“There is a variety of gifts……….”
These words jumped out at me, as it were, ringing bells!
Gifts, says St Paul, we who are baptised and proclaim Jesus as Lord, possess many gifts given by the Holy Spirit. Do we recognise the gift or gifts that each of us has, and how do we use those gifts?
Australia has been the centre of interest all because a very gifted man has acted as if other people did not matter.
Paul continues in today’s reading to remind us all that our gifts have been distributed and given for the service of the community.
Jesus possessed many gifts; his mother recognised this and it seems that occasionally she did ask (we really do not know how often she asked her Son to act … we do know that on one occasion her request to see Him brought the retort that “All who do the will of my father, they are my Mother and brothers and sisters” ) and note well that at Cana the request was for the good of the guests and to save the groom’s family from great embarrassment.
Our much-feted tennis player does not seem to have had the wellbeing of our community at heart…even his mother has now commented upon that failing.
We are all gifted. Gifted we are in all sorts of different ways.
As we begin the New Year, perhaps a good idea would be to take time and really identify the particular gifts that we possess from the Holy Spirit and then to use them for the wellbeing of the community.
St Peter wrote, 1 Pet 4:10, “Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you received.”
We may have to rediscover just what gift or gifts we have received. That, in itself, is a worthy beginning for 2022.
Using the rediscovered gift or gifts for the wellbeing of the community; that is Christian action.
Mons Frank
