To whom will you give? To whom will you serve?

Those are the questions for every Christian in the world today.

We are meant for more than serving ourselves. Even our Lord taught us that even the Master came to serve His creation.

Who are we that we should be unlike Him Whom we follow?

Service…

We must serve others. Not as a door mat to be trod upon by the unclean, but as a servant to those lesser in stature spiritually, financially, physically, emotionally, psychologically than we are.

We are not slaves, tied to a master who abuses us. We are servants. Servants, unlike slaves, are serving a master voluntarily. Those who sign up to serve God are employed to tasks for which they are created. Not forced into slavery to do that which is not inherent to their nature.

Part of that servitude lies in serving others. Serving others properly prevents us from serving ourselves. Just like almsgiving prevents us from spending on our own wants.

Beyond the boundaries…

Outreach is a part of that act of service. It entails reaching outside our comfort zone and into the lives of others. Often it is with others whom you may never have chosen to be a friend.

Serving others in their time of need is part of outreach. It is meant to lift people up and help them stand on their own two feet. Sometimes it is to bring confidence and restore dignity to those who are downtrodden. And often it is to serve the poor and disabled in their time of spiritual or physical need.

Lifting up others restores their dignity. Showing them compassion renews their faith in the goodness of human beings. Giving them hope displays God’s mercy, forgiveness, and Love for each of them.

Outreach is an important part of being a Christian.

But…

Too often we retreat from service.

In every church, Catholic or not, there is always a select few willing to serve. Most are more willing to do the bare minimum to belong to a church, tossing a tithe check into the collection basket, and sitting in the pew listening to the preacher or attending Mass.

Little passes through their minds but doing their duty as expected, but nothing more.

Those who have need even in their own churches are not served by them. And if there are strangers who visit them, they are passed by without another thought.

The idea that we must serve others didn’t pass down to many even during the times of the Apostles. Just read 1 Peter – the whole of it – to see that even St. Peter had to exhort the people to a life of service.

Become humble…

In humility we become humble. In serving we become servants. And in loving others for God’s sake we shine forth His Love through our very actions.

Learn to serve. Don’t do it because it makes you feel good or justified. It isn’t for accolades that we serve. Most of the people in the world who serve us the most are never known by those beyond the served.

A quick smile. A kind gesture. Holding the door open for the mom struggling to juggles children and a loaded shopping cart. Assisting an elderly person with car troubles or seeking directions.

It is in the little things we can do every day to get outside ourselves. In those small acts, we learn to serve.

Service, like all virtues, start with tiny steps. By the time large opportunities come about, you will have had the muscle memory to act for others before yourself.

Possessions…

My mom always taught us to treat things we borrowed with even greater care than our own.

Most people, when they rent cars, don’t give a second thought about that idea. They run the cars as fast and terribly as they can, justifying it by saying the car rental companies can afford to fix them. Little do they realize how much they cut into the bottom line profits that help replace those vehicles later down the road.

The same concept seems to be pervasive in the minds of man when he borrows tools from neighbors or tears up equipment owned by a corporation.

Treating others as you would like to be treated applies to people and their possessions. That includes businesses – the employees and the assets. All affect people. And we are all part of the same human family.

Reaching out to others includes treating well the property of others. It is an outreach of another kind.

In all cases, whether helping an individual or taking care of the property owned by large companies, it shows a level of respect for the people who are affected.

On a smaller scale…

Outreach in families is the first level of showing respect. When we deem others as important within the family, then we will treat others outside our families with the same level of regard.

Too often we hear of those who are “angels abroad, but devils at home”. If we practice what we preach, then we will become true followers of Jesus. Our willingness to serve others becomes elevated as we become lessened in our view of importance.

Starting with our families. Volunteer to fold and put away the laundry. Try preparing meals for the wife who is tired from dealing with the children all day. Make room for the father who is weary from a long day in the field. Be patient with the child who wants to talk non-stop just because.

Serve others. Humble yourself. Show it by participating in the little things at your own church. Even if it means just volunteering to clean the bathrooms. It isn’t about the collection plate as much as it is giving your all for the Body of Christ.

Then reach beyond and touch the lives of those outside your church. Show the Love of God beyond yourself.

But do all for the Glory of God.

Serve others first. Start with your family. Then your church. Beyond that, it will grow to your community beyond.

Outreach. It is a beautiful word. One that all of us as Christians should relish.