For my birthday (a week ago today), my darling husband gave me a freshly bound, leather covered copy of Divine Intimacy, a book of meditations for the Liturgical Year. Who am I that God has graced me with a husband who cares so much about my spiritual life?
Upon unwrapping it, I ran my hand over the smooth level front, and rustled my thumb through the crisp pages. Excited to begin my new meditation material, I searched for the meditation that corresponds with this week in the Liturgical year. Would you know that the recurring theme this week is that of the Apostolate? The soul of the Apostolate is the interior life, a life of prayer an sacrifice for the apostolate is the key to making it fruitful. Here are some excerpts from the past few days:
(Meditation 319) St. Paul, speaking of the work of the apostolate, says: “Dei sumus adjutores” (1 Cor 3,9); we are God’s coadjutors, collaborators with Him.
The apostolate, therefore, is not merely a personal activity…; nor is it an activity which we can carry on according to our own ideas, and much less according to our own powers. Every type of apostolate is a collaboration in the one work of redemption and sanctification which God has been developing through the centuries.
(Meditation 320) Not only at prayer, but in the very exercise of the apostolate, the apostle should strive to keep in contact with God and with the mystery of His love for men, in which he should humbly collaborate. He will seek this contact by an intense practice of faith, which will give him a deeper understanding of the mystery of Redemption and enable him to recognize the fulfillment of this mystery in the various circumstances of life and in every aspect of time. This spirit of faith will help him to make his humble activity a part of the great action of God. In this way, even while making use of human means or when occupied with material affairs, the apostle will live in a supernatural atmosphere. He will never lose sight of the goal of his activity, but will always be very keenly aware that he is collaborating with Christ for the salvation of souls.
Having the “mind of Christ” (Phil 2,5), which means loving and willing in unison with the divine Heart, sharing its immense love for God and souls, is the secret of every apostolate.
(Meditation 321) It follows, therefore, that the more a soul cultivates the interior life, the nearer it will come to God…Who, then, will be better able to understand the great mystery of the Redemption and contribute his share to it, than one who by means of a fervent interior life, lives in intimate friendship with God?
Only friendship with God, and the charity which unites us to Him, can produce that supernatural strength which makes any form of the apostolate effective. The more a soul is united to God, the more it shares in the power of God Himself; and hence, its prayers, sacrifices, and works undertaken for the salvation of souls, are efficacious and attain their end.
(Meditation 325) If prayer does not ascent to the throne of the Most High, grace will not be granted. This explains the absolute necessity for apostolic prayer and its great efficacy….Our activity, our words and works can prepare the ground for grace, but if we do not pray, it will not come down to refresh our souls.
“Ask and you shall receive….” (Lk 18,1). We can never be certain that our prayers will be answered according to our expectation…but when it is a question of apostolic prayer which asks for grace and the salvation of souls, it is a very different matter. In fact, when we pray for the aims of the apostolate, we are fitting into the plan prearranged by God Himself from all eternity, that plan for the salvation of all men which God desires to put into action infinitely more than we do; therefore, we cannot doubt the efficacy of our prayer. Because of this effectiveness, apostolic prayer is one of the most powerful means of furthering the apostolate.
How fruitful these contemplations have been for me. The Lord has slowly, carefully, and painfully been forming me a heart like his, that desires nothing more than the salvation of others. If I truly love my neighbor, then I would unceasingly die a thousand deaths if only to save that one soul, regardless of whatever sanctification it might bring me. The purity of intention is the salvation of the other. Just chew on that for a minute. Isn't that amazing? Sure I desire sanctification, but to act solely based on the needs of another, out of love for their soul and out of a desire for them to be united to Christ, without thinking of the good such efforts brings me is taking things a step farther.
And how easy it is to become so wrapped up in the human, material, and logistical plans that are required for carrying out an apostolate! I can't tell you how many times I have all my ducks in a row and then something happens to mix things up a bit, sending my human tendancies into a furry of emotion, damage control, and stress. But that is not what the Lord wills in those moments. No, those are but moments to further sancfify the apostolate. Above it is quoted that we should be in intimate union with God, fostered through a deep and rich interior life, in such a way that "even while making use of human means or when occupied with material affairs, the apostle will live in a supernatural atmosphere." Therefore, the soul of the Apostolate is prayer. Without it, I can be certain my human qualities will fall short.
Lord, I offer you on this day all I have, all my humble and imperfect efforts at apostolate, and the salvation of souls. I am nothing without you, Lord. You created me and you created every soul with the potential for your grace. Send your grace, Lord. Send it abundantly. Today, help me to see every waking moment as an opportunity for apostolate, sactifying every duty and every human interaction I make.
