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VI.- CHRIST' SPIRIT
MAKES US MORE HUMAN, WILLING TO SERVE
(Assimilating the graces of the Second week)
The goal of the Second
week is listening Christ’s invitation to follow Him in friendship
and in His mission to liberate and sanctify the human family. The
Second week is about friendship, apostolic zeal, ideals and
mission. It opens a new horizon in front of our eyes: we
definitely want to be free from our inordinate tendencies and find
in Christ the way, the truth and the life. But we ca go further.
We can listen Christ's can to follow Him, to collaborate with Him
in the Mission the Father has entrusted Him. The Second week is
meaningful for those who have felt the desire to do something for
Christ " for their brothers and sisters. The disciple doesn't want
to be the center of his own life anymore. It is Christ who is
becoming more important. So important that His friendship, His
will, His vocation is becoming the center around which life finds
its purpose and meaning.
A sign that a disciple
is not yet praying on the graces of the Second week is the
recurring option to prevent by all means that the apostolic or
charitable activities may upset his life style. He may pray for
longer periods of time, make longer and more frequent retreats,
take active part in groups and seminars, know more about Ignatian
spirituality. But he doesn't let the exigencies of the apostolate
put in danger his life style, hobbies, comfort and independent
spirit. His collaboration with Christ's mission is not
unconditional. Whenever the exigencies of the apostolate put in
danger his preferences or personal control over his own world he
will find a reasonable escape and avoid them.
A disciple enters into
the spirit of the Second week when she lets Christ's friendship
shine on her life. A friendship with deep roots, that have taken
hold of her heart during long years of intimacy with Him,
receiving from His goodness, again and again, the gifts of
healing, liberation and inner peace. Her gratitude and love for
Christ prompts her to ask Him: "what can I do for you?" She
volunteers to serve and in her offering there is an element of
unconditionality. At the same time she doesn't want to exaggerate,
to fall into spiritual illusions. But she doesn't want to withdraw
from sharing Christ's sufferings and humiliations either.
Spiritual illusions
are the danger of the Second Week. Now the enemy of human nature
will not tempt the disciple with sinful projects. The enemy will
tempt her to do good! That is, under the appearance of good. We
call them "apostolic illusions" such as making her believe that
God calls her to take part in many apostolic activities,
forgetting her daily chores and duties. She will be tempted to get
so involved in the projects as to give up time, money, family,
even her own health. She will be tempted to expect perfection from
herself and from those who work with her. Thus she will soon burn
out, become critical, disappointed and angry at those she was sent
to serve.
How can we avoid
spiritual illusions in our collaboration with Christ? The sign by
which we know that Christ's disciple is inspired by His Spirit is
the improvement in the human quality of his life. The improvement
in his human relations, especially at home. If we are moved by the
Spirit of God there is an improvement in communication between
parents and children, mutual support between husband and wife,
understanding between brothers and sisters. God makes us more
human. On the contrary, a clear sign of drifting away from Christ,
is the deterioration of these relationships. Under appearance of
apostolic zeal, righteousness (le phai) or other "good" reasons we
grow angry at our spouse, impatience with our relatives or
friends, isolated and unhappy.
There are bitter words
shouted at each other, there is verbal violence, sometimes even
physical, cruel decisions are taken. When inflicting humiliations
and wounds on others we may even claim to do it in the name of
Christ. But the anger, the bitterness, the judgments and the
feelings of rejection are clear signs that this disciple is, for
the time being, drifting away from the Lord. No disciple can claim
that this kind of behaviour is patterned after Christ's example.
Between Christ's Spirit and that of the temperamental disciple
there is an obvious difference. If the gap remains, the apostolic
impact of the disciple will be null and even the family's harmony
will be threatened.
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