Apostolic zeal

WE need to know about what apostolic zeal is all about since it actually is a duty incumbent on all Christian believers to have and to keep burning all throughout their lives, making use of all the situations and circumstances they may find themselves in.

            It corresponds to Christ’s clear command, given first to the apostles but also meant for all of us, to go out into the whole world, preaching the gospel and baptizing them “in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

            This commissioning reflects Christ’s burning desire that his work of redemption has to go on till the end of time. His salvific work just cannot be made a part of history. It has to continue, for that in fact comprises the ultimate goal for all of us, believers. We are not meant only to have an earthly goal, but one that transcends time and space.

            Christ is asking us to do our part, always together with him, just as he asked his apostles to do so. And that’s because, first of all, even if Christ being God does not need us to do this, he wants it that way since he is treating us the way he treats himself. We are his image and likeness.

            It’s also for our own good. Our involvement in the apostolate actually matures and perfects us as persons and as children of God. It detaches us from our own self-centeredness and self-absorption, and draws us to the dynamics of love and self-giving.

            We have to remember that loving God who we do not see is accomplished by loving others who we see. And apostolate is that exquisite part of loving others since it involves not only some material good for others, but their spiritual good.

            Secondly, God has designed and wired us to help one another not only in our material and temporal needs, but especially in our spiritual needs that are aimed to our supernatural destination, nothing less than our participation in the very life of God. We need to realize more sharply that we are actually responsible for one another.

            Of course, this participation in the divine life can only happen with the grace of God and never just by our own efforts alone. That’s why the second person of the Blessed Trinity became man, Jesus Christ, who offers himself as our way, our truth and our life.

            With God becoming man in Jesus Christ, we are given not only some doctrine, but also and especially the sacraments and the Church itself that make Christ present and active in our life in any given moment. This happens par excellence in the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.

            We need to keep that apostolic zeal burning, fueling it with prayers, sacrifices, apostolic plans and initiatives that should bank on some traditional means as well as the new things like the new technologies that can do a lot to foster our apostolic activities.

            We need to spread the saving doctrine of Christ, explaining it in season and out of season, but always with a gift of tongue and making use of the innovative means like the media and the social networks. These latter are in fact considered the new Areopagus, where matters of faith are explained and discussed.

            There’s a crying need to show how God is relevant and necessary especially in our worldly affairs. These days, what we often see are clear signs of religious indifference, skepticism, moral relativism, if not agnosticism and outright atheism.

            We need to see to it that this apostolic zeal should be an overflow of a vibrant interior or spiritual life, immersed in the faith and love of God. The study of the doctrine of Christ, and now of the Church, is a must, since it helps us to relate the things of God with our daily affairs, and vice-versa.

            We should try to make it a thing of the past to consider our religious duties as mere religious sentiments, unable to explain things.

            Let’s hope that we can also develop a universal interest in the apostolate, in the sense that we be interested apostolically with everyone. We certainly have our own preferences, biases and pet peeves, but with God’s grace and our humble but persistent efforts, we can manage to rise above them.

            That’s why we have to always polish our social skills and our friendly attitudes so we can deepen our friendship for apostolic purposes. The aim is to win our friends’ confidence so they and we can journey together toward our final destination.