456. Thirty-second Saturday of Ordinary Time
Meditations no. 402 (unofficial computer-aided translation)
Jesus prepared his disciples for the apostolate.
Beloved, it is a loyal thing you do when you render any service to the brethren, especially to strangers, who have testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey as befits Godâs service.
So St John writes in his third epistle. He doesnât just point out the need to take care of and help others, that is, to do apostolate. He offers specific indications to guide their apostolic activity. St John is following the example set by our Lord, who gave three years of constant formation and sculpted the characters of those who were to become the pillars of the Church.
Few words are needed, our Father wrote, to evoke how Jesus painstakingly explained his parablesâ deepest meaning to the first twelve; or his care in correcting their all too human reaction when reaping the first fruits of their apostolic harvest; his constancy in stressing basic teachings; his fortitude in correcting their ambitions and earthly understanding of Godâs kingdom; his kindness in seeking their meagre collaboration, in order to encourage them, at the hour of the great miracles; his tender concern that they should rest. Youâve contemplated with me how Jesus awakened the awareness of the Apostles, so that they could appreciate the greatness of their vocation, which many prophets and kings would have longed for; and how he initiated them little by little - their weakness would not have allowed him to act otherwise - into the mystery of the holy Cross.
These are scenes from our Lordâs life and therefore will always be relevant for us. Now too Jesus has disciples who preach in his name: we, who follow our Lord like those first twelve, also have a specific apostolic mission. And like them, we also need formation. Our Father often stressed: There is an urgent need for spreading the doctrine of Christ.
Store up your training, fill yourself with clear ideas, with the fullness of the Christian message, so that afterwards you can pass it on to others.
Our Lord wants us to receive this formation through our Directors. Docility.
The foundation of our apostolic formation is God, our Father, watching over each one of us, offering us what we need, and teaching us what we have to know. Heâs been at our side since the beginning of our vocation, showing us our apostolic path. In the words of the Psalm, O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.
The Lord himself is the source of our formation. But he also wanted to entrust it to human instruments who would show us, in his name, the apostolic path we must travel. From the beginning of our vocation, the Directors have helped us acquire the virtues we need for our mission: balance, serenity, fortitude, a sense of responsibility⌠along with all the different aspects of our spirit. Our task, which lasts our entire life, is to learn to practise all of these in an integral way.
Itâs not just a matter of listening and learning the theory. This is necessary, but is only part of the picture. We need to strive each day to practise it better, faithfully following the path marked out for us: quickly if possible, slowly at times, but never halting or straying from the path. For as St Augustine said: a lame man who sticks to the path makes better progress than a runner off the path. The important thing is to assimilate our formation ever more deeply, and therefore we need to be docile: always keep meekly and humbly to the paths that God shows you, St Augustine advises.
We should be attentive and not lose any opportunity to learn and practise our apostolic spirit. And we should always be ready to set aside our own points of view, for as our Father wrote, you have come to the apostolate to submit, to annihilate yourself, not to impose your own personal viewpoints. Submission, docility, obedience: for we are doing the Work of God and, as the Psalmist says, he leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.
When I was a young priest, our Father once recalled, and used to give many retreats to priests and religious, I met some who were not very obedient to their bishop and would ask them: âHow are you going to be effective, if youâre a âfreelance apostleâ? How can a branch separated from the stem yield any fruit?â It wouldnât produce even green leaves, much less rich and choice clusters of grapes!
The branch bears fruit, if itâs united to the vine. A branch not united to the vine, instead of being a living thing, is a dry stick fit only for a fire, or for herding animals, at best, and to be trampled on by passers-by.
My children, be very united to the stem, which is Jesus Christ, by being very obedient to the Directors.
If we allow ourselves to be guided, if we assimilate our formation well, our life will bear much fruit for the glory of God and in the service of his holy Church.
Apostolic and professional formation for our apostolate in the world.
My son, our Father said, you are salt, light and leaven, and must not fail to bring your light to the furthest corner of society. But for the flame of doctrine to shine forth effectively, you first need to be well-trained professionally: you need to study so as to be learned. Learned among your peers: whether you be a farm-labourer, worker, doctor or diplomat.
Since we form part of the world, our apostolate adapts to all the daily circumstances of those we live alongside. Itâs not something external, separate from society, but rather it springs forth from the very heart of society. Hence, all the formation we receive is in a certain sense formation for apostolate. When we train thoroughly to practise a profession, we are also preparing to be more effective apostolically. By struggling to become saints, by striving to identify ourselves with the spirit of the Work, we are nurturing our interior life, which will necessarily produce apostolic fruits. When we study the truths of our faith more deeply, and when we improve our human formation, we are facilitating the action of grace in those around us. Our formation, our Father wrote, is, therefore, the means we need to fulfil our specific aim in every sector in society.
In 1939 our Father described our task of formation as follows: We need to form Christians full of optimism and drive, capable of living a divine adventure in the world: compossessĂłres mundi, non errĂłris; having possession of the world, alongside other men, but not of its errors. We need Christians determined to foster, defend and protect Christâs interests - his loves - in society, Christians who can distinguish Catholic doctrine from what is simply opinion, while striving to be firmly united and compact in essentials, and who love freedom and the personal responsibility it entails.
We will always need to deepen our apostolic formation. We should seek it, and beseech God: Make me know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long? Through the Directors, he will give us the formation we need to ensure our apostolate will indeed be Christâs apostolate and bear the fruit he wants for the Work.
Our Lady, RegĂna Operis Dei, RegĂna ApostolĂłrum, Queen of Opus Dei, Queen of Apostles, will help us always to receive formation with humble docility.