Missions and Apostolates

God, who called blessed Teresa, virgin, to respond to the love of your Son thirsting on the cross with outstanding charity to the poorest of the poor, grant us, we beseech you, by her intercession, to minister to Christ in his suffering brothers.
- Collect, 5 September

I thought that today being the memorial of Bl. Teresa and the day of the week devoted to intentions for the poor and suffering, I could post about the apostolate work I will be doing this semester.

Part of the Oblate formation program is spending at least a few hours each week working in an apostolate, either independently or with one of the professed priests or brothers. I found out today that my assignment for this semester will be working with the elderly, ill, and disabled through Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Network, a healthcare system that encompasses mainly short-term care and rehabilitation but also extended care facilities and hospice. My primary assignment will be to take Holy Communion to patients, as well as visiting and comforting the ill and residents at the homes for the elderly.

This apostolate is actually unusual for the Oblates; although they do hospital visits on request and if they are working in a parish, working with the sick and dying is not often part of their ministry. (I think there are too many postulants and novices this year for everyone to work with a professed member and they had to find something we could do independently. Hearing confessions, preaching, and spiritual direction are obviously off the table.)

When I found out about the extra assignment today after a long day of classes, my initial inclination was to complain about having something additional on top of studies and other responsibilities. God certainly caught me there having it be on the memorial of Bl. Teresa:

"I pray that you will understand the words of Jesus, “Love one another as I have loved you.” Ask yourself “How has he loved me? Do I really love others in the same way?” Unless this love is among us, we can kill ourselves with work and it will only be work, not love. Work without love is slavery."

"Before you speak, it is necessary for you to listen, for God speaks in the silence of the heart." 
   


Speaking of classes, I will be auditing the class on JP II's encyclical Fides et Ratio instead of taking it for credit; I guess 18 credits is considered an unreasonable course load during postulancy. Ah, holy obedience. Also, I may not be able to share my Peter Kreeft lectures due to education fair use guidelines and also technical difficulties. However, I can still keep you updated. The course is "Philosophy in Literature" and we are reading The Lord of the Rings (!) and The Brothers Karamazov.