November 11


Qualities That do Not Help an Apostle

[An Apostle] should not easily allow himself to be dominated by weariness, tediousness and boredom in his actions. These are effects of constraint, fear or anxiety. (OOCC, II, p. 162)

According to St. Vincent Pallotti, there are some qualities which an apostle should avoid in his life. These are qualities that kill his apostolic spirit. Without a dynamic spirit, one cannot carry on his apostolate effectively and fruitfully. The qualities that can destroy the dynamic spirit of the apostle are weariness, tediousness and boredom. Often, these qualities originate from certain constraints, compulsions, fear or anxiety the apostle faces as he carries out the various tasks pertaining to his apostolate. Weariness consists of the apostle experiencing mental and physical exhaustion and fatigue. Weariness makes the apostle irritable and impatient. Tediousness involves getting caught up in the monotony of everyday living and action. The apostle’s engagement in the apostolate often consists of routine tasks to perform. The performance of these tasks over a period of time can become mere routine functions rather than meaningful performance of the apostolate. When monotony sets in, the meaningfulness of the apostolate is lost to the person. Boredom consists of getting tired of the work a person is doing. In boredom, a person is disinterested in and indifferent to his apostolic endeavors. All these qualities result in the loss of meaning for the apostolic enterprise. This makes the apostle either give up the apostolate or do it in a half-hearted way.

Which are some of the qualities that dominate me as I carry on my apostolate? Does weariness control me in my apostolate? Do I allow monotony to take hold of my apostolate? Am I bored with my apostolic activities? Am I half-hearted or give up my apostolate due to lack of interest in it?

Let us not grow tired of doing good, for in due time we shall reap our harvest, if we do not give up. (Gal. 6: 9)