Ministry Tip of the Week
by Seth Evangelho
The Theology of the Body has been such a gift to the Church (If you're not familiar with it, find a good introduction, you won't regret it). This masterwork of St. John Paul II has given us a beautiful language to articulate what it means to be human. As knowledge of his teaching spreads, I hear more and more this language of gift; that is, JPII's ever constant proposition that we've been created to make of ourselves a complete gift to the world.
Indeed, God is love and it's in his image that we've been fashioned. He is eternally pouring himself out in love and, with his strength, we're called to do the same, to live his eternal life here and now - and so to discover the fulfillment of our deepest human longings. We're called to make of our lives a gift. Whether it be in the sacred bonds of marriage to spouse and children, in the sacrificial ministry of holy orders or religious life, in the passionate throes of an apostolate (a particular mission we've discerned God calling us to focus on), or in the day to day encounters with the people who cross our path; in the end, all authentic vocations point to the same human fulfillment, in whichever way the gift of self may be expressed.
Indeed, God is love and it's in his image that we've been fashioned. He is eternally pouring himself out in love and, with his strength, we're called to do the same, to live his eternal life here and now - and so to discover the fulfillment of our deepest human longings. We're called to make of our lives a gift. Whether it be in the sacred bonds of marriage to spouse and children, in the sacrificial ministry of holy orders or religious life, in the passionate throes of an apostolate (a particular mission we've discerned God calling us to focus on), or in the day to day encounters with the people who cross our path; in the end, all authentic vocations point to the same human fulfillment, in whichever way the gift of self may be expressed.
 | Let us never forget, however, the image of love is twofold. God is not a solitary being. He is not just the eternal giver. From all eternity, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit eternally receive. Love is not just giving; it is receiving. As we call one another to love, and to serve, let us also remember that we're called to let others minister to us as well. |
Sometimes it's easy to hide behind service and never fully attain the image of God we're called to become. It's hard to be vulnerable, and inter-dependent; for fear of appearing weak, we don't want to admit our need for others. May we never forget that love eternally receives every bit as much as he eternally gives.
Paradoxically, the more perfectly we come to receive the love and mercy of others, the more perfectly our giving becomes. It requires the gift of self to receive someone's love, to allow oneself to be served by another, to be forgiven, or comforted, or challenged. Our willingness to receive the love of another is a vulnerable position, and is itself a gift. To receive love is to give love. It's a precious gift to allow someone else to give their gift of self. Indeed, we need one another's willingness to receive if we're to grow in our capacity to give. May we be humble enough to admit our need for the love and mercy of others, and may we help others (most especially through our own living example) to understand that this call to receive is just as essential to human happiness as the call to give.
Paradoxically, the more perfectly we come to receive the love and mercy of others, the more perfectly our giving becomes. It requires the gift of self to receive someone's love, to allow oneself to be served by another, to be forgiven, or comforted, or challenged. Our willingness to receive the love of another is a vulnerable position, and is itself a gift. To receive love is to give love. It's a precious gift to allow someone else to give their gift of self. Indeed, we need one another's willingness to receive if we're to grow in our capacity to give. May we be humble enough to admit our need for the love and mercy of others, and may we help others (most especially through our own living example) to understand that this call to receive is just as essential to human happiness as the call to give.
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