Spirit of reparation

We cannot aspire to be co-redeemers with Christ if we are not ready to make atonement for sins, as He did. See how St Paul applies the words of Psalm 40 to Jesus Christ: Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. Then I said, “Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book” (Heb 10:5-7).

Offering ourselves to God without reserve

We want to offer up our lives, our dedication, without reservations and without haggling: in atonement for our own sins; for the sins of all mankind, our brothers and sisters; for all the sins that have been committed throughout the ages, and for all the sins that will be committed up to the end of time; and above all, for those Catholics, people chosen by God, who do not know how to respond, and who are traitors to the special love God our Lord has shown them.

Winning souls for Jesus Christ

To love as the one who loves most: to win all souls for Christ and to make abundant reparation for the offences committed against the most Sacred Heart of Jesus. These are our ambitions. With such a divine madness, such a zeal – zelus domus tuae comedit me²⁹ – that consumes us, what personal ambition can ever hold us back along the way of our life’s journey? None of us, if we adhere to the spirit of the Work, can ever want to be in the limelight, to climb the social ladder, or acquire positions, honours or recognition, except reluctantly and in order to serve God.

Were we to act out of human ambition, to satisfy our own self-love (and there will always be some who will say, falsely, that we do this), then we would have to renounce our aim of serving God: nemo potest duobus dominis servire (Matt 6:24); because no one can serve two masters: Jesus Christ and our vanity.

Not thinking about persuing a career for oneself

When I was just ordained, I was given some ‘good advice’: “If you want to pursue a career, carefully avoid any kind of serious work and, above all, avoid clarity in your writings.” Perhaps I didn’t understand it very well at the time; now I can see that, from a human point of view, they were right. But I give thanks to God my Lord because he made me understand, even then, that I should not listen to them. I was never interested in pursuing a career, in spite of my faults and personal weaknesses.