Oct 7 Sat
Jesus teaches us how to do the apostolate of friendship and confidence.
"And he called the twelve together ... and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God." Strengthened by the Master's grace and instructions, the Apostles went forth to spread the Gospel. And the Church continues their mission until the end of time.
As Christians, we all share in the mission to evangelize, and to do so, with our specific God-given apostolic means.
"I have called you friends, for I have made known to you all that I have heard from my Father. God has called us to bring his teaching to every corner of the world, to open up the divine pathways of the earth, and make Christ known to so many who as yet know nothing of him. And, in willing to have us in his Work, he has also given us an apostolic way of working that moves us to be understanding, to be forgiving, practicing attentive charity towards all souls."
Jesus is our Model. To reproduce his life in ours is to be holy and effective. Christ himself taught us by his example to have many friends. We want to make them friends of his, to save them.
"What is more, St Josemaría wrote, Our Lord wishes to make use of us – of our dealings with others, of our God-given capacity to love and be loved – so that he can continue making friends on earth."
A necessary condition for carrying out apostolic work is that our friendship be deep. We have to take a real interest in our friends' problems, working alongside them, sharing in their activities and interests, setting aside time for our friends, while overlooking the small annoyances that any relationship entails.
Thus, we will be "teaching by the example, carrying out a constant, humble, silent, but most effective work, whose fruits cannot easily be reflected by statistics."
When friendship is genuine, it soon engenders trust. How easy it is to open our heart to a person who truly loves and understands us!
If we live our apostolic dedication, as Christ showed us, we will have many people who will like to follow us, in every sector of society. "For you are a Christ-bearer, and you should carry him in your heart, in your mind, in your word, in your example."
"Our aim is to ensure that there are many souls dedicated to God's service in the middle of the world. It's time to take stock. How many of these have you brought?"
Let us ask our Lady, Queen of the apostles, to spur us on to have many friends, to be apostles, among those around us.
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