Purifying Zeal: The True Spirit of Apostolic Work
Epistle
"Put ye on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, the bowels of mercy, kindness, humility, modesty, patience: Bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if any have a complaint against another: even as the Lord hath forgiven you, so do you also. But above all these things have charity, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of Christ rejoice in your hearts, wherein also you are called in one body: and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you abundantly, in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual canticles, singing in grace in your hearts to God. All whatsoever you do in word or in work, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God and the Father by him."
(Colossians 3:12-17, Douay-Rheims)
Gospel
"Another parable he proposed to them, saying: The kingdom of heaven is likened to a man that sowed good seed in his field. But while men were asleep, his enemy came and oversowed cockle among the wheat and went his way. And when the blade was sprung up, and had brought forth fruit, then appeared also the cockle. And the servants of the goodman of the house coming said to him: Sir, didst thou not sow good seed in thy field? whence then hath it cockle? And he said to them: An enemy hath done this. And the servants said to him: Wilt thou that we go and gather it up? And he said: No, lest perhaps gathering up the cockle, you root up the wheat also together with it. Suffer both to grow until the harvest, and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers: Gather up first the cockle, and bind it into bundles to burn, but the wheat gather ye into my barn."
(Matthew 13:24-30, Douay-Rheims)
Summary
- Understanding the Gospel and Epistle
- The Dangers of Bitter Zeal
- The Importance of Spiritual Alignment
- Archbishop Lefebvre's Perspective
- The Role of Charity in Apostolic Zeal
- Living Out God’s Love Through Sacrifice
- Steps to Purify Our Zeal
- Conclusion and Call to Mary’s Guidance
Understanding the Gospel and Epistle
It's the gospel and Epistle are just lovely today because it really doesn't. They're very easy to read. They're very easy to understand what it is our Lord is trying to say. The parable He is using. It's also quite understandable what St Paul is saying. So it's actually very easy for us to follow a line. Doesn't need a lot of commentary. But one of the problems with that is that it is hard for us to focus on one single point or one single attribute that we want to target, shall we say, in the gospel, especially because we just talk about the the weed growing in next to the wheat, then it becomes a bit more difficult, it becomes a bit more ambiguous. There are so many different ways we can interpret that. So many different vices we can apply to that. But the fact of the matter is, we have to look at one specifically. I'd like to look at one specifically, and that is dry or bitter zeal.
The Dangers of Bitter Zeal
Now zeal is a very good attribute. It's a blessing for a soul that because it means that they have enthusiasm for the things of God, a passion to accomplish the things of God. This is a good thing and we should desire with all of our hearts. But the problem with bitter zeal is what happens with bitter zeal is that somewhere along the line, that zeal, that passion gets tainted with something else. So when the the lord of the field in this in this parable says, do not pull up the. Not yet, because you might mistake it for wheat. The two things are very similar when at a certain point in their growth, they are very similar creatures. And so it is with the zeal, because what we are looking for are good things. We may desire very good things. But the problem is it's how we desire it or how we try to accomplish it, or what is it the foundation of why we are pursuing that particular thing that is going to corrupt and pervert. That is where bitter zeal comes in.
The Importance of Spiritual Alignment
So as an example, it's easy for us to get a little too distracted with things that become our passion. We want this, and so therefore that becomes the goal we set for ourselves. It may be a very good goal, but it may not be the one God wants you to accomplish. Now, it may be not the situation that you find yourself in now. So it's easy for us to get distracted, but because it's a good thing, it looks like wheat. It looks like the thing that God himself gave. But the fact of the matter is, it isn't. And so it's easy for us to get distracted. It's easy for us to become to have this bitter zeal about something because it is not really from God. It is sowed by the enemy instead.
Archbishop Lefebvre's Perspective
An excellent example of this is very simply the fight of tradition. We want. There's a reason there's a good reason why we resist the pope. There is a good reason why we cling to the old mass. There is a good reason why we fight for the rights of the church. There is a good reason that we proclaim Christ the King. All of these things are good things. And absolutely from God. But. Do we tend to bitter zeal in this fight? Is it become more about our enemies and it does about us? Does it become more about winning than it does about actually serving God? With this, Archbishop Lefever insisted from the very beginning, as he was fighting the battles, that he had to fight against the errors in the modern church. He insisted that we are not replacing the church. We are not conquering the church. We are essentially supposed to be the church.
The Role of Charity in Apostolic Zeal
What is the spirit of God? Well, Saint Paul says it brilliantly in the the epistle today. It is charity, the bond of perfection. If it comes from God, it will always bear fruit with charity. Charity will be the source of its goodness and it will be the source of our zeal, and it will be the fruit that is borne from it. Because when we try to do any battle, when we fight any battle, when we try to conquer ourselves, when we try to help someone in the family, when we try to persuade somebody, when we fight against the the principalities and powers of this world, if it is not born and sustained by the love of God, the very love that He has shown us, it is too human and it will fail.
Living Out God’s Love Through Sacrifice
Our Lord Jesus Christ came into this world to give us a second chance. Give humanity a second chance to be saved. He he was born into poverty. He suffered and died on the cross for us, out of love. He shed his blood for us out of love. He died on the cross. And he rose again out of love. He established his church out of love. He sent the Holy Ghost into the church to be the very life of the church. Out of his love, he took us poor, miserable sinners. And he let us share in his very nature. We are now his adopted children. Through baptism, we have been given so many good and beautiful things because of the love that Christ has given us.
Steps to Purify Our Zeal
So maybe we should examine our conscience a little bit. And how do we battle that? How do we combat that? How do we change that in our souls? How do we purify our intention? Well, let's go back to the most basic possible thing. I highly recommend everybody at some point in their lives. Read the book by Tom Short named The Soul of the Apostolate because he insists in that and the very essence of the book, it can be summed up very simply. The material, the sea, the material apostolate, the activity that we are supposed to do for the church and for Christ is completely subject to spirituality. If it isn't born from a strong spirituality, it will die.
Conclusion and Call to Mary’s Guidance
Let's turn to the Blessed Virgin Mary. If there's ever been anyone who has understood and appreciated what it means to be united to our Lord Jesus Christ's love, it is her. Let's turn to her and beg her for help. Ask her to guide us and to inspire us. Ask her to teach us about the love of God. Ask her to silence our minds so we can hear him speaking. Ask her to guide us and to help us and to teach us as a good mother should, so that we will be able to finally appreciate and with zeal. Fight the battle of the love of our Lord Jesus Christ. And win our own souls. And please God, many others with us.