Monday, December 5, 2022

Apostles for Today December 2022


 Apostles For Today

December 2022

Synodality in the Vision of St. Vincent Pallotti

   -In the Vademecum (1.3) sent out by the Synod of Bishops, we read “...synodality is not so much an event or a slogan as a style and a way of being by which the Church lives out her mission in the world. The mission of the Church requires the entire People of God to be on a journey together, with each member playing his or her crucial role, united with one another. A Synodal Church walks
forward in communion to pursue a common mission through the participation of each and every one of her members.”

   St. Vincent’s vision has invited us to be a Synodal Church. Through his life and work, we recognize all the elements mentioned above and realize that this has been our calling as members of the Union
of Catholic Apostolate. This is what we are called to live and have been living to a greater degree since our erection as an International Public Association of the Faithful on October 28, 2008. Many of us are acquainted with the picture of St. Vincent holding the crucifix and pointing to Christ on the cross. This is the basis for his vision. He was totally aware of the infinite and incomprehensible love God has for us all, whose Word became flesh and died on the cross to redeem
us. St. Vincent’s desire/vision was that everyone would come to know this great love and respond in kind to Him.

   Every journey must have a goal or destination to which it moves. We do not wander aimlessly, not knowing where we are going or why. The goal for our journey in the Union, and in the Church, is – to live in all eternity with God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. That is what we have been created for and Jesus showed us how we are to accomplish this – “Love the Lord your God with all
your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and love your neighbor as yourself.” (Luke 10, 27) As Jesus, and St. Vincent, we are to put God at the center of our lives because He is the goal we strive for, our destination. 

    For St. Vincent, this starts and builds with prayer. He spent many hours in prayer, listening to the Lord, to aid him in his vocation and in the work he was to accomplish. “The humble, continuous and trustful practice of prayer (vocal and mental) is the greatest infallible means to obtain graces and divine blessings for our greater sanctification, for the greater progress of the glorification of God
and the greater sanctification of our neighbour. All, therefore, should be diligent in prayer.” (OOCC II,63)

   It is our obligation but also our privilege to be people of prayer in the UAC by means of our Prayer Book “UAC - Community Prayers”, the recitation of the rosary, lectio divina and other forms of meditation with scripture, all prayed individually or with others. St. Vincent also encourages us to
pray frequently during the day, using short ejaculations that will help us to keep God in mind and present for us. Prayer and the Eucharist are means for us to build community and become a family. In this family, we all have equal rights and responsibilities, though differing roles. This family offers us continued education in the faith, support in our joint efforts for the mission, encouragement when times are difficult and a place where we are welcomed. As St. Paul says, “The love of Christ impels us” (2 Cor. 5, 14) “These words are meant to say that the motto of the Union is Love of Christ impelling and that the soul of the Union of Catholic
Apostolate is and should be “Love”. Love should be practiced in such a manner as to fulfill the precept of the Lord Jesus and to fulfill his commandment, “love one another, as I have loved you.” (OOCC I,8)

   We are to act, not just to bask in the love God showers on us through prayer. We are to act together, because “Reason and experience prove that individual efforts for good are ordinarily small, inconsistent and short-lived and that a man’s most generous efforts cannot achieve any great success even in the moral or religious order unless they are united together and directed to a common goal.”
(OOCC IV,122).

   St. Vincent may have been the one to provide incentive and leadership for his Union, but he did not undertake everything alone. He included and invited the laity, priests, brothers and sisters to make things happen – collecting monies for the missions, running the house for orphan girls, visiting those in prison and in hospitals, caring for the sick and the poor, helping during the epidemic, teaching the youth. He knew that he could not do all this alone and achieve much success. Part of the charism he left for us is also to show our love for neighbour through charitable works of mercy. “Jesus came to serve and not to be served: so who can refuse to live with this spirit of mutual service?” (OOCC VIII,405) “In the Christian and religious life there is more to do than to say. So, few words and many works, and good works done well.” (UAC – Community Prayers, p. 265, #23)

   All the faithful, by right of their baptism, are called to be part of the Apostolate of the Church, reviving faith and rekindling charity, using all the gifts God has bestowed on each one for the greater glory of God and for our salvation and that of our neighbour. In the UAC, members working together, priests, brothers, sisters and the laity, walking in unity, help bring the mission of the Church to life. “Everyone, then, who, according to his state in life and his talents, trusts in the divine grace and tries to do as much as he can for the Propagation of Faith, can merit the name ‘Apostle’, and what he does for that purpose can be characterized as his ‘Apostolate’.” (OOCC III,142) “’Catholic Apostolate’ or ‘Universal Apostolate’ means that it is Universal to every class or persons and also means to do everything possible for the greater glory of God and the salvation of souls.” (OOCC III,143)

   Returning to the definition of synodality given above, we can see that St. Vincent was a man with a vision that was ahead of his time. The UAC members, united by the charism of St. Vincent Pallotti, form one body of people who pray, plan and work together for the greater glory of God. They are formed in the charism so that they may go out into the world of their daily lives to bring Christ to others through their example, dedication, commitment and conviction that reviving faith and rekindling charity will bring others to belief and life in Christ, which is also the mission given us by the Church.

Maria Domke