May the zeal for the salvation of the souls burn in your heart; this will be the fruit and argument of the love of God in that of yours

(Avisos a un sacerdote que acaba de hacer los ejercicios de San Ignacio. Vich 1844, p. 9).

APOSTOLIC ZEAL

“Where your treasure is, there also your heart will be” (Mt 6.21). This verse presents the reason and intention on our being and doing in life. The heart is the sign of love. For love we dare even to risk our own life to the extent of living and doing what we want. The passion is born of the heart. Our passion makes us to spend the energies of life. Our vocation as disciples and witnesses of Jesus Christ makes us to be committed from the heart to be passionate for God in the passion for our brothers, especially, the neediest.

During his ministry Jesus quoted the love for oneself as the model to love the neighbour, “you shall love your neighbour as yourself” (Mk 12: 31; cf. Lv 19: 18); but in his last supper, he places his love for the apostles as the foundation to love one another, “Love one another as I have loved you” (Jn 15: 12). His new commandment is not a mere command, but our response to his love for us that will lead us to love others. His love for us is our personal experience discovering it is God who loved us first (1Jn 4:19) and that´s why we go out to share it with a strong conviction and enthusiasm. This sort of witnessing of his love is the zeal for salvation of the people.

For Father Claret experiencing of God´s love means an encounter with this fire. This experience of the fire of love purifies and refines the person according to the demand of the lover. According to him our work for the salvation of the people means to be enthusiastic to share this experience of love and to witness what we have seen and heard (Mt 11: 4; 1Jn1: 3). Therefore he advises the priests to have a heart burning with this sort of fire of love for an effective life of witness. Many a times we feel discouraged and become lukewarm in our christian commitment because of the lack of recognising God´s love in our life. When we are supposed to share the experience of God´s love, we are struck with the questions of where, when and how about this love experience. Jesus loves us in our own personal and family life experiences of joys and struggles; it is from here we are called to know and to make known Jesus.

What is the reason behind my life and my missionary commitment? What do I search in my action or my apostolic work?