Essence of Apostolic Life
‘Do good, suffer evil and persevere in it until death’ is the essence of apostolic life. (Lett., 1566, p. 348)
For St. Vincent Pallotti, the fact that a person of true zeal and fervent love engages himself generously in the apostolate does not mean that the apostolate, as a way of love, is an easy task. The way of love always involves the cross. The cross can come not only in the form of hardships the apostle encounters at the apostolate, but also from people’s non-acceptance of the help an apostle offers in and through his apostolate. Jesus himself experienced similar situations in his life. Though he gives himself freely and lovingly to the people of his time, only a few people accept his message. Many people do not bother much about his message, while some others see Jesus as a threat to their security and determine to do away with him. Though Jesus foresees the situation, he offers himself to fulfill the Father’s plan without discouragement. St. Vincent tells his followers that though they foresee little results from their apostolic activities, they must not give them up without giving themselves to discouragement. He advises them to believe that the apostolate is a work of God besides their work. Perhaps a lot of good is accomplished, even though it looks as if nothing is happening as the result of their work. Thus, for St. Vincent, the essence of the apostolate does not consist of measuring how much fruit a person’s apostolate has produced, but rather in doing good, suffering evil and persevering in the apostolic task. Hence, the focus of the apostle should not be the result of the apostolate, but the actual doing of the apostolate and persevering in it despite suffering evil.
Am I open to accept the hardships involved in the apostolate? Am I ready to accept people’s rejection of the good I do for them? How do I cope with the discouraging situations? Am I overly concerned about the fruit of my apostolate? What is the essence of my apostolic life?
So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed everyday. (II Cor. 4: 16)