9 July 2015
Thursday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time
More on the job description of an apostle: he is motivated by generosity and independence. Not being tied down by selfish or egocentric motives, he does not look for pats-on-the-back. He gives to others what God has generously given to him. A witness to this gratuitous love of God, he is man of peace, friendly and loving toward others.
Nice description. But who’s motivated by descriptions? Experience tells us we are not so much moved by abstract ideas, tired clichés, as by concrete ideals, the flesh and blood, lived-out expression of descriptions and ideas.
And today we’re fortunate because it is the feast of St. Augustine Zhao Rong and his companions, the 120 martyrs of China – lay men, women and children, priests and religious who heroically demonstrated what the vocation to be an apostle can mean.
Pray today for the Church in China and for the apostles there who are proclaiming: “The Kingdom of God is at hand.”