(June 9, 2019) | Lectionary: 62/63
Adults: What gift of service have you received from the Holy Spirit and how well are you using it right now?
Children: What gift do you hope to receive from the Holy Spirit? How could you use it to serve others?
by Thomas Gette
One of the issues I face in my life is getting ahead of myself with a list of all the things I want to do. For example, I might want to increase time for prayer in my life, but then I envision all the other things I want to do. As a result, I become overwhelmed and I end up making no changes at all.
If I do get started with my goal of praying more, it becomes too much to maintain, and I end up with less of a prayer life afterward. I do a similar thing with new hobbies and life goals, and with trying to serve in my parish and in my community.
In other words, I get carried away with wanting to do this, that, or the other. Then I find myself not doing anything. This situation arises when I don’t take the time to consider my gifts and talents and how to use them. Instead, I get mired in this idyllic vision of how I want to serve. This usually leads to burnout. I either become over-committed or I never get started because it feels too overwhelming.
There is no doubt that God calls all of us to serve in this world. What we often don’t consider is that God calls each of us to do something specific. It is a great spiritual exercise to discern and discover what our gifts and talents are. In fact, acknowledging our gifts and talents is a way to glorify God. It is not prideful to acknowledge our gifts. When we humbly use our gifts at the service of others, then we are truly embracing them.
There is something very liberating about this practice. When we focus on the core things that we are good at, then we become much more willing and able to make use of those gifts. It allows us to focus on doing service instead of just thinking about it.
The gift of service comes in many forms. Some, like cloistered women religious, use the gift of unceasing prayer. Missionaries give the gift of spiritual and material comfort and healing to those in far off lands. Catechists use the gift of teaching to help form virtuous and faithful Christians.
It is easy to get overwhelmed with what to do and how to serve. If we are ever feeling at a loss for how to serve, a great place to begin is by considering our day-to-day lives. Parents have the obvious task of serving their children by caring for them and raising them. But we can also look at our jobs outside of the home. Whether we are a student, a parent, or a career person, our daily duties are a type of service. They open up for us opportunities to constantly discover new ways to serve.
We do not all need to be at a soup kitchen or doing foster care, but we should each search and discover where God wants to make use of our gifts.
The goal isn’t for us to become superheroes. The goal is for us to play our part.