634. Birthday of the Father (II)
Meditations no. 636 (unofficial computer-aided translation)
The unity of the whole Work with the Father is a gift from God.
Opus Dei is a family with supernatural bonds in which there is always a Father who loves his children with the tenderness of Jesus Christ - with an affection which is at once human and supernatural, fatherly and motherly - and children who make an effort to correspond to the self-giving of the Father. We have all experienced countless times this concern for our sanctity and we have given thanks to God for it. Today, as we celebrate the birthday of the Father, we wish to make new resolutions which will help us to correspond more promptly and generously to his details of care as the Good Shepherd.
Among the realities which this anniversary places before our eyes, there is one of capital importance: the unity of the Work. It is a divine gift which shines extremely brightly in our supernatural family by the mercy of God and the faithful correspondence of all of us. Our founder called it to our attention in the following words: We have to zealously safeguard unity, since itâs an enormous good for the Work. Personally, it doesnât make me proud to see youâre united to me. Consider, rather, how wonderful it is that this spirit of service to God, the Church and all souls is lived all over the world. And realise that we owe it all to God, and that it is one of the benefits for which we must thank him.
Unity is a reflection of the supernatural character of Opus Dei, and it contributes greatly to highlighting its beauty. It is the secret of our efficacy and one of the greatest blessings of God for his Work, our founder used to say.
Even though the majority of us are physically far away from the Father, scattered over the far corners of the world, we always feel ourselves very united with him and with his intentions, with a union which is both affective and effective. On some occasions we will be opening up new frontiers in this continuous expansion of the apostolic work; on others we will remain working for many years in the same place. In every situation we live a communion of prayer and desire with the Father.
This reality, which has been abundantly experienced all over the world, moves us to raise our heart to God in thanksgiving, because it is one more sign of the divine origin of our vocation. Don Ălvaro commented to us many times that the greatest miracle of our Father is seen in this wonderful cohesion of the Work, which is âquasi civitas firmaâ (Prov 18: 19), like a fortress which is impregnable to the attacks of the Enemy. We live âconsummati in unumâ (John 17: 23), in a unity which has no human explanation. The affection that unites us, my children and, in the first place, the love you feel for the Father, comes from God.
Some manifestations of unity.
To remain very united to the Father, to struggle with all our strength to live a complete identification with his intentions, is for us an unequivocal sign of good spirit. Feel constantly the responsibility of living every moment âtightly bunchedâ around the Father. I am pointing out to you a central characteristic of your vocation and a condition sine qua non of supernatural efficacy. The branch cannot give fruit if it is not united to the vine, to the trunk, to our Lord Jesus Christ and to those who represent him on earth.
This unity has many and most varied manifestations: the joy it gives us to receive news about the Father or to read and meditate on his words; the promptness with which we take his indications to heart, putting them into practice; the spontaneity with which we open our heart when we write to him⌠And, above all, the constancy of our prayer and mortification, the generous offering up of many hours of professional work well done, our habitual union with the Father throughout the day.
To be united with the Father involves, in a word, feeling ourselves as members of one body. Unum corpus multi sumus (1 Cor 10: 17). That all may be one, and that this be shown in unity of purpose, in unity of apostolate, in unity of sacrifice, in unity of hearts, in the charity with which we deal with one another, in the smile before the Cross and on the Cross. To feel, to beat all in unison!
Union with the Father is practised by being united with the immediate Directors. To love the unity of the Work involves, then, to feel oneself as forming part of this body wherever we are placed. We donât care whether we are a hand or a foot, the tongue or the heart, because each of us is in every part of this body; we are one and the same through the charity of Christ that unites us.
In order to foster this docility, and to convert something which could be costly into a sacrifice which is carried out joyfully, it is essential that those in charge know how to win over their brothers or sisters, whom they are there to serve. When the others see their sincere affection and exclusive concern to love God, along with their authority, they find it much easier to obey.
The government of the Work, our Father once explained, is based on freedom and on trust: the confidence of the one who commands in the responsibility of the one who obeys. For this reason I have said, on occasions, that the Work is like an unorganised organisation in which each Region, each house, acts with complete autonomy. Donât ever go around in a herd, my children, forming a group. Rather, each one, with his own personal freedom and personal responsibility. I believe in freedom as a means of formation. I believe in freedom as a means of efficacy. I believe in trust as a condition for unity.
Unity is a daily conquest.
Unity is not the result of chance, nor is it a goal which has already been achieved once and for all. Constant effort is necessary in order to live it; it is a daily conquest.
In the first place, it is necessary to draw personally close to God, to be ever more united with Him, since where God is not the beginning and the end, where the order of his creation is not the guide and measure of the freedom and action of all, unity is impossible. Our founder assured us that in order to live unity it is sufficient to have a deep life of piety. A great devotion to Jesus in the Host, on the Cross; a great devotion to Holy Mary, our Mother, under all her invocations, in all the ways which Christians seek to express their affection so as to draw close to the Mother of the Saviour, who is also our Mother.
Fully aware that each one carries within himself the risk of dissolution, we must be on guard against the germs of this plague. One would not be an instrument of unity, but rather a factor of division, if he thought selfishly about himself, if he let himself be dragged along by his pride, if he did not struggle against his personal weaknesses. As St Augustine said, pride engenders division, while charity is the mother of unity.
To achieve and maintain unity is a difficult task, our founder explained. It is fostered by acts of humility, self-renunciation, silence. It comes from trying to listen and be understanding, from nobly concerning ourselves about our neighbourâs welfare, from forgiving whenever necessary: in a word, from truly loving with deeds.
Like all great things - and it is good to remind ourselves of this often - unity is built up by dint of little things: the fulfilment of the jobs entrusted to us; fraternity well lived in which we must make demands on ourselves each day, with specific goals; the Norms fulfilled with love in the best possible way⌠In summary, through a life given wholly over to the will of God. In this way there becomes a reality in us something that our founder wrote years ago: I am filled with an immense consolation by the assurance, so proper to the children of God, that we are never alone, because he is always with us. Arenât you moved by this tenderness of the Blessed Trinity, who never abandons his creatures? What is more, as an extension of heavenâs Love, we all experience the warmth of the marvellous unity of the Work. That concern for one another is a great source of strength for our daily struggle.
Let us ask the Blessed Virgin, gathered together with the Apostles in the Cenacle of Jerusalem, to teach us to be very united, in Christ, with our Father, with the Father, with the Directors of the Work and with all our brothers and sisters. We place our trust in her so that Opus Dei may always continue to grow firm, compact and sure.