21 — HUMAN VALUES AT THE SERVICE OF THE APOSTOLATE

Presence of God. — Teach me, Lord, to place at the service of the apostolate all the talents I have received from you.

Meditation

1 — Alongside natural virtues placed at the service of apostolic charity, we must also consider other human values that allow the apostle to prevail in his environment, not in order to make his own person count, but to make the Christian ideal count. To say, in fact, that the apostle, despite his culture and abilities, can do nothing without God’s help does not mean banning these natural values, but affirming that they are in themselves insufficient to attain the essential end of apostolate, namely, the communication of grace to souls, an end only divine action can accomplish. Yet what is insufficient in itself can become, in God’s hands, an excellent means for the good of souls. Even a brush is in itself incapable of any painting, but in the hands of a good artist it can serve to produce great masterpieces.

The apostle must be conscious of the radical insufficiency of his gifts and talents, but at the same time he must cultivate these gifts and make these talents bear fruit in order to place them at God’s disposal for apostolic ends. Hence the need that apostles, together with interior life, cultivate their intellectual formation. Holiness is certainly always the most important element, but when doctrine is united with holiness, results will be better. This is the view of St. Teresa of Jesus who, regarding spiritual direction, does not hesitate to say: “The director must be a man of spirit, but if he is not also learned, the inconvenience is very serious” (Life 13, 19). Moreover, not only for the direction of souls, but for any form of apostolate, “knowledge is a great thing and serves to shed light on everything” (Way 5, 2); indeed, there are environments one cannot enter without sufficient culture. It is therefore the apostle’s duty to procure an intellectual preparation suited to the apostolate he must carry out; this is not a matter of seeking vain knowledge that puffs up, nor of cultivating one’s intelligence in order to make a display of oneself, but of placing at the service of souls all the talents received from God. Under the life-giving influence of charity, everything - education, culture, doctrine, technical ability, and so forth - is transformed into a means of apostolate.

2 — Those called to exercise apostolate in professional life, more than others, have the duty to form a culture and technical capacities proportioned to their profession. A teacher who does not prepare lessons well, who is not up to date, who does not dedicate himself zealously to teaching, will never have influence over his students, and any apostolic initiative he might wish to carry out among them will be destined to failure. Only good professional competence can procure for the Catholic professional that authority which, going beyond the limits of his own profession, often reaches the moral and religious field and allows him to exercise effective influence on those who approach him. In this way he can do immense good, and at times his word may be listened to even more than a priest’s. Quite rightly Pius XII recommends to Catholic laity not “to be less than others in the arena of scientific value and professional competence,” but to do what is possible to become “the best professionals, the best jurists, men of letters, physicians, engineers,” and so on (to Catholic Graduates, 20-3-1941); and this not for profit, but in order to acquire broader and more authoritative influence for apostolic ends. In proportion to their professional competence, Catholics will in fact be called to fill positions of leadership in society, and thus they will be able to cooperate more effectively in organizing a civil world in harmony with Gospel principles and therefore capable of receiving divine grace.

Before dedicating himself to other forms of apostolate, then, the layman must put himself in a position to exercise perfectly those inherent to his professional life. Just as holiness is to be sought first in fulfilling the duties of one’s state, so apostolate must first be carried out through perfect fulfillment of professional duties, which are precisely among the duties of one’s state. To become holy along the line of daily duty, to become apostolic along the line of professional duty, must be the program of the Catholic layman; a practical program within everyone’s reach, and yet one that requires eminent spirit of sacrifice, faith, and love in order to transform no light professional labor into a weapon of apostolate. But apostolic charity is capable of this much; in God’s name it can do all things, “bears all things, hopes all things” (1 Cor. 13:7).

Colloquy

O Lord, I do not want knowledge that puffs up, but humble knowledge that comes from you, that enlightens minds and inflames hearts.

“It is You, O Lord, who teach knowledge to men, You who give children clearer understanding than any man can teach. If You speak to me, I shall quickly become wise and then make spiritual progress.

“It is You, O Lord, who in an instant raise the humble mind to understand many reasons of eternal truth. It is You who teach without noise of words, without confusion of opinions, without clash of arguments” (Imit. III, 43, 2 and 3).

O Lord, give me this knowledge and then I can devote myself to study and work without any danger of vainglory. The intelligence You gave me, I want to engage in your service, I want to make it fruitful for your glory and for the good of souls. All capacities I have received from You - intelligence, will, physical and moral energies - must be used for this purpose, because the apostle must be totally given to the fulfillment of his mission, always on the front line for the defense and glory of your name.

Sanctify, O Lord, my studies, my work, the exercise of my profession; make love transform all this into a means of apostolate.

“Remember, O Lord, that You declared me placed for the salvation of souls. Therefore I offer to You my life, now and forever, whenever it pleases You; and I place it at your disposal for your glory, humbly begging, by the power of your Passion, that You cleanse and sanctify your people” (St. Catherine of Siena).