Apostolate: Stepping-stone to Perfection
The cooperation in the salvation of souls is not one’s own, but a gift of God. For it makes us similar to Jesus Christ, and the image of God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; [and] makes us similar to God in his glory. (OOCC, XI, pp. 258 - 259)
A person, by his involvement in the apostolate, works for the salvation of his neighbor. The ministry he undertakes as an apostle calls him to live his personal as well as apostolic life in imitation of Jesus. As a result, he is able to possess the spirit of Christ in himself. Possessing the spirit of Christ, the apostle is able to instill the same spirit in the lives of the many people he is called to serve. The more he inspires others with the spirit of Christ, the more he grows in this spirit. The constant presence of the spirit of Christ in the life of the apostle makes his apostolate an act done in total union with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. For he accomplishes the Father’s plan of salvation by his apostolate; he lives the very life of Jesus’ apostolate in and through his apostolate; and he continues the work of sanctification of the Holy Spirit by his work for the salvation of his neighbor. When every apostolic task becomes an act done in union with the Holy Trinity, the apostolate in which the apostle is engaged becomes a means of his own personal perfection, for he encounters the Holy Trinity in and through every apostolic task he performs. The apostolate thus becomes an avenue through which the apostle perfects himself. By working for the perfection of his neighbor, he perfects his neighbor. Similarly, by doing his apostolate in union with the Holy Trinity, he manifests the glory of God in the life of every person he touches with his apostolate. In this manner, the apostolate becomes a stepping-stone to the personal perfection of the apostle.
Do I consider that I can attain greater perfection through my apostolic tasks? Do I acquire the spirit of Christ through my apostolate? Do I encounter the Holy Trinity in and through my apostolic tasks? Does my apostolate help me to glorify God’s goodness?
Do not be ashamed then of testifying to our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but take your share of suffering for the gospel. (II Tim. 1: 8)