It is evident that the doctrine of Christ was not spread by human means, but by the impulse of grace. But it is also true that apostolic action built on a life without human virtues, without professional worth, would be hypocrisy and an occasion for contempt on the part of those we wish to bring closer to the Lord. For this reason, the Second Vatican Council formulated these grave words: "The Christian who fails in his temporal obligations, fails in his duties towards his neighbor; he fails, above all, in his obligations towards God and endangers his eternal salvation", because he does not sanctify himself, he fails to take advantage of the talents received, and he does not sanctify his neighbor.
Whatever the profession or trade, the status earned day by day in a job done conscientiously grants a moral authority before colleagues and companions that makes it easier to persuade, to teach, to attract.... This professional solidity is so important that a good Christian cannot hide behind any motive for not earning it. For those who are determined to live their Christian vocation to the full, competent work and the means to achieve it constitute a primary duty. For this reason, the good doctor, if he wants to remain a doctor, will not abandon the study that keeps him up to date, and the good teacher will renew his pedagogical material, without being content to repeat over and over again the same scripts, which would leave him mired in mediocrity.
The competence and seriousness with which professional work should be carried out thus becomes a candlestick that enlightens colleagues and friends. Christian charity then becomes visible from afar, and the light of doctrine illuminates from that height; it is a familiar and close light that easily reaches everyone.
St. Paul writes to the first Christians of Philippi and exhorts them to live in the midst of that generation separated from God in such a way that they shine like lights in the midst of the world. And their example was so captivating that it could truly be said of them: "what the soul is to the body, these are the Christians in the midst of the world," as can be read in one of the most ancient Christian writings.
In order to bring the light of Christ to all, in addition to the supernatural means, we must also practice the ordinary norms of living together. For many people these norms remain something external and are only practiced because they make social intercourse easier, out of habit. For us Christians they must also be the fruit of charity, outward manifestations of a sincere concern for others. All this is part of the divine light that we are to carry with our lives, and of the apostolate that the Lord wants us to carry out, especially among the people we deal with most.
Hablar con Dios