Three Forms of the Apostolate
The Confiteor of the Mass outlines three areas of sin: “I confess to God Almighty, before the whole company of heaven, and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have sinned in thought, word, and deed; in what I have done and in what I have failed to do, by my fault, by my fault, by my most grievous fault.” These areas are thoughts, words, and deeds. In terms of the apostolate, I would classify these areas as words (speech or writing); prayers, which spring from thoughts; and examples (our physical actions). In fact, when saying the Confiteor, it might be good to think about the times when our words, thoughts, and deeds have not aligned with the mission of the apostolate, whether in the things we have done or not done. As I explore these three areas, I think especially of an evening prayer meeting I recently attended.
Words
Words can be used to encourage and console. At the start of the prayer meeting and throughout, we received spiritual encouragement and consolation from both the speaker and a Catholic priest. At the end of the prayer meeting, we were invited to witness in some way and give encouragement to each other. The words I heard that night were powerful and encouraging in the sense of Thessalonians 5:11: “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” In a world so contrary to the faith, words of support go a long way as do short personal stories about God’s impact.
Evangelization through words also happens through debate, but often just making a point is less effective than heart-to-heart conversation. A long debate on abortion might help some people, but saying a kind word to someone, whose life was torn apart by abortion, might have more effect. Truly, the apostolate of words can be most effective when words are used with grace and respect for others. Casually mentioning Sunday Mass to a friend or colleague when it happens to come up in plans for the weekend or suggesting another opinion when someone is offering a secular opinion are forms of the apostolate. Words can be gentle but challenging; consoling but also bracing.
Prayers and Thoughts
Prayer is arguably a more powerful apostolate than words because prayer never offends others. In fact, prayers can be made in complete secrecy. Again, at the prayer meeting, the speaker, a woman with grown children, thanked God for bringing all but one of her fallen away children back to the church. She explained that her cajoling built resentment with each one of her children, but her prayers had mysterious effects. Her children began speaking with others about the faith, and eventually they returned. Her example mirrors St. Monica who prayed for the conversion of St. Augustine. In fact, the interview reviews many prayers to St. Monica for wayward children.
Prayer connects to awareness ‒ an ongoing thoughtfulness towards others and their salvation. At the end of Ephesians 6, St Paul exhorts us “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people” (6:18). Self-centeredness and sluggish self-preoccupation during the day interferes with this attitude. One saint that proves the efficacy of prayers for conversion is St. Therese of Lisieux, the patron saint of missionaries, who never went on a mission trip, yet in her thoughts and prayer was apostolically active and universal.
Deeds
Actions can have a huge effect. Simply by coming to a prayer meeting or going to Mass with reverence, we can provide a more powerful example to others than one would expect. As a teenager, I altar served. I was not the best or the most relaxed altar server, but I tried my best to be reverent. One day after Mass, a father of several young boys thanked me for helping his boys by my example as a server. Someone may become a role model without realizing it; alternatively, infamy and disrespect seem to be accrued at least as quickly. Had I come to Mass with my sneakers and looked at my phone, I might have become a different kind of example for the young boys of the parish.
As the Confiteor makes clear, what we have not done is just as vital as what we have done. A friend of mine told a story of how he refused to laugh at impure jokes at work. Even such a small thing as this can be remembered. Looking back at my young adult life, I will always remember the times when my young adult friends did not cave into peer pressure. Once during a festival in Chile while everyone drank to excess, a travel-friend refused to so much as taste the alcohol. As a former alcoholic, he knew better than to trust himself. He believed in something more than the moment and it showed. Of all my young adult travel memories, this memory of my friend’s conviction and fortitude remains an inspiration.
Conclusion
Sometimes, I know I am not the best apostle of Christ. Sometimes, I am lazy. I stay an extra 30 minutes in bed rather than get up and go to daily Mass. Other times, I fall to peer-pressure because I want to be liked. I know that by being a “goody-two-shoes”, by doing what everyone else is doing, I will make everyone feel better and less uncomfortable. So, I laugh at the joke or go out of my way to show I agree. Other times, I am sitting across from a colleague at work who needs my prayers, but I cannot see his needs because of my own interests and worries. I pray for pardon for these lost opportunities and I ask for the grace to do better next time. In parting, I share the words of Pope Saint John Paul II in a homily on the Jubilee of the Apostolate of the Laity on November 26, 2000. Here, he speaks of the need to base the apostolate on prayer and the sacramental life:
“Dear friends, do not be afraid to take up this challenge: be holy men and women! Do not forget that the fruits of the apostolate depend on the depth of spiritual life, on the intensity of prayer, on continual formation and on sincere adherence to the Church’s directives.”
The challenge is often daunting, but the Church offers the means to fulfill it. Staying close to Christ provides the ultimate means of being strong in the midst of weakness.
