How are you Using Your Gifts?
We hear about Stewardship all the time. The problem is, we only ever hear about money. What is worse, we only hear about how much money the Church needs. We might hear a token mention of time and talents in the annual stewardship pitch. We hardly ever hear about stewardship outside of the Church’s needs.
The Church does not exist for itself, but for the sake of others. As today’s reading from Saint Paul teaches, the Church is the body of Christ. As the Body of Christ, it is God’s expectation that we use our gifts for others. Sure, the Church has needs, but those needs only go so far as they are helpful to others.
Brethren, you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, then healers, helpers, administrators, speakers in various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.
1st Corinthians 12:27-31;13:1-8
What good is to have the gift of healing if we only attend Divine Liturgy? What good is the gift of miracles on only sitting in the pews on a Sunday? God has given us these gifts in love to use in love. When we think of stewardship, we think of helping the Church. Healing others doesn’t help the Church. Healing others ultimately is an act of love.
At that time, Jesus called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every infirmity. These twelve Jesus sent out, charging them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And preach as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying, give without pay.”
Matthew 10:1, 5-8
Today is the feast of the Holy Unmercenaries Cosmas and Damian. They used their gifts of healing for others and never received a penny for their work. In their response to God’s commandment to “give without pay,” they taught all of us how to use our gifts. They taught us how to love.
If there is one thing our society needs now more than ever, we need healing. Between mental illness, various addictions, poor nutrition and a myriad of other ailments, more and more go without healing because they cannot afford treatment. That is where the Church must step in and help.
Unless we have forgotten that it was the Church that opened the first hospitals. If you have the gift of healing, I invite you to consider working with your local parish. Use your gifts to help others. If you are a counselor, offer to be available once per week for others.
Serving others doesn’t end with just healing. If you are a successful financial planner, offer classes at your parish to help others learn to budget their money better. If you are a lawyer, a teacher, a business manager. We all have gifts we received from God without paying. Now we must give without receiving. There are plenty of billable hours in our week to spare for the good of others.
