“The high priest tore his clothes, and said, ‘He has blasphemed! Why do we still need witnesses?’”(Mt 26:65) How detestable was the hypocrisy of Caiphas and his party! Under an appearance of piety and zeal, they masked their mortal hatred of our Lord and their long-conceived plan of putting him to death.
They sought a flimsy excuse for their conduct so as not to enrage the people. Caiphas thought he could find one by begging Jesus to say if he is ‘really’ the Son of God. If Jesus said ‘no’, he can condemn him as an impostor since the people believe him to be God. If he said 'yes', Caiphas would sentence him as a blasphemer. He would then make people believe he was overwhelmed with horror at the sin. The wicked can be very ingenious!
“What is your verdict? They answered, ‘He deserves death’.” (Mt 26:66) The judges who pronounced this sentence were men inflamed with hatred because Jesus had righteously confessed the truth.
In this world, the crafty often calumniate and oppress the innocent. God permits this for wise and merciful reasons. In this instance, Caiphas was the instrument by which Jesus should sacrifice his life in reparation to his Father for the sins of mankind. The wicked death sentence opened to us all the gates of eternal life.
Ref: cf “Practical Meditations” by a Father of the Society of Jesus, 1964, pp106-7
Be Artisans of the Charity of Christ
“Those who believed were together and shared all things in common; they would sell their property and goods, distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.” (cf Acts 2:44-5)
Our relationships with our neighbor are of capital importance. ‘Neighbor’ obviously means those who live beside us, in the family, neighborhood; in the town or village, in the city. Also those we work with, those who are suffering, are sick, know loneliness, are really poor.
My neighbor is all those who are geographically quite distant, or who are exiled from their own countries, lack food and clothing, often lack liberty.
My neighbor is all those unfortunates who have been completely or almost ruined by unforseeable and dramatic catastrophes, which have thrown them into physical and moral want, often enough also into the sadness of losing their dearest ones. ...
‘Sharing’ is a duty which no one of goodwill, above all no disciple of Christ, can evade.
Ref: cf Pope John Paul II, “Prayers and Devotions”, 1994, pp148-9
Interior life is expressed in deeds
The Christian’s interior life, if genuine, is accompanied by fruits, practical deeds of service to others. “The danger of deeds done without interior life has been emphasized, but we should also underline the danger of an interior life, if such could exist, without deeds.” (St Josemaria Escrivá, “Letter”, 6 May 1945, 44) We must live by faith and use whatever available means always.
We cannot wait for the ideal moment, which might never come, to start doing apostolate. We must not wait for everything to be just right in order to work for God. Our present actions should show the love in our heart. God will multiply and bless our efforts, puny though they may be, in answer to his demands. And we will be filled with gratitude and admiration.
If our interior life is genuine, our conversation with God in prayer and the Sacraments should continually overflow in works of mercy (catechism classes, advice to the ill-informed, visiting the sick or aged, etc.) and in deeds of apostolate. Interior life which is not expressed in deeds fades away and dies.
As our intimacy with Christ increases, it is logical that our work, our character, our readiness to undergo sacrifice will all improve. So also will our way of dealing with others, aided by the virtues of social harmony -- understanding, cordiality, optimism, order, friendliness. Love to survive and grow, must express itself in deeds.
Ref: cf Francis Fernandez, “In Conversation with God”, 3:447-8
Activism
Interior life means living with God’s vision, seeing our apostolic task from his viewpoint. Apostolic fruit cannot be lasting when a Christian falls prey to ‘activism’, the tendency to be ‘doing things’, to rush around, without the support of a deep prayer life. In the end, the furious activity is sterile and ineffective, clear sign of a lack of rectitude of intention.
A purely human activity without any supernatural context could be the consequence of ambition, a desire to attract attention. There is the danger of ‘activism’ -- of multipying deeds which, though good ‘per se’, have no interior life to support them. St Bernard and many others called such works “accursed occupations”. (cf J D Chautard, “The Soul of the Apostolate”, p69)
But the lack of real fruit in our apostolate can arise also from ‘passivity’, when deeds of love are absent. And if activism is bad and sterile, passivity is deadly, for it can make us think that we love God because we perform works of piety. Such pious acts are done but not perfectly since they do not lead to good actions.
Genuine love of God is seen in an apostolate carried out with tenacity. And if our Lord were to find us passive, content to perform pious practices without the accompanying cheerful and constant apostolate, then perhaps he might say to us in our heart: ‘More deeds, please, and fewer excuses.’
Can we present the ripe fruit God is looking for, practical results attained by a willing spirit of sacrifice? He approaches us with a hunger and a thirst for souls. In spiritual direction we learn to distinguish between what could be activism (where we must pray more) and what could be lack of initiative (to ‘get moving’ more).
The Blessed Virgin Mary will teach us to act so that our interior life, our desire to love God, will never become a producer of worthless foliage like the fig tree.
Ref: cf Francis Fernandez, op cit, 448-451
Our Lady of the Forests at Porto, in Portugal. This image was found again in a forest where it had been hidden by Queen Matilda, wife of Alphonsus I. — Joannes Barrius, lib. de Rebus Interamnensibus, c. 12. (“Catholic Gems or Treasures of the Church” Historical Calendar; http://www.bethlehemobserver.com); (maryfest.htm / www.starharbor.com/santiago/m_feasts.html)
Nossa Senhora das florestas / Our Lady of the Forests. (Porto, Portugal, 12th Century; Britain, 1419). (www.marylinks.org/Mary-Calendar.htm); (http://www/divinewill.org/feastofourlady.htm); (www.iskandar.com/ourlady/ourladyfeasts.html)
Madonna da Costantinopoli Society. Bitritto (Bari). (www.marylinks.org/Mary-Calendar.htm)
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