Introduction

The theme of apostolic spirituality is foundmore and more frequently in spiritualtheology, applied to priestly, religious and lay spirituality. We are not satisfied, also in the valid proposal of some values, with a certain view which continues to repeat that prayer or the interior life are «the soul of every apostolate». We are sus­picious of a dualistic approach which attributes the whole value to prayer and the interior life while it seems that the apostolate or missionary activity are, at best, a kind of action that consumes in a moment in which the reserves drawn from prayer become gradually exhausted, in an apostolate that would not be the expression and guarantee of holiness. The apostle would lead others to holiness, but he would remain without it, almost like a channel that brings the water of life to others and itself remains dry and sterile.

Throughout the Church's history, many answers have been given to this problem always in the search for unity between prayer and the apostolate, in the necessary harmonization of God's love and love of neighbour. Splendid pages were written on this subject by Gregory the Great, Vincent de Paul and other holy pioneers of apostolic holiness ¹. Nor is there any lack of a harmonious view in the writings of mystics. The classic dual concept of contemplative life and active life constantly recurs in the proposal of this theme with recourse - too easy and too hackneyed probably outside the real exegetic interpretation - to the figures of Martha and Mary, in which all the praise is given to Mary's contemplative attitude and all the blame to the busy Martha.

The theme was proposed recently in terms of «unity of life» , the key word for spirituality, applied by the Second Vatican Council to the ministry and life of priests. The term was proposed again also for the laity in the Exhortation Chnstifideks Laici and more recently for consecrated life in the Apostolic Exhortation Vita Consecrata. Also in John Paul II's specific Encyclical on missionary activity Redemptoris Missio, chapter VIII calls attention to apostolic and missionary spirituality and it is reaffirmed without hesitation, with a view valid for all missionaries, Bishops, priests, deacons, religious, laity, that the true missionary is the saint.

In this way holiness and apostolate are united in a series of reciprocal demands. We must not demonize activity and apostolate outside the concrete realism of charity which needs in­carnation. Often the danger of the apostolate is emphasized because it demands concrete action, but activity corresponds simply to Christian behaviour which impels the heart and all the psychic and spiritual forces, intentions and works; even commitment in the concreteness of an apostolic extraversion means that the normal outward appearance of the apostolate is simply the historical manifestation of apostolic love involving commitment, service and apostolic love.

The social aspects of apostolic charity are not a kind of «heresy of action», if they reflect coherently immersion in the history of mankind, like that of Jesus in his incarnation, to place the seeds of divine life in everyday occurrences.

We cannot continue reasoning in a dualistic or Manichean form, but while remembering the dangers and difficulties, we must open our minds and hearts to the necessary integration between interior life and apostolate.

The title we have given to this article is an at­tempt to illustrate the relationship between interior life and apostolate in terms that show the paradox, assigning to prayer the apostolic value which is also characteristic of action, and describing the apos­tolate also with its intrinsic dimension of sancti­fication which, at the outset, seems should be given to prayer and interior life.

To guide us in this proposal we will use both the most recent and authoritative Magisterium of the Church, and the testimony of a mystic, Saint Teresa of Jesus, with a series of doctrinal annotations and with a reference of

In conciliar and post-conciliar spirituality, as we have seen, the accent is laid more and more on the expression unity of life, a fimdamental necessity for apostolic holiness, for an interior life that nourishes the apostolate and is expressed in action, without dualism. It is a reference that recurs constantly in the documents of the Magisterium.

One of the most beautiful passages on priestly spirituality is n. 14 of Presbyterorum Ordinis, where it speaks of unity of life in pastoral charity. The logical complement of n. 13 where it mentions the exercise of the threefold «munas» which demands and fosters holiness, this number seems to answer the very deeply-felt problem of spirituality. Rightly so the message of this number was received with words such as these: The answer the text gives can be summarized as follows: holiness for service and not only side by side with service; service as a concrete form of priestly holiness: work, on the other hand, as a form of intimacy with God. Priestly spirituality is the spirituality of the priest's service, of the exercise of the priest's life, unified in pastoral charity.

To give an articulated response to the problem of the priest's life, which is full of obligations, in the first place it mentions not creating divisions or illusions of holiness by emphasizing either the things they have to do or the practice of prayer and spiritual exercises: «Priests can however achieve it [unity of life] by following in the fulfilment of their ministry the example of Christ the Lord, whose meat was to do the will of him who sent him that he might perfect his work».

Therefore in the recognition of the Father's will and in the gift of themselves Christ remains the principle of unity of their life. Pastoral charity will be a valid expression of holiness; the source of pastoral charity will be found in prayer and especially in the eucharistic sacrifice. «But this cannot be achieved except through priests themselves penetrating ever more intimately through prayer into the mystery of Christ».

Finally n. 14 indicates the criterion for seeking God's will and communion with Christ, with the Bishop and their fellow priests, as the verification and criterion for discerning God's will which will make them holy. Though clearly affirming unity of life, with the example of Christ the Church seems to remind them of the need for prayer in order to fulfil the Father's will, and this as a proof of authentic prayer. The post-synodal Exhortation Pastores Dabo Vobis n. 24 systematically takes up this doctrine again and affirms clearly that consecration is for mission.

Similarly the Apostolic Exhortation Christifideles Laici n. 59 encourages specific unity of life in their specific vocation as members of the Church and citizens of human society.

Even more recently the post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation Vita Consecrata in nos. 74 and 75 speaks of apostolic spirituality, of a solid spir­ituality of action, of a union between con­templation and action, and of love of God and neighbour. Thus it re-proposes the same doctrine for a new harmony between apostolic and missionary life. It is worth citing some of the Pope's thoughts: «Jesus himself gave us the perfect example of how we can link communion with the Father to an intensely active life. Without a constant search for this unity, the danger of an interior breakdown, of confusion and discour­agement, lurks always near. Today as yesterday, the close union between contemplation and action will allow the most difficult mission to be undertaken» ². In another part he recalls what Saint Vincent de Paul loved to say: «when one is obliged to leave prayer to attend to a poor person in need, that prayer is not really interrupted because "one leaves God to serve God"... As Saint Gregory the Great says, "when charity lovingly stoops to provide even for the smallest needs of our neighbour, then does it suddenly surge upwards to the highest peaks. And when in great kindness it bends to the most extreme needs, then with much vigour does it resume its soaring to the heights» ³.

More precisely, in the sense of specifically missionary spirituality, in the Encyclical Redemptoris Mission. 87-88 we find some characteristic principles which not only suggest on a doctrinal level but ex­plain on a level of spiritual teaching how to translate the sanctifying power of the apostolate and the apostolic value of prayer into unity of life. They are two numbers of great spiritual and pedagogical value which we will go back to more fully at the end of this study.

Prayer and apostolate, interior life and mis­sionary activity. We can at the limit say: what use is prayer? What is the purpose of interior life? The answer could not be given in terms of usefulness or human effectiveness but in terms of gratuitousness and life, of selfgiving and service. Prayer helps us to live explicitly and in a personalized manner our communion with God, our union with Christ and docility to the Spirit. It helps us to be more: to be new people. But at the same time within the perspective of the dimension of the Son, a servant, consecrated and sent, prayer and life, like in Jesus, apart from being communion with the Father, help us to express and achieve the total gift of self, to spread and share our charity, to make others sharers in the extroversion of the trinitarian love. Being more is also giving more according to the measure of God's love: being servants, being sent and being apostles. In this way Christians share in the essential dimension of the Trinity, in its communion and mission.

Being in order to give: this is the measure of genuine prayer, of a real interior life which, like in the Trinity, is expansive and missionary, measured with the person of Christ and with the demands of friendship and the total gift of life for him whom one loves and for his projects of love.

Indeed, we should say that every real Christian prayer has a value in itself, even outside the concrete effectiveness it may have visibly or the apostolic commitment it arouses. Prayer is the moment of our response. It is an act of faith, hope and love which has an absolute value and not only a value related to what may come later. In liturgical prayer and in personal prayer the priest, the religious, the Christian lay person, live communion and grace, they immerse themselves, as in a baptism, in the living waters of the Spirit, they listen to the word and the will of the Father, they accept it in order to fulfil it.

This is why prayer should never be measured in terms of usefulness but of gratuitousness. Prayer is a gift which God gives us; and it is a gift we make to God. It is a summit of life.

Indeed it is of the very nature of prayer and love to leave to God and his will, to Christ and his cause, to his mission, to our brothers and sisters and to the Church with whom he identifies. It is in prayer that we learn to accept God's gift so that we too may become a gift for others, we accept the transformation which enables us to love more and serve better.

Saying that prayer must lead to action now seems trite and obvious. Everyone says it, even those who are basically not very devoted to prayer, precisely so that they can belittle it and make fun of it when it does not lead to service and giving oneself for others.

But it is even more interesting to hear these observations from people above suspicion, as mystics are, because in their words there is experience, a seriousness in their approach, a theology of the sanctifying value of the apostolate which we may not have expected from these brothers and sisters of ours who seemed so immersed in God as to have forgotten action, service... Let us take a look for a few moments at some reflections made by a great mystic, a teacher of prayer and service. In her we will not find any suspicion, but hope, a radiant conviction of unity of life also explained in lucid theology which comes from a very deep experience of God's love. In this way it will be obvious that the peak of holiness cannot but be apostolic, like the very life and death of Jesus.