the tree of good roots starts bearing fruits: Apostolate

Manila retreat 14

We bring out what we experience inside: Need of Apostolate

Great part of our days and our life is dedicated to the apostolate. Actually Jesus himself dedicated a lot of time to the poor. All founders underlined well that we are for the poor, and our congregation is registered among those of active life, not of the contemplative. So is it there a contradiction with what we said till now about the need of being mystics? Nobody denies the importance of the apostolate. Every apostolate has always the double dimension: the help of the needy and the witness to the Kingdom of God. So the real question is to discover which is the place of apostolate (or its use) in the plan of God.

Apostolate is a necessary part of religious life, even for the contemplative congregations. Pope Francis insists very much that our faith and witness becomes real going out towards the foarthest, the most needed and rejected.

When we look at our works of charity (especially in places like Europe in which they seem to have become redundant since government is doing the same and with better equipments, we have to have clear in mind 2 things: the target of our apostolate and the message it presents to them.

Our works of charity work always on three levels: 1^st they target the needy (being them people with disabilities, elderly, pèoor etc.). 2^nd target is the people involved with our works which means our staff, the relatives of our clients and the voluntary who a different levels come to help us. They too are a target of our apostolate. 3^Rd but not least is the whole society, all those who do not know us, will never enter our premises but seeing from outside the work we do must be provoked to reflect on the value of life, need of service, need of care for the weak, goodness of religion etc. So target of our works are not only the clients we serve directly.

Regarding the message we want to address to all the three categories, this is also by-folded:

1^st message which should always be there clearly is about God's love and care for all. That is why we love them, because God loves them and they are precious to Him and they must feel it through our work. 2^Nd Also the Church love them and we witness the concern of the Church through our work. We do not speak only about our Congregation, we always speak in the name of the whole and local Church and work in communion with it.

Let us see the different dimensions of apostolate that need to be considered:

1. Theological dimension: God sent his Son to reconcile the world to himself. He wants all of us to participate to his life. So any apostolate has as a goal the “total” salvation of the person and of the society. Now, the material uplift of the person (intellectual, medical, social, etc.) is the exterior aspect, the only visible, and is a very important aspect, otherwise our apostolate loses credibility, but is not the only aspect and not even the most important one. “But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Mt 6:33).
2. Spiritual dimension: Christ came to redeem us. He is the only and universal Redeemer so every apostolate has to be Christ centered. “For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1Cor 1:22-24). We cannot make an apostolate which has no Christ in it. We cannot plan an apostolate only based on our skills, our structures etc. We cannot have an apostolate which does not pass through our daily Eucharist, our daily meditation, etc. We cannot have an apostolate which is perfectly and strictly tied to the structure, the rules etc. because often the Spirit breaks our standards. Any structure, by nature, makes a selection and tends to eliminate those who do not fit in it (who, most of the times are those really in need).
3. Social dimension: God wants to save everyone, so the target of our apostolate is “everyone”, especially the most needy, including the sinners, those who reject God, those who refuse our mission. “Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices.” (Lk 15:4-5). This does not mean that we have to convert them or force them to become Christians. It means, instead, that the “good news” of Salvation has to reach them. Most of the times this will be done not through words but through our attitude. Our apostolate for them will be our acceptance, understanding and forgiveness.
4. Methodological dimension: Apostolate is a work of Christ so it must have the style of Christ (Phil 2:5-8). We will see later the characteristics of Jesus’ style. Of course we need a daily confrontation with the Gospel, and that is why I said that our apostolate has to pass through our meditation. We should also ask ourselves: Am I sure that what I do is the will of God, how he wants it?
5. Ecclesial dimension: As we said this morning Jesus did not do everything by himself but worked as group, and entrusted to the group, which eventually developed into the Church, the mission of continuing his apostolate. So apostolate cannot appear as work of one person (even when there is only one person working in it), but has to be a community work and a Church work. We always work in the name of the Church, inside of the plan of the Church and in communion with the other organizations and congregations which work in the Church. Think for a moment at the competition often existing between different institutions, schools, the gossips we spread among the people about other congregations or even about the bishop or the Church. Even if what we say is the truth, such gossips create division among people, and division is always the work of the devil.
6. Emotional dimension: this dimension is more important than expected because apostolate is basically a relationship and in every relationship emotions are important. When we deny emotions we fall into formalism, cold administration of a business; on the other side when we overvalue emotions we lose sight of the priorities and of the real purpose of the apostolate. This usually ends up in disaster. Emotions have to be considered on both sides: the people we serve and also ourselves. The person whom we are helping has to be redeemed in the wholeness of his personality, so we should be always aware not to hurt him, not to humiliate him, not to exploit him. The person should feel that she/he is understood, accepted, loved, even when we cannot help him materially. If our task is to distribute the love of God, how can we do it in a rude way, without love? Our side too is important. It is normal and good to feel satisfaction for what we do, but the search for satisfaction should not prevent us from doing works which are not rewarding, which are dangerous, difficult, which have a high risk of failing, which are less prestigious, glamorous, appreciated. We must feel empathy and compassion for people, but at the same time we should avoid attachments which usually bring us to make preferences, create divisions, jealousies, etc. If we make apostolate for ourselves, for our satisfaction and we are concerned only to please people, to attract them to us instead of bringing them to Christ (which means sometimes we have to let them go and we lose them), then we are like the evil tenants of the vineyard of the parable: God will eventually take away the vineyard from us and give it to somebody else. (Mt 21:33-45). Maybe we can read in this way the present vocation’s crisis in religious life and the increase of Lay movements. As he had warned about the vineyard keepers who wanted to steal the harvest, so also he warns against the thieves who come to steal the sheep (Jn 10,15). The Good Shepherd points out clearly on the attitude of Jesus: saving everybody even the most lost, especially the most lost. He says clearly I have other sheep as well, and there may be one flock under one shepherd. The shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The figure of the shepherd shows the attitude of our apostolate. Shepherd is not much a preaching matter (in many Churches especially protestant, the idea of shepherd and pastor became synonym of preacher). The main feature of the shepherd is the caring, protecting, going out to get back the stray, guiding (mainly with example). Ps 23 ends: mercy and goodness will follow me and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord

In the apostolate there is always the temptation of looking for success, fulfillment, and sometimes apostolate becomes a way of escaping from a community life which does not satisfies us, which is boring or demanding.

Coming back to the point said above about having the style of Christ we have to be careful about the temptation of efficiency which is to set the value of our work according to the results we get. The miracles of Jesus converted nobody. Many followed him but then they went. After the multiplication of bread people went away for ever (Jn 6). Many (like the Pharisees) were not willing to listen to the words of Jesus and especially not willing to accept a defeat. After the resurrection of Lazarus there is the final decision to kill Jesus (Jn 12).

Many saints made more miracles than Jesus, and some of you may have helped or even saved more people than Don Orione. Many doctors or surgeons, with nowadays technology, save more lives than Jesus did. Many of your works distribute more bread than Jesus did with the multiplication. Jesus has been the least efficient person. As a Messiah he should have brought peace, defeat poverty, reestablish Israel’s kingdom, etc. He managed none of these tasks.

But what was Jesus’ style? Some passages from the bible:

1. Mk 6:34 “He felt pity on them”. Fully concentrating on them because of love. Mt 15:32 (multiplication of bread): he is the one who does everything for them.
2. He felt pity because they were like sheep without shepherd, so they are in need of a guide, of God, before being in need of bread.
3. Mk 6 the miracle of the multiplication of bread is prepared and concluded by prayer
4. The miracles are always at the service of the preaching, of the salvation.
5. If the apostolate is always at the service of saving people, when does Jesus really save them? On the cross, when he gives himself for the people, when he suffers and dies for them. The other miracles give only temporary solutions (people get sick again, and die again).
6. Phil 2 He emptied himself and took up a nature of a servant … he walked in the path of obedience all the way till the Cross.
7. In Mk 10,21 we have Jesus talking to the young rich man with “a attitude of love”
8. In Lk 10,13-16 we have Jesus spending time playing with children, “to whom the Kingdom of heaven belongs”
9. In Jn 4 and Lk 24 we have Jesus giving catechism to the Samaritan woman and the disciples of Emmaus. We can note the way he gets in touch, he gets interested in their life and experience. With that attitude he arrives to teach the good news. Patience, listening provoking slowly etc.

What did Jesus say about apostolate

See Mt 10

1. Jesus calls
2. Jesus gives the authority (provides with the skills)
3. List of the apostles: they are not exactly the best or the most suitable. The famous say: Jesus does not choose the skilled but gives skills to those he chooses.
4. Formation is an important part. He formed them for three years with small periods of experience like the one of this chapter.
5. Their mission is limited and at the service of the coming visit of Jesus in those villages; it is useful also for their formation. The real mission of the apostle will come only after Pentecost.
6. Main duty of apostolate is “proclaim the good news that the Kingdom of Heaven has come near”.
7. The social activities are an important part of the mission.
8. The apostolate is not going to make you rich or successful
9. At the same time apostolate does not need you to be rich: trust in Providence.
10. Work with people, cooperate, make use of their help but be careful in choosing with whom you cooperate.
11. Distribute your peace to everybody but it is up to them to accept it or not.

What can I expect during the apostolate:

1. I am sending you as sheep in the midst of wolves. Apostolate is never easy and never safe. So: difficulties are never a reason for rejecting apostolate
2. Be clever, not stupid but honest; no cheating
3. Persecutions are not opposite to witness but the highest moment of witness.
4. The assistance of the Holy Spirit is a fact which cannot be denied and moments of persecutions are actually the moments in which to work more.
5. Misunderstandings and rejections may come even from Superiors, and those moments are the most painful ones.
6. You may have to give up a place but not the mission. Accept partial defeats, but not the total defeat. Have a more global vision.
7. We cannot put ourselves above God (see our decision makings, honour seeking etc.)
8. Calumny will be there as it was with Jesus.
9. During persecutions do not be afraid. The truth will come out.
10. Be afraid, instead, of those who take away our spirituality, not of those who are against material things.
11. God knows everything and will take care of everything.
12. The real success is not here on earth but in the eternal life.
13. Sometimes our apostolate may cause divisions and troubles, if it is true to himself.
14. Whenever it is a matter of making decisions, nothing should be put in front of God. Spiritual goods should come first.
15. Have always the image of the crucified Christ in front of you.
16. Those who find their life (career, fulfillment, etc.) will lose it; those who give it up for the sake of apostolate, obedience, poverty etc. will be the successful ones.

For personal work:

Read the two following passages and analyze your way of approaching the poor to see if it corresponds to that required by the Gospel.

The good Samaritan: Lk 10:25-37

The final judgment: Mt 25:31-45