Developing a Burning Zeal for Souls

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

SOON after John the Baptist was arrested, Christ told the people, “The time has been fulfilled and the Kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the Gospel,” (Mk 1,15) after which he chose 12 apostles from among the disciples he managed to gather at that time.

This clear mission of Christ here on earth should also be shared by all of us if we truly want to be disciples and apostles of Christ as we should. We need to develop an apostolic zeal since it is actually a duty incumbent on all Christian believers.

It corresponds to Christ’s clear command, given first to the apostles but also meant for all of us, to go out into the whole world, preaching the gospel and baptizing them “in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

This commissioning reflects Christ’s burning desire that his work of redemption has to go on till the end of time. His salvific work just cannot be made a part of history. It has to continue, for that in fact comprises the ultimate goal for all of us, believers. We are not meant only to have an earthly goal, but one that transcends time and space.

Christ is asking us to do our part, always together with him, just as he asked his apostles to do so. And that’s because, first of all, even if Christ being God does not need us to do this, he wants it that way since he is treating us the way he treats himself. That’s because we are his image and likeness.

It’s also for our own good. Our involvement in the apostolate actually matures and perfects us as persons and as children of God. It detaches us from our own self-centeredness and self-absorption, and draws us to the dynamics of love and self-giving.

We have to remember that loving God whom we do not see is accomplished by loving others whom we see. And apostolate is that exquisite part of loving others since it involves not only some material good for others, but their ultimate spiritual good.

Secondly, God has designed and wired us to help one another not only in our material and temporal needs, but also and especially in our spiritual needs that are aimed at our supernatural destination, nothing less than our participation in the very life of God. We need to realize more sharply that we are actually responsible for one another.

Of course, this participation in the divine life can only happen with the grace of God and never just by our own efforts alone. That’s why the second person of the Blessed Trinity became man, Jesus Christ, who offers himself as our way, our truth and our life.

With God becoming man in Jesus Christ, we are given not only some doctrine, but also and especially the sacraments and the Church itself that make Christ present and active in our life in any given moment. This happens par excellence in the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.

We need to keep that apostolic zeal burning, fueling it with prayers, sacrifices, apostolic plans and initiatives that should bank on some traditional means as well as the new things like the new technologies that can do a lot to foster our apostolic activities.

We need to spread the saving doctrine of Christ, explaining it in season and out of season, but always with a gift of tongue and making use of the innovative means like the media and the social networks. These latter are in fact considered the new Areopagus, where matters of faith are explained and discussed.

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com