Jan 5 Sun
Is Christ the Savior of the world?
Yes. But this salvation is not “automatic.” One must seek the truth and do the will of God according to his Wisdom.
Christ admonished the Apostles to evangelize: “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…”
This call applies first to the pope, the bishops united to him, and Catholic priests. It applies to each of us, too, to all laypersons.
Apostolate is our participation in bringing the Gospel to others. For many of us, apostolate means to reintroduce the Faith in our own culture.
Before a Catholic can share the Faith, he or she must know it, and live it. Unless one knows and lives the Faith, why would one even want to share it? Do we know how good Christ is, and how desirable is it to be united to Him?
To want to share the Faith and to be able to share it requires an interior life. This means having a life of prayer. A life of prayer is a regular encounter and conversation between you and God.
Prayer means talking to God.
Prayer means listening to what God has to say to you. God speaks through the Sacred Scriptures, the doctrines of the Faith, the moral law, the inspirations He sends you in prayer, and the circumstances of your life.
For example, if you just had a baby, isn’t God telling you many things by that very fact?
Apostolate is primarily done by the testimony of your life. As St. Francis said, “Preach the gospel at all times; if necessary, use words.” This means that the witness of living the Faith comes first.
Saint John Paul II encouraged all: “How are you to be recognized as true disciples of Christ? By the fact that you have ‘love for one another’, as He did with us: a love that is freely given, infinitely patient, and denied to no one.”
One should also be prepared to explain or defend the Faith with words.
This requires knowing the faith and knowing the faith requires serious study.
Apostolate also takes initiative. Christ did not instruct his Apostles to wait for people to come to Jerusalem to lay their treasures at the Apostles’ feet. Instead, the Apostles were to go out into the world and lay their treasure of the Faith at the feet of those without faith.
Today, we live surrounded by many “Magi” who have not yet left on their journeys. Many people around us don’t yet know, or have forgotten, or have even rejected the Faith. This is our field of apostolate. That person might be one’s spouse, child, parent or sibling, friend, or co-worker.
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