Our personal apostolate is always part of a universal mission.
The Messiah's mission, the salvation of every person, is a universal one. Although Christ lived in a small corner of the world and at a particular time in history, by his death he won salvation for all people of all races and all times. All souls are mine, says the Lord.
In order to imitate Christ, we need a big heart, capable of beating for the salvation of all souls and loving everyone to the point of sacrifice. St. Josemaría writes: “You should feel on your shoulders -remembering the image of the Good Shepherd depicted in the catacombs- the weight of the lost sheep, which represents not just a single soul, but the entire Church, the whole of humanity. Right from the start God wanted his Work to have a catholic, universal heart."
Even though each person should have a particular apostolic task to attend to, we can never shut ourselves up within the limits of our specific situation and our apostolic assignment. We should always remember that our task forms part of a universal mission.
The Holy Spirit, who gives us the authentic love of God's children, enables us to make our universal aspirations a reality. “We find we have the strength to love all mankind in a new way, which all will recognize as stemming from the grace of Christ. Our love is not to be confused with sentimentality, or mere good fellowship, nor with that somewhat questionable zeal to help others in order to convince ourselves of our superiority. Rather, it means living in peace with our neighbor, venerating the image of God that is found in each and every man, and doing all we can to get them in their turn to contemplate that image, so that they may learn how to turn to Christ."
The Church's mission, the mission of every Christian, extends to all nations and peoples. “Your charity has to be far-reaching, universal. You have to set your sights on the whole of mankind, with a concern for every soul in the whole world. This attitude will lead you to pray for everyone and, to the extent of your possibilities, to help everyone."
“Bearers of God, not because you bear his name in vain, but because it shows in the way you act: in your faithfulness to Catholic doctrine and morals, in the serious way you carry out your human tasks, in the charity you show towards everyone. That is the way to be good servants of God and the Church."
“Charity with everyone means, therefore, apostolate with everyone. It means we, on our part, must translate into deeds and truth the great desire of God who wishes all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of truth."
Illustration: The angel telling St Joseph what God wanted him to do.
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