601. October 28, Sts. Simon & Jude, Apostles
Meditations no. 528 (unofficial computer-aided translation)
We will encounter difficulties along our path as apostles.
The life of Christâs Apostles was a cheerful one. Nevertheless their path was strewn with thorns and marked by the sign of the cross. They faced setbacks, insults, sufferings. ⌠Our Lord had forewarned them, Beware of men; for they will deliver you up to councils, and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear testimony before them and the Gentiles. Today we celebrate the feast of the Apostles Simon and Jude, who were relatives of our Lord. They preached Christâs teachings in Egypt, Mesopotamia and Persia, and brought the faith to a multitude of persons. Finally, together they gave glory to the holy name of Jesus Christ by a glorious martyrdom.
Todayâs gospel reminds us that an apostle is a sign of contradiction among men. A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you; if they kept my word, they will keep yours also. It should not amaze us, then, that in carrying out our apostolic work we encounter difficulties and adversity. The divine plant sown by the Divine Sower is now producing the most beautiful roses in your hands, which fulfill our deepest aspirations of service to God and to his holy Church. What does it matter if we sometimes also find thorns? They are the proof that we are doing Christâs apostolate.
Difficulties in our apostolic activity can come from our surroundings, from certain individuals and from a lack of means. Our Father warns us, Even good persons will oppose your work. Discipuli autem increpabant eos (Mt 19: 13). When children approached Christ Jesus, the disciples tried to hold them back. Our Lord had to intervene and tell them, Sinite parvulos ad me venire et nolite eos prohibere (Mt 19: 14): let them come to me.
There are some people who, from the start, will label you in the way that they want. That is how you will learn not to put labels on anybody. Labels change, for, as times goes by, what seemed worthless turns out to be a treasure. Perhaps you will more than once experience what I did, when all I had was my youth and good humour: I prayed and, Iâm not ashamed to say it, I wept.
When we bear adversity out of love for God, it always produces fruit. Quando orabas cum lacrimis⌠ego obtuli orationem tuam Domino (Tob 12: 12). When you prayed in tears, the archangel tells Tobias, I presented your prayer to the Lord. Then the supernatural meaning of our dedication becomes more real For we experience in our flesh and in our heart, the offering that we have made of our lives to God, which rises up to him in odorem suavitatis (Eph 5: 2).
We should imitate the apostlesâ courage in the face of persecution. The Church exhorts us today: by your patience you will save your souls.
Difficulties in the apostolate are âmatters of courseâ and are not to be given excessive importance.
Even when difficulties are objective, our tendency to exaggerate may make them seem bigger than they actually are. Our Father forewarned us, Men who know they are sons of God can also fall into pessimism when, faced with severe adversity, their pride or âespirit de corpsâ does not permit them to see that they are ut iumentum. You already know what I say about the donkey. The more blows he receives, the more he works. Ours must be the same spirit, so that if we ever face adversity, we will not become discouraged.
By facing obstacles calmly and with a supernatural outlook, we will see that they are never as daunting as they might at first appear. There will always be difficulties of one sort or another, but they are always overcome. They are âmatters of courseâ which you will conquer by your sacrifice, your prayer and your joy. Besides, donât forget that we rely on Godâs grace, the passage of time, our charity and our work. Things change, persons mature, and those who once criticized and were opposed end up praising and helping.
Donât suffer if you are called names. They are right! Our Lord tells us through St Matthew, unus est bonus: Deus (Mt 19: 17). God alone is good. At times, my sons, you have to remember that Gospel parable: exiit qui seminat seminare semen suum (Lk 8: 5). The sower went out to sow his seed. But the generous scattering of the handfuls of pure gold, the grains of wheat, brings with it many worries: rainstorms and drought, sun and mist, cold and heat. Any of these could cause harm.
We will also encounter difficulties in St Raphaelâs work. The seed that we abundantly sow may need time to bear fruit, particularly at the beginning, or souls may not respond as we had hoped. Other times, it is a problem of a lack of tone, the bad manners of one of the lads who comes to our Centres. In this case, it may happen that the director is not in tune with the situation, owing perhaps to a strict upbringing and a lack of experience. Or perhaps his work is very tiring, and demands effort, patience, sacrifice, renunciation and, I must also add, deep humility. You should be prepared not to take offence at such things, but to overlook them with a smile.
As I have told you before, give the fellows responsible jobs to do. Pray for them. Treat them with affection and understanding, with Christâs charity. And you will see them change into very faithful instruments in your hands, like clay in the hands of the potter, sicut lutum in manu figuli (Jer 18: 6).
When confronting difficulties in the apostolate, we ought to remain always calm and cheerful. Success or failure lies in the interior life. Success consists of peacefully receiving the Cross of Jesus Christ with our arms wide open, because for Jesus and for us the Cross is a throne and the exaltation of love.
Difficulties are overcome with Godâs help and by persistence.
My children, when you encounter adversity and silently bear it with a glad smile, being filled with operative charity, then your life fills up with divine wisdom, quoniam sapientia aperuit os mutorum et linguas infantium fecit disertas (Wis 10: 21). In time you will see how Godâs wisdom will open the mouth of the dumb and make eloquent those who have tried to become like children.
I know that you will always attach great importance to those words from St Paul: omnes enim filii Dei estis per fidem (Gal 3: 26). You are all children of God through faith. What power we have! We have the power of being and knowing ourselves to be children of God. But if, in spite of everything, you think that your work yields little fruit, recall Isaiahâs words, electi mei non laborabunt frustra (Is 65: 23). My chosen ones will never work in vain.
Everyone ought to consider that graecis et barbaris, sapientibus et insipientibus, debitor sum (Rom 1: 14). I have a debt of charity and service to all men and women, to the whole world, to Greeks and foreigners, to the learned and the unlearned. Therefore we should not be fainthearted in the face of difficulties. It must never happen, as a result of our omissions, that anyone might say to our Lord, quia nemo nos conduxit (Mt 20: 7). No one has called us.
Difficulties should spur us on to increase our apostolic zeal. They should lead us to return with greater determination and effort to the task entrusted to us, increasing our faith and confidence in God. Nothing that we do for him is ever lost. As a good Father, he will help us as often as necessary. On our part we only have to make the effort to raise our hand and grasp tightly the hand that God, by his grace, extends to us from heaven. We must be firmly convinced that divine grace will overcome everything. Our Father assures us that as Godâs instruments we can do everything. Omnia possum in eo qui me confortat (Phil 4: 13)! I can do all things in Him who strengthens me! For in his goodness he has deigned to make use of inept instruments, namely you and me. The Apostle has no other aim but to let God act, to make himself available so that God may accomplish his saving work through his creatures, through his chosen souls.
As always, we have trusting recourse to our Ladyâs intercession. Under her protection we will overcome all of the difficulties we encounter in our apostolate, whether great or small. And we will merit to hear Jesus tell us the words he addressed to his Apostles: When the Son of man shall sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.