Year of Vocation - Witness, Love and Service
The aim of the Year of Vocation is to raise awareness of the common
vocation that we all share through baptism, as expressed through witness,
love and service.
SERVICE
The service industry is one of the strongest growing sectors in this
country. Many people make a career out of ‘serving’ others. For the
Christian too, service is paramount, but it is not a job or career,
rather it is the heart of what being a Christian is all about. In the liturgy
for Holy Thursday, Jesus Christ highlighted the centrality of service
when he said:
“Do you realize what I have done for you? You call me ´teacher´ and
´master,´ and rightly so, for indeed I am. If I, therefore, the master
and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another´s
feet. I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for
you, you should also do”. (John 13:13-15)
Although the word has its origins in the Latin servitium which means
‘slavery’, the Christian understands that when we are in the service
of our fellow men & women, we are serving God – which is our purpose.
That was the issue Jesus faced with the Pharisees. They were all about
Bible study and prayer and worship, but they neglected the sick, the
needy, and the sinner in their zeal for purity. How do you show your
love for God? By praying and praising? Sure, but that’s not all. You
show your love for God by caring for other Christians.
Whatever spiritual gifts you have, whatever natural abilities you have, whatever experiences
you have, use them to help other people. And the bonus in it all is
that Christians know that we also bring happiness to ourselves as
well as to others when we serve.
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