Why isn’t every Catholic a member of this organization? Seriously, I’m not seeing the downside. Sure, some memberships or con-fraternities ask a lot. For the Apostleship of Prayer, though, the financial cost to enroll as a member is nothing and the cost of commitment is about, what, three minutes of your morning? I mean, here, let’s work it out:
- 0:10 Stop in the midst of your morning chaos, breathe, and shift your focus towards God
- 0:15 Read the Pope’s intentions for the month (one sentence each)
- 0:30 Reflect on the Pope’s intentions
- 0:15 Maybe add some intentions of your own
- 0:15 Pray a version of the Morning Offering
- 0:10 Take a moment to recognize what you just said before getting into your day.
OK, so let’s add up all the time that takes and…
1min. and 35 sec.
Right, so less than half of my initial estimate. Making coffee takes longer. As a matter of fact, I know that making coffee takes longer because my wife makes her morning offering during the time she used spend just standing and waiting for the coffee to be ready. Or, hey, you know, you could be a real ‘go-getter’ and take a little extra time to go over the Monthly Reflections and add on the Prayer of the Month. But I get it. All of that could add, wow, like maybe five whole minutes to your morning routine, so you probably want to stick with the 1min. and 35sec. version noted above.
And you know what? That’s totally fine. In fact, that’s more than fine. That less than two minutes of your day makes you part of what Pope St. John Paul II described as “a precious treasure from the Pope’s heart and the Heart of Christ,” and joins your prayer with those of some 50 million other Catholics around the world who also include your intentions in their prayers, as you include theirs in yours.
So, just to recap: You give no money and about 95sec. of your day, and you get membership in a centuries-old treasure of the Church, to make a contribution to the work and life of the Church and the Pope, 50 million people praying for you, a needful reminder to offer your day to the God whom you love, and do a small work that is pleasing in the eyes of that One who loves you infinitely more.
In what way is this even remotely in the category of “not worth doing” or “too much work”? I repeat my opening question, in all seriousness, to any Catholic reading this who is not a member: Why not? Do you actually have a decent reason? Because I’m extremely curious as to what it could be. Maybe I’m missing something.
But if I’m not missing something, and you think you can take that 95 seconds out of every morning for God, why don’t you use this link to enroll yourself? Heck, why not go crazy and spend $5 or $10 on some leaflets and cards for yourself and your friends; I especially like the Sacred Heart cards. Granted this process (including that spending splurge) might take you upwards of ten minutes, so it is a big commitment but, that part is just a one time thing. Isn’t it worth it?
dfxc 