

Our Mother, Queen of Apostles, will help us always to grow amid the normal difficulties life brings. Mary will help us to seek holiness and be apostolic in our work.