Moment With Betty

1.What is apostolate?

The Greek word apostolois means “sent.” It refers to Christ’s call to his disciples to continue his own mission: proclaiming the kingdom of God throughout the world. “As the Father has sent me, so I send you” (John 20:21); “ambassadors of Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:20), “servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God” (1 Corinthians 4:1).

All Christians, by the nature of the Christian vocation, are called to spread the Kingdom of Christ throughout the earth. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 858-859; 863).

Having defined what Apostolate is according to some spiritual tests, the next question will be, what is “Personal Apostolate”? According to the book by Michele Bondi Bottesi, it is accepting and sharing the love of God which in fact is a wonderful tool to help us deepen our relationship with God. Another way to look at vocation in a practical sense, is to understand or seek our “personal apostolate”. This is a universal call to holiness, a desire to respond to the Gospel which means putting our faith to “work” in the world to heal and sanctify it. Michele Bondi, also said that personal apostolate takes us on a beautiful journey of nine key Catholic beliefs, which are, discussing God’s love, our journey here on earth, following God’s example, our faith, teaching people all that Jesus has taught us, being charitable, going out of our way to keep and maintain friendship, empathizing with our friends and desiring the good of our friends genuinely. Being generous with your friends and encouraging them to be generous, are also part of the Catholic teachings,

By virtue of Baptism, all of us in the Church are sent on a mission—to live the Gospel and to give witness to the love and power of Jesus Christ by our words, actions, and values. Many times we may think that is the job of priests, sisters, bishops, and deacons, but the Lord calls everyone to go forth and make disciples. But how do we accomplish such a daunting task? If we take our lead from the example of the early Church we see, those first followers of Jesus being immersed in the Holy Spirit, giving themselves to prayer, and continuing to study the teachings of Christ. We can only share with others what we ourselves have received. The great mission that we have received in baptism is to redeem the world with Christ. We are urged on by the charity of Christ to take upon our shoulders a part of this task of saving souls. (Christ is Passing by, 120).

With the example of our faith lived to the full and with a loving word which is full of the force of divine truth, we can create in others a hunger for God and help them to discover new horizons, naturally and simply.

Each of us has a personal apostolate, or mission, that we fulfill throughout the course of our lives. Our personal apostolate does not begin when we reach a certain age or accomplish a specific goal, nor does it reach its pinnacle when we attain a certain objective. Rather, every apostolate begins the moment each person is created and comes to fruition over time, through all the circumstances of our lives. Our mission is fulfilled in every moment, through every day. Critical to our success is our willingness to accept, return, and share the Love of God.

2. Why do we do apostolate?

We do apostolate so that the divine message of salvation may be known and accepted by all men throughout the earth. As Jesus’s mission is to bear witness, every Christian ‘s mission is to cooperate in this witness, responding to God’s truth and love by giving thanks to the father and sharing God’s gift with others. Remember what Jesus told His apostles after His resurrection, He said, “You will be my witnesses” (Acts1.8; cf. Mt. 28.18-20)

 The Lord bids us to proclaim our faith from the housetops! We do not have to be a Bible thumper or quote the Catechism constantly to live out our apostolate. We have to start with the people in our lives, who need Jesus.  Those who need His healing, mercy and peace.  We have to listen to their problems, pray with and for them, buy them a Bible and a Catechism book or spiritual book, invite them to join us at church, nurture their faith, as we would nourish a little leaf stuffed through the soil.  So, coupled with a passionate and generous love which we show to the poor and suffering, this proclamation of Jesus’s power and truth will be remarkably effective. We will also need to show them kindness, love, joy, sympathy, and generosity, so that our actions will radiate Christ. And when we join these actions to the simple moments that we speak of our faith, people will be attracted to the One (Jesus)who guides and directs our life.

It is not going to be easy but the Holy Spirit is our support so, let us partner with Him so that we can get it right.  Finally, we need to pray and ask Jesus for the grace to succeed in bringing people to Him. And with prayer and mortification, we will succeed.