“Amen, amen I say to you no slave is greater than his master…nor any messenger greater than the one who sent him…. I am not speaking of all of you. I know those whom I have chosen.” ( Jn13:16-18)
John’s Gospel speaks so clearly to the necessity of the Christian call to service, receptivity and humility.
There is always a beginning when we are made aware that God is reaching out to us. Some of us become more aware of this at an earlier stage in life than others. It’s a call we cannot ignore. As infants most of us were sealed by the waters of Baptism but we were unable to freely respond. Then after reaching the age of reason, we were often distracted from the call because of material things. As we age, all that “stuff” further distracts us.
Young saints from Joan of Arc to Carlo Acutis heard that call as young people. Joan could have remained a shepherdess; Carlo could have been a typical teenage playing soccer and video games. But they fully responded to God’s call to serve.
To be receptive
When we speak of being receptive to God’s call, is there any greater example than that of our Blessed Mother? “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” (Lk 1:38) Accepting God’s request without hesitation is surely a grace. Perhaps we imagine that, of course, we would also give our own “fiat” should an angel appear in our bedroom and ask us to take on a task; a task that might be very dangerous to our physical well-being. But God does send us angels in our lives when we encounter the ill friend who needs comfort, the poor, the refugee.
To be humble
What may be more difficult for us to is to take on these tasks with humility. Currently, I am the coordinator for a ministry which helps women with unsupported pregnancies. There are weeks when helping these women I become discouraged when they don’t follow my advice or meet my actions with gratitude. It is then that I need to recite the Litany of Humility. “O Jesus, meek and humble of heart, hear me. From the desire of being esteemed, from the desire of being praise…desire of being loved, etc., Deliver me, Jesus”.
Indeed, it is Jesus who modeled for us service, receptivity and humility in following his Father’s will and accepting death on a cross. How blessed are we that God has chosen for us to be here in the present time to be open to serving so many in need with true humility! We need to ask for those graces to be like the saints, like our Blessed Mother and like our dear Lord, Jesus Christ.
