"Use me, God. Show me how to take who I am, who I want to be, and what I can do,
and use it for a purpose greater than myself."
and use it for a purpose greater than myself."
+Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Serving others changes a person's heart. Belonging to something bigger fulfills a profound human need. Giving one's very self to others is the path to finding one's true self, as the Lord himself has revealed.
Rather than just another Monday holiday to stay home from work and school, our nation's annual recognition of Martin Luther King Day has morphed into a national day of service. It has become an opportunity to put partisan politics on hold. It is also an opportunity to transcend, at least for a day, the real racism which continues to haunt our nation.
Not a day OFF, but a day ON :)
As a fitting tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., this national day of service has the potential to transform our perspective on life. When I serve:
- I remember that my life is not all about me and that I'm not the center of the universe.
- I grow to understand that authentic self-esteem comes from giving myself to others.
- I experience Jesus Christ, mysteriously present, and slowly realize that He alone can "break the chains of hate."
Of course, if does not spring from the right motivations, service can become just another self-soothing experience. The temptation to feed the ego by doing good deeds can become part of an enslaving cycle of "self-affirmation." The key Christian insight is that we serve others not because it makes us feel good (though sometimes it does), but because it is a concrete response to God's will in our daily lives: discerning a real need and acting accordingly, at the right time and in the right way.
Living with and for others foreshadows the eternal glory for which God has created the human person. After all, this is how Jesus described his own mission:
"The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Mt 20:28).
and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Mt 20:28).
Finally, in honor of Martin Luther King's solidarity with those who are most oppressed and most vulnerable, let's hold in prayer the hundreds of thousands who will journey to Washington, D.C. for the 45th annual March for Life. This contemporary civil rights movement promotes justice for vulnerable unborn children and mothers who represent every race and ethnicity. It is a fitting extension of Dr. King's non-violent vision of social change.
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| Check out 9 Days for Life |
