What is the Christian concept of service?
Jesus says in the Gospel: “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Such a statement, according to some commentators, goes against the search for “self-fulfillment” which turns out to be not as advance. In Christian living, fulfillment comes, not through personal satisfaction, but through service to others.
In my experience as a priest, I have met diverse people. As I look back, I can roughly divide them into two: stars and servants. The stars are obviously the celebrity, we know how they live their lives. Stars live a glamorous life, yet left on their own, many of them are not really happy, some of them are miserable and have troubled or broken marriages.
Servants on the other hand, are people who serve in poor communities. Servants are not limited to priests and nuns but also to doctors, nurses and the like. They live a more inspiring life. They serve without counting the cost. They work for low pay, long hours, and no applause or television exposure. But somehow in the process of losing their own life, they found something meaningful. They have received the peace that the world cannot give.
posted by Everett Corvera
posted by Everett Corvera
