To Serve Is To Love
“You learn to speak by speaking, to study by studying, to run by running, to work by working, and just so, you learn to love by loving. All those who think to learn in any other way deceive themselves.” ~ St. Francis de Sales
St. Francis de Sales hits the nail on the head, doesn’t he. The best way to learn is always by doing, by becoming involved. The deeper involved we are in any subject or task, the more proficient we become.
The first examples of his quote are easy as they speak more to action with a commitment to self. We do many things in order to make ourselves better and/or to excel over others. We apply ourselves to learning the tasks that we desire so as to shine among others.
But to love? That’s a bit more difficult. For some, more than a bit. Love’s classic definition is targeted toward others. We do not love to make ourselves better. We do not love to shine among others. We do not love for the sake of recognition. If we do, that is not real love.
We love to make another person better. We love to serve another person’s needs. We love to help a person in distress. We love to show that we care about another. It is always about the other.
That is why love is so hard for some people. They are so turned into themselves that they cannot see or refuse to see the imperative of God to serve others. Yet serving others is the only way to love others and God.
This weekend at St. Thomas More Church, we are inviting parishioners to take a gander at our many parish ministries. These ministries have touched the lives of so many people through the years and they are always in need of new blood to help further the mission.
During the pandemic, as you can well imagine, activity in the many ministries slowed dramatically if not stopping completely. Now that the pandemic is waning, we are trying to restart the ministries in order to reach as many of our brothers and sisters as possible. This is the way that our parish strives to love others.
Would you become a part of that mission to love and serve others in the community? Would you be that someone who goes out to visit the sick and shut in, to minister the Body and Blood of Jesus during Mass, or to help the poor and/or disadvantaged?
We need your help. With your help, we can reach so many more who may be in need.
FAITH ACTION: Consider becoming involved in a parish ministry so as to serve your brothers and sisters and, in doing so, the Lord.