11 — APOSTOLATE OF EXAMPLE

Presence of God. — O Lord, grant that my conduct may be such as to give You glory and draw many souls to your love.

Meditation

1 — Alongside prayer and sacrifice, another powerful weapon of apostolate accessible to all is that of a good life, a holy life. Not all can preach, not all have duty to admonish or exhort, not all can engage in organized apostolic works; but there is no one who cannot cooperate in neighbor’s spiritual good by example of an integrally Christian life, coherent with professed principles and faithful to one’s duties.

“Each one can benefit his neighbor if he fulfills his duty,” affirms Chrysostom, and adds: “No one would remain pagan if Christians were truly Christians, if they truly observed precepts. A good life is voice sharper and stronger than trumpet.” Good life imposes itself by itself, has authority, and exercises fascination far superior to words.

For soul seeking truth and virtue, it is not difficult to find books or teachers who speak of them, even attractively. But it is far more difficult to find persons whose life is practical witness to them.

Modern mentality, thirsty for experience, has particular need of such exemplars, capable of offering not only beautiful theories of spiritual life but above all concrete incarnations of virtue, ideal of holiness, and union with God. Souls are drawn much more by lived thought than by pure thought, by ideals translated into reality of life.

Besides, this is great line God Himself followed in manifesting Himself to men: eternal Word became incarnate and, through concrete and human reality of his earthly life, showed us immense love of God for us and his infinite perfections.

Jesus, who possessed divine perfections, could say to us: “Be you therefore perfect, as also your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt. 5:48), and in saying this He not only showed us supreme ideal of holiness but offered in Himself its model.

Apostle must tread way trodden by Jesus, embodying in his life that ideal of holiness he wants to propose to others. Only thus can one affirm of him, as of Lord: coepit facere et docere (Acts 1:1), He began first to do and then to teach. And only thus can apostle repeat, much more by conduct than by words, Paul’s bold phrase: “Be ye followers of me, as I also am of Christ” (1 Cor. 4:16).

2 — Jesus, who taught us to pray, fast, and give alms in secret so only heavenly Father may know and reward, also taught us to act so that our works may be for those who see them silent encouragement to good: “So let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Mt. 5:16).

St. Gregory teaches us how to reconcile these two teachings: “Let work be public, but intention remain hidden, so that we give neighbor example of good work, and at same time by intention, with which we seek to please God alone, we always desire secrecy.”

There is great difference between one who ostentatiously does good to attract praise or perhaps gain reputation for holiness, and one who, acting with upright intention solely to please God, is by his conduct light and guide for those living near him.

When intention is upright — that is, to give glory to God and draw other souls to his service — we must not fear that our good works are seen. Rather, we should feel responsibility to behave in way that our conduct edifies others.

Every soul of interior life, while seeking to please only heavenly Father, must be apostle by example. Its sincere piety, solid virtue, union with God must shine before men and call them to prayer, recollection, search for heavenly things.

This is possible for all and in every environment: professional among colleagues or clients, wife and mother in family circle, religious in community, priest in his field of action.

A soul of true interior life is in itself apostle; it is, as Jesus says, “a city seated on a mountain [that] cannot be hid”; it is lighted lamp set “upon candlestick, that it may shine to all that are in house” (Mt. 5:14-15). The deeper interior life is, the more lamp shines, illumines souls, and draws them to God.

Colloquy

“My God, nothing is colder than Christian who does not care for salvation of others! To excuse myself from this I cannot use poverty as pretext. Peter said: ‘Silver and gold I have none.’ Paul was so poor that he often suffered hunger. Nor can I allege humble condition, for they too were not noble and had no noble parents.

“Nor can I excuse myself, Lord, by saying I am ignorant, for they too were. Even if I were slave and even fugitive, I could fulfill my task: Onesimus was such. Nor can I object I am sick, for Timothy too was often infirm.

“O Lord, your light makes me understand that I too can benefit neighbor if I fulfill my duty. And this I shall do if I observe your law, especially law of love by which goodness is taught to those who offend us. Worldly men are moved more by good life than by miracles, and You tell me nothing makes life good more than charity and love of neighbor.

“Help me therefore, O Lord, to lead holy life, to do good works, so that whoever observes me may give praise to your name” (cf. St. John Chrysostom).

“O Lord, grant me to believe with heart, to profess with mouth, and to put into practice your word, so that men, seeing my good works, may glorify You, our Father who is in heaven, through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen” (Origen).