September 13, 2013

A good motto is a rallying cry that motivates, focuses, and energizes. When a priest is named a bishop, he always chooses a motto to serve as a guide along the difficult path of his mission. We all have a mission, and we all have tough stretches along the path of life. Why not choose a motto for our Christian journey? In this month’s Retreat Guide, The Complete Christian: A Retreat Guide on the Calling of the Twelve Apostles, we would like to offer one, based on the three essential elements that Jesus reveals in that Gospel passage:

• The first element is prayer – we’ll look at it in the first meditation.
• The second element is fellowship – we’ll look at that in the second meditation.
• And the third element, which we will examine in the conference, is apostolate, or apostolic action.

To pray, to love, to give. Not bad for a motto. Though some would say that it sounds even better in Latin: orare, amare, dare.