Called to selfless and generous apostolate
By Fr. Roy Cimagala
Chaplain
Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE)
Talamban, Cebu City
Email: roycimagala@gmail.com
IF we truly want to be consistent with our Christian identity, then we should feel
the urge to respond positively and eagerly to what Christ once told his disciples, “The
harvest is rich but the laborers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send out
laborers to his harvest.” (Mt 9, 37)
That was why, Christ immediately summoned his 12 disciples and gave them
authority over unclean spirits with power to drive them out and to cure all kinds of
disease and all kinds of illness. (cfr. Mt 10,1) Then he told them, “cure the sick, raise the
dead, cleanse those suffering from virulent skin-diseases, drive out devils. You received
without charge, give without charge.” (Mt 10,8)
It is important to note that these words are also meant for all of us who wish to
follow Christ as we should. We should not forget that since we are meant to be “another
Christ,” we also share in his continuing mission of saving mankind, which is what
apostolate is all about.
For this, we need to develop a keen sense of vocation. It should be clear to all
that everyone has a vocation. Everyone is called by God to carry out a mission that
ultimately is a matter of our salvation.
To be sure, no one comes to existence by mere accident nor by pure chance and
divine caprice. God does not create us at random. Even a person who is considered
unwanted by his parents or is conceived through rape is already a person planned and
loved by God from all eternity. This is a fundamental truth about ourselves that we
should never take for granted.
Thus, we should try to develop this sense of vocation as early as possible. And
this can mean as early as when one is still a child, already beginning to be aware of
what and who he or she is. This normally should start in the family, with the parents
playing a major role in this affair since they are our first teachers here on earth.
The parents should be quick in sowing the seeds of this sense of vocation by
making the child aware that he or she just did not come from them but from God. And
that he or she also belongs to God. This basic truth should always be reinforced all
throughout the process of bringing up and educating the child.
The parents should therefore plant the rudiments of piety in their children, mainly
through their example and with them doing the appropriate catechesis. Their children
should see them praying and having a special and pious regard to God. When the
children see the love between them and feel their parents’ love for them, then the
children will find it easy to relate themselves with God in faith and love.
With a sense of vocation firmly established, we should be keenly aware of the
mission inherent to that vocation. This mission will definitely require everything from us.
But neither should we forget that everything has also been given to us. To be sure,
Christ does not ask of us something that he himself would not enable us to do.
It’s a truth of our faith that we should vividly remember always, especially when
we feel we are already at our limits in our self-giving to fulfill God’s will. God cannot be
outdone in generosity. If we are generous with him and with others, the more generous
will God be with us!