This week, we continue to reflect on Pope Francis’s Wednesday audiences regarding The Second Vatican Council.
At his March 15, 2023, audience, the Pope speaks on “Being Apostles in an Apostlic Church’’ and how this relates to our vocation.
To start, let’s consider the word “apostle’’. What does it mean? When we hear the word, our minds may think of the Twelve Apostles. We may use the word more broadly to refer to bishops as apostles, or maybe to refer to a specific saint.
The term itself comes from the Greek apóstolos, meaning ‘‘one who is sent off,’’ or literally an emissary or envoy.
The reason these people are all apostles is because they go in the name of Jesus. However, being an apostle concerns every Christian. We are all being sent for a mission, and this mission has been given to us by Christ Himself.
In John 20:21-22, Christ passes on the power that He received from the Father to the apostles, giving them His spirit. Jesus said, “Peace be with you. As the Father sent me, even so I send you”. And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit”. Similarly, we read of the call of St. Paul, who presented himself as “Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle” (1 Cor 1:1). St. Paul is “an apostle not from men nor through man, but through Jesus” (Gal 1:1).
The Holy Father explains that the experiences of the Twelve Apostles and St. Paul challenge us today, inviting us to examine our own attitudes and decisions.
In light of this, you can ask yourself: Am I centering my life around the gratuitous call from God to be His disciple?
Our common calling
Within the framework of the Church, there is a diversity of ministry, but a unity of mission (Apostolicam Actuositatem, 2).
In the decree on the apostolate of the laity, the Council says, “The Christian vocation by its very nature is also a vocation to the apostolate” (AA, 2).
Whether you are single, married, or a member of the Religious Life, we all have this calling. All members have “the same filial grace and the same vocation to perfection; possessing in common one salvation, one hope, and one undivided charity” (Lumen Gentium, 32). There is a “dynamic nature of the Christian vocation” (AA, 2), and we all possess unique gifts and abilities to serve the mission of the Church. “God also chooses us for services that at times seem to exceed our capacities or do not correspond with our expectations” said Pope Francis. Nevertheless, we are encouraged that this call is one that empowers us to perform our apostolic task in the Church, whatever form it may take.
Equal in the Body of Christ
The simultaneous unity and diversity of the Church is encapsulated by the image of the Body of Christ. We are all equal and share “a common dignity as members from their regeneration in Christ” (LG, 32).
The Christian vocation is a beautiful gift; it is an invitation to live in light of the truth of our equal dignity and common calling, and to work together as one to build up the kingdom of God.
While some may serve in more visible or powerful positions by the will of Christ, Pope Francis reminds us that “the diversity of charisms and ministries must not give rise, within the ecclesial body, to privileged categories: Here there is no promotion, and when you conceive of Christian life as a promotion, that the one who is above commands all the others because he has succeeded in climbing, this is not Christianity. This is pure paganism.” It is detrimental to the unity of the Church and highly mistaken for members to consider themselves as more important, more valuable, or more deserving than others. The concept of equality in dignity requires that we rethink how we interact with and relate to others.
Pope Francis challenges, “Are we aware of the fact that with our words we can undermine the dignity of people, thus ruining relationships within the Church? While we try to engage in dialogue with the world, do we also know how to dialogue among ourselves as believers?” We must be intentional about how we view ourselves and the ways we treat others.
Pope Francis summarizes the audience by stating, “To listen, to be humble, to be at the service of others: This is serving, this is being a Christian, this is being an apostle.”
As we continue in this season of Lent, may we surrender our vanity, place ourselves in service to others, and fulfill our call to go in the name of Jesus as apostles in the apostolic Church.