“As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you the branches. He that abides in me, and I in him, the same bears much fruit: for without me you can do nothing.”
Father Jean C.
J. d’Elbee tells us: Be
a soul of love in order to become an apostle, and you will discover a very
beautiful thing: that at the bank of love, the more you give, the richer you
become. You must hear the continuous echo in your heart of the cry of sorrowful
love, of great redemptive desire, the cry of anguish and at the same time of
tenderness, the cry of Jesus on the Cross – Sitio:
“I thirst.” “I thirst for your love; you upon whom I have showered my love,
give me to drink. Treasure the spiritual riches I have given you without limit.
Find for me hearts whose love will be like dew upon my burning lips on Calvary.”
To be an apostle is to give Jesus to souls and souls to Jesus by making Him
known in order to make Him loved, by filling yourself with Him in order to give
Him, according to the beautiful definition of Father Mateo, “An apostle is a chalice
full of Jesus which overflows onto souls.” Be such a chalice, first of all, and
even before acting, you will be an apostle. (I Believe in Love: A Personal Retreat Based on the Teaching of St.
Therese of Lisieux, by Father Jean C. J. d’Elbee, Sophia Institute Press,
Manchester, NH, 1969)
Prayer: Direct,
we beseech Thee, O Lord, our actions by Thine inspiration, and carry them on by
Thy gracious assistance; that every prayer and work of ours may always begin
from Thee, and through Thee be happily ended. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
My thoughts: If any of you
went to Catholic Schools in the 60’s, you will probably recognize this prayer.
We said it before every subject or class change, which means we said this
prayer about 7 times a day! It sums up beautifully what Father d’Elbee tells us,
though, doesn’t it? Unless we are grafted onto Jesus in our thoughts, words and
deeds, we cannot bring Him into our own actions, nor can we ever be “a chalice
which overflows onto souls.” It also makes sense that if our chalices are
filled with Christ, there isn’t any room for anything else!
I
think so many people today feel a sense of meaningless in their lives because,
when it all comes down to it, they work and play. Period. What is the point of
any of our daily activities? To make money? To find pleasure? To obtain power
over others, or the admiration of others? I don’t think any of these reasons
brings a smile to our faces. I think they make us tired. Bringing
our hearts and actions to God to be blessed and inspired makes more sense to me
than trying to do it on our own. We can do the same activities as those around
us, but for a higher purpose. The key is in the prayer for today: if every
prayer and work of ours may always begin in Christ, we will happily end them in Him. If He guides
our ship, we are sure to come ashore, and bring others with us. We don't have to do it alone; thus, we don't have to be so tired. Now that is a
reason to smile!
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