One of the best experiences of my youth was being a Boy Scout. I learned a lot and enjoyed hiking and camping. But the greatest reward was bonding with some of my best friends. I don’t think we would have connected without the shared projects of setting up a campsite, building fires and arguing about the existence of Bigfoot (still an unsettled question among us).
The same dynamic is at play when we serve in the Church. Before his Ascension, Jesus commanded the disciples to make disciples of the whole world (Matthew 28:19-20). This isn’t because he couldn’t do this work himself. It’s because he wants us to become friends with the Holy Spirit.
Jesus promised the Holy Spirit would animate the work of the Church in the same way the soul animates the body. By inviting us into service within the Church, Jesus is inviting us to work alongside the Spirit. This creates an opportunity for us to know and love the Spirit in a real and practical way.
This is why Archbishop Etienne and our pastors invite all of us to serve in the Church. Yes, the Church benefits from our service. But, more importantly, we need the opportunity to grow in friendship with the Spirit.
Of course, this friendship is not automatic. The Holy Spirit never forces himself upon us. If we ground our work within the Church on our priorities and our needs, our service will remain nothing more than a human project.
Whatever we do in service, our first step must be listening to our parish leadership, looking at the needs around us and asking God with openness and humility in prayer, “What would you have me do to help?” Then, we need to take advantage of resources to grow in our ability to think, feel and act with the Spirit. You can find out more about these resources by checking out “Are You Called to Serve as a Lay Minister?” at archseattle.org/lay-formation. Then we can move forward in service.
Many Boy Scout campouts went well. Some did not. Sometimes, we hiked for miles to get to a wet campsite and huddle around a campfire in the rain and cold. Sometimes, we asked ourselves, “Why are we doing this again?”
Service in the Church can feel like that too. If you doubt this, look at the lives of the saints. Like them, our “why” must always be greater than the material benefits we get from serving and that we offer to others through our service. Our “why” must always be found in the extraordinary opportunity to befriend the Holy Spirit by following the commands of Jesus, who promised, “And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).
Read the rest of the June/July 2023 issue of Northwest Catholic here.