CALLED AND SENT
“Then he went up on to the mountainside,
and called to him those whom it pleased him to
call;
so these came to him,
and he appointed twelve
to be
his companions,
and to
go out preaching at his command,
with
power to cure diseases and to cast out devils.” (Mk 3:13-14)
BE NOT AFRAID!
“What does Christ ask of you?
Jesus asks you not to be ashamed of him,
and to commit yourself to proclaiming him to
your peers.
Do not be afraid because Jesus is with you.
Do not be afraid of getting lost:
the
more you give of yourself,
the
more you will find yourself.”
“Do not be afraid to go out on the streets
and
into public places like the first apostles
who
preached Christ and the good news of salvation
in the
squares of cities, towns and villages.
It is the time to preach it from the rooftops.
Do not be afraid to break out of comfortable and routine modes of living
in
order to take up the challenge of making Christ known
in
the modern metropolis.
It is you who must ‘go out into the roads and lanes’
and invite everyone you meet
to the
banquet that God has prepared for his people.”
“The Gospel must not be kept hidden because of fear or indifference.
It was not meant to be hidden away in private.
It has to be put on a stand
so
that people may see its light
and
give praise to our heavenly Father.”
“Jesus went in search of the men and women of his time.
He engaged them in an open and truthful dialogue,
whatever
their condition.
As the Good Samaritan of the human family,
he became close to people,
close
enough to heal them of their sins
and of
the wounds that life inflicted upon them,
and
brought them back to the Father’s house.”
(John Paul II, Go in Peace, 46,47-48)
TRAILBLAZERS!
“The world has to be crossed.
But there are no roads made for you.
You yourselves will make the way through the mountains,
beating it out by your own footsteps.”
(St Josemaría, The Way, 928)
DIVINE MADNESS
“Apostolic zeal is a divine madness I want you to have,
and it has these symptoms:
hunger
to know the Master;
constant
concern for souls;
perseverance
that nothing can shake.”
(St Josemaría, The Way, 934)
HUNGER TO KNOW THE MASTER
“Some of the wandering Jewish exorcists
took it upon themselves to invoke the name of
the Lord Jesus
over those who were possessed by evil spirits,
with the words, I conjure you in the name of
Jesus,
the name that is preached by Paul. …
And the evil spirit answered,
‘Jesus I recognize,
Paul I know well enough;
but you, what are you?’
And with that , the man who was possessed by
the evil spirit
ran at
them and got the better of them,
defying
the power of both….” (Acts 19:13-14,15-16)
“Iesum novi
et Paulum scio.
Vos autem qui estis?” (Act 19:15)
“It is especially from apostolic souls that Jesus expects affection.
Amas me? … Pasce oves meas.
Who would be surprised at this?
Proselytism can only be born out of love.
An apostle who does not love,
what a contradiction in terms.
An apostle who loves himself more than Christ,
the man who is out for himself,
is no more, in short, than an empty wineskin.
An apostle will only be able to persuade and win over others
if the love of Jesus overflows in his life
and
not only from his lips.”
(G Chevrot, Simon Peter, 212)
“The priest is someone who, despite the passing of years,
continues
to radiate youthfulness,
spreading it almost ‘contagiously’ among those he
meets along the way.
His secret lies in his ‘passion’ for Christ.
As St Paul said: ‘For to me life is Christ.’ (Phil 1:21)
Particularly in the context of the new evangelization,
the people have a right to turn to priests
in the
hope of ‘seeing’ Christ in them (cf Jn 12:21).
The young feel the need for this especially;
Christ continues to call them,
to make them his friends
and to challenge some
to
give themselves completely for the sake of the Kingdom.
Vocations will certainly not be lacking
if our
manner of life is truly priestly,
if we
become more holy,
more
joyful,
more
impassioned in the exercise of our ministry.
A priest ‘won’ by Christ (cf Phil 3:12) more easily ‘wins’ others,
so that they too decide to set out on the
same adventure.”
(John Paul II, Letter to Priests for Holy Thursday 2005, 7. From the
Gemelli Hospital in Rome, 13 March 2005)
CONSTANT CONCERN FOR SOULS
“Rejoice with those who rejoice,
weep with those who weep.”
(Rom 12:15)
“Preach the word,
dwelling upon it continually,
welcome or unwelcome [in season and out of
season].” (II Tim 4:2)
“Love them!” (Bishop J Echevarría, 1996)
FRIENDSHIP AND CONFIDENCE
Vos autem dixi amicos.” (Jn 15:13)
CONVERSATIONS
“Jesus often made conversation the vehicle of his apostolate:
he spoke as they walked along the roads,
as he
strolled under the arches of Solomon’s Temple;
he spoke in houses, with people around him—
like
Mary, seated at his feet,
like
John, who rested his head against the Lord’s bosom.”
(A Luciani (John Paul I), Illustrissimi,
214-215)
“He never refused to speak to anyone.”
(F Fernandez Carvajal, 5:6.2)
And never refused to listen.
We have to learn from Jesus.
TRUST
“A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter—
he
that has found one has found a treasure.
There is nothing so precious as a faithful
friend,
and no scales can measure his excellence.”
(Sir 6:14-15)
“The true friend hides nothing from his friend.
He reveals all of his spirit,
just as Jesus poured into the hearts of the
Apostles
the
mysteries of the Father.”
(St Ambrose, About the Work of Ministers, 3,135)
SHARING
“Be steadfast in true friendship,
because there is nothing so precious in human
relations.
It is a great consolation in this life to have a friend
to
whom we can open our heart.
It helps a lot to have a friend
to
share our joys and sorrows,
and to
sustain us in hard times.”
(St Ambrose, About the Work of Ministers, 3,134)
“Those words whispered at the proper time
in the ear of your wavering friend,
that helpful conversation you manage to start
at the right moment;
the ready advice that improves his studies;
and the discreet indiscretion by which you
open up for him
unsuspected
horizons for his zeal—
all that is the ‘apostolate of friendship’.
(St Josemaría, The Way, 973)
Said of Bishop A del Portillo:
“His humility and his great charity
won
him countless friends.
He had an authentic talent
for
getting interested in the people who spoke with him—
whoever
they may be—
and
they immediately opened their souls up.”
(D Saint-Maurice)
He didn’t turn off anybody even if he knew too much.
A SERVANT OF EVERYONE
“For, free though I was as to all,
unto all I have made myself a slave
that I might gain more converts. …
I became all things to all men,
that I might save all.” (I Cor 9:19,22)
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus,
teach
me how to love all souls and to persevere in that love.
Most Immaculate Heart of Mary, Queen of Apostles,
pray
for us, so that our lives may overflow with the love of Jesus.
C:\Documents and Settings\user\My Documents\RETREAT\crt_14PublicLife&Apostolate.rtf
Revised 25 March 2005