The current pandemic may have limited our ability of reaching out to people physically, but it should never limit our ability to connect spiritually through prayer and sacrifice.
Father Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen, author of the classic meditation book Divine Intimacy, wrote, “There are two fundamental forms of apostolate: the interior apostolate of prayer and immolation, which is a prolongation of the hidden life and of the Passion of Jesus; and the exterior apostolate of word and of work, which is a prolongation of His public life.”
Father Gabriel then pointed out that “the interior apostolate is the indispensable foundation of the exterior apostolate; no one, in fact, can hope to save souls by exterior works which are not sustained by prayer and sacrifice.”
Pope Pius XI wrote, “It is, besides, easy to understand how they who assiduously fulfill the duty of prayer and penance contribute much more to the increase of the Church and the welfare of mankind than those who labour in tilling the Master’s field; for unless the former drew down from heaven a shower of divine graces to water the field that is being tilled, the evangelical labourers would reap forsooth from their toil a more scanty crop.”
For many people, social distancing during pandemic means more quiet time at home. It can be an opportunity to appreciate more the hidden life of Jesus in Nazareth. In fact, a healthy sense of silence is essential for the spiritual life.
St. Faustina wrote, “Silence is a sword in the spiritual struggle. A talkative soul will never attain sanctity. The sword of silence will cut off everything that would like to cling to the soul … The silent soul is capable of attaining the closest union with God. It lives almost always under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. God works in a silent soul without hindrance.”
Our Lord told Faustina how displeased he was with a talkative soul. He said, “I find no rest in such a soul. The constant din tires Me, and in the midst of it the soul cannot discern My voice.” Faustina wrote, “Patience, prayer and silence – these are what give strength to the soul.”
St. Teresa of Calcutta said, “We need to find God, and God cannot be found in noise and restlessness. The more we receive in silent prayer, the more we can give in our active life.”
St. Faustina experienced the effectiveness of reaching out to souls through prayer. She wrote in her diary: “When I immersed myself in prayer and united myself with all the Masses that were being celebrated all over the world at that time, I implored God, for the sake of all these Holy Masses, to have mercy on the world and especially on poor sinners who were dying at that moment. At the same instant, I received an interior answer from God that a thousand souls had received grace through the prayerful mediation I had offered to God. We do not know the number of souls that is ours to save through our prayers and sacrifices; therefore, let us always pray for sinners.”
Even though the faithful in many parts of the world are currently unable to attend Holy Mass, uniting oneself with all the private Masses being celebrated behind closed doors and making acts of spiritual communion are effective means to draw down divine graces for oneself and for others.
Prayer is much more effective with sacrifice, and the suffering which many people can offer to God now is the inability to receive Holy Communion.
St. Therese of Lisieux suffered from tuberculosis and received her final Holy Communion on Aug. 19, 1897, 42 days before her death. For more than a month before her death, the saint could not attend Holy Mass nor receive Communion due to her illness. She willingly accepted this suffering and united herself closely to Jesus Crucified.
Padre Pio said, “Accept all the suffering and incomprehension that comes from Above. In this way you will perfect and sanctify yourself.”
疫症期間強化內在使徒工作
疫症限制了我們人與人之間的接觸，但絕不能限制我們以祈禱和奉獻在靈性上接觸的能力。
「神聖密切」一書作者、佳播.聖德蓮神父寫道：「使徒工作基本上有兩種方式：一是內在的祈禱與奉獻，伸延著耶穌的隱居及苦難生命；另一是外在的良言善功，伸延著耶穌公開的傳教生命。」佳播神父又指出：「內在的方式，對外在的方式，其實是不可或缺的。我們不能期望沒有持續的祈禱和犧牲，能令外在的善行拯救靈魂。」
教宗庇約十一世寫道：「此外，容易理解的是，辛勤地履行禱告和補贖義務的人，比那些在耕種主領域中勞作的人，對教會的發展和人類福祉的貢獻更大。 因為除非前者從天上引下神聖的恩典澆灌正在耕種的田地，否則福音派工人們將從他們辛苦的耕種中獲得很少收成。」
疫症促使的隔離，為很多人增加了居家的寧靜時刻，多體驗耶穌在納匝肋的隱居生活。事實上，靜默對靈性生命是必要的。
聖傅天娜寫道：「靜默是我靈性掙扎的利劍。多言的靈魂，永遠不會達到聖德。靜默的利劍，把所有牽制靈魂的東西削去 …。靜默的靈魂，能夠達到與天主最親密的結合，她幾乎任何時刻都在聖神黙感下生活，讓天主在靜默的靈魂內工作暢順毋礙。」
吾主向聖傅天娜表明，多言的靈魂，令祂感到不悅：「我在這樣的靈魂找不到安憩，恆常的暄鬧使我疲累，在暄鬧中靈魂亦辨識不到我的聲音。」傅天娜寫道：「忍耐、祈禱和靜默—就是這些給予靈魂力量。」
聖德蘭修女說：「我們需要尋找天主；但天主不在嘈吵和不止息之中。我們愈在靜默中接受，我們愈能在使徒生活中付出。」
聖傅天娜經歷藉祈禱去接觸靈魂。在她的日記中寫道：「當我沉醉於祈禱時，我與普世的彌撒結合，懇求天主因那些彌撒聖祭，垂憐普世和臨終的可憐罪人。我內立即得到天主的答覆，知道上千計的靈魂，因我向天主獻上的懇禱請求而獲得恩寵。我們不知道有多少靈魂，會因為我們的祈禱和犧牲而得救；故此，我們要常為罪人祈禱。」
雖然，現在世界很多角落的信眾未能親臨參與彌撒；然而，我們仍可以與神父們私下舉行的彌撒結合，並以神領聖體為自己和他人，求得天主的聖寵。
祈禱藉犧牲變得更有效力。現在由於未能親身參與彌撒和實領聖體而帶來的痛苦，變成很多人可以奉獻的犧牲。聖小德蘭受肺病的煎熬；1897年8月19日是她最後領聖體的一天。死前的四十二天，聖女都未能參與彌撒或實領聖體，她樂意接受痛苦並跟苦架上的耶穌緊緊結合。聖庇奧神父說：「甘願接受天主給予的苦痛和未明的遭遇，這樣，便能聖化我們，使我們完美。」