My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ God,
Christ is in our midst! He was, is, and ever shall be.
We are taught in our Holy Orthodox Church that sharing is caring. We have all received God-given talents to use for the benefit not only of ourselves but to help our fellow humans who may need our love and compassion.
The Christian's heart must be a sensitive heart full of the grace of the Holy Spirit. A heart that is willing to share the pain and the suffering of humanity just as Christ our Lord and Savior did. The Latin word for compassion means to literally put ourselves in the shoes of one who is suffering and in pain. By sharing his or her pain we alleviate and minimize the suffering of that person.
Sharing is caring. The Church is a living organism and she too needs our charity. The Church is the body of Christ. The faithful (Laity) along with the clergy comprise the Church. The church building is the temple of worship where we assemble to praise, worship and commune with the Most High.
Sharing is something we're taught from a very young age. We learn we're to share what we have with others and we are grateful when others share with us. Sometimes, we can be a little less enthusiastic about having to share something of ours. However, as we mature spiritually we come to the realization that sharing anything enriches our life and the lives of others; whether food, time, or joys and sorrows, as Saint Paul writes in his Epistle to the Romans 12:15 we "rejoice with those who rejoice and we weep with those who weep." Sharing our joys increases them. Sharing our sorrows, struggles, and burdens lighten them. The early Church was known for its love and generosity in caring, sharing, and serving others. The Holy Bible encourages us to share not only what we have, but who we are especially in challenging times.
1 Peter 4:7-11 describes how we are to live as we share life together and serve one another until Our Lord returns or until we die. "The end of all things is near; therefore be serious and discipline yourselves for the sake of your prayers. Above all, maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaining. Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received..."
We all have gifts that God has given each one of us, Saint Paul says, let us use them!
Think about the gifts you have been given by God in your life, and then think about how you are using these gifts to glorify God and His Church. Are you using your gifts and talents to glorify God?
The beauty is that not everyone has the same gifts and talents, but when we all offer our gifts and talents to God for His Glory, something beautiful happens. This is what the Church is -- many different members coming together in love and humility, laying aside our egos and our agendas to discover what God wants, and then to do what God is calling us to do.
Think for a moment about what your particular gifts may be, and then ask yourself, how do I use my own special gifts in a way that glorifies God? How do I use my own specific gifts to build up Christ's Holy Church here in South Bend, but also to build up Christ's Holy Church around the world?
Do I have a beautiful voice, then do I offer up this gift to sing in the choir and glorify God through the worship of the Church? Is my gift in teaching? Then do I offer my gift to help teach in our Church School or Adult Catechism? Or is my gift cooking, or baking? Or is my gift in encouraging others, building up others, supporting others? We all have some specific gifts and talents, but how are we using them within the Church family? Are we offering our time to share these gifts and talents with others?
We surely have a number of individuals who give much of their time and talents to the church. And then we surely have others who may come to church often, but who only come to worship or share in the fellowship, but who don't really get involved more deeply in the life of the parish. To be followers of Jesus Christ means that our life is not our own, it is God's. And thus, all that we have -- our gifts and talents, our treasures and money, all we have is God's gift to us. Remember from the Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom the words of the priest as he lifts up the Precious Gifts, "Thine own of Thine own we offer to Thee, in all (time) and for all (kindness to us). Even the bread and wine that is offered to God to be consecrated by Him are His. We ourselves have nothing of our own to offer to Him.
It is said that "Your talent is God's gift to you. What you do with your talent is your gift back to God."
With sincere agape in our Merciful God,
+Father George