This past Monday evening, my son Philip and I were at the Saint Marie church hall with over 100 other parishioners.
Our mission was to assemble food baskets from an abundance of donated food-stuffs, to give the less fortunate the makings of a complete Thanksgiving dinner.
As I surveyed the mounds of canned-goods, stuffing, vegetables, fruit, coffee, and hand made greeting cards, our Religious Ed Director, Terry, began with an opening prayer. And in that prayer, she mentioned the phrase corporal works of mercy.
It was then that I received the locution and inspiration for this blog entry.
Luke 12:48 states: "When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required."
That evening, our group of volunteers assembled enough complete baskets to feed 130 families in need (about 520 souls). There were even left-overs, yes, left-overs, which were donated to the local food pantry. The miracle of the loaves and fishes crossed my mind more than once that night.
Take some time to read the Book of James (New Testament). It's not very long, and he clearly outlines the relationship between faith and good works. Remember, our creator God has charged us all with the task of building The Kingdom here on Earth, to lovingly perform acts of charity and kindness, not begrudgingly, but with the joyful spirit of a giving heart.
Sadly, our overly-sensate society has been preaching the mantra "It's all about me." Shamefully, many of us have chosen to focus inwardly, ignoring the call to loving service of those in need. We respond with half-hearted excuses of not having enough time, or of not knowing what needs to be done, or to rationalizing that "Somebody else will take care of it."
Jesus said : "Whatsoever you do for the least of my people, that you do unto me."
This Christmas, shed the insanity of the shopping malls, and spend some time giving the gift of you. It's not that hard...honest! My father is fond of saying, "It doesn't have to be a major production." Do something!
Visit a sick friend, bring food to the local food bank, pray for someone, work for a few hours in a soup kitchen, send a letter to one of our troops over-seas, volunteer for one of the many ministries at your Church or Synagogue, and the Blessings that you give, will be returned to you 1000 fold. (Plus you get a really neat warm feeling inside knowing that you bore good fruit from your tree.)
Bottom line: If you're not serving somebody, than you better be serving someone who is.
Via con Dios,
Marty
1 comment:
The posting "A good tree bears good fruit" is a welcome reminder for this time of year. Christ's gift was not a Dollar or Ruble or Roman coin but that of his teachings and miracles that guide us and inspire us. Too often we simply put money in an envelope and send it away to some organisation without ever creating a connection to the life of the person or persons it is helping. Though necessary, money should not be a substitute for giving of ones time as you and your son did. It is apparent from your writing that you received a blessing in return.
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