Deepen, Awaken, then Serve

I believe I’m in good company when I affirm that for most of my life, I have been a member of the ‘brown thumb’ club. I say this because I struggle to keep most plants alive and healthy. Nonetheless, I trust there is hope for plant life despite my own shortcoming. Please allow me to explain.

It was two years ago when we were gifted three succulents in a box. I took it upon myself to water and care for the one-inch-tall plants. Today, only one remains. It has been transplanted into a new vessel and has nearly doubled in size. Watering my now lonely cactus a few days ago, I paused to consider that my thumb may not be brown at all. Rather, could it be that I failed to water or feed even the heartiest of plants from time to time? Could this be why I was only partially successful?

Much like the succulents Diana and I received, faith inviting each of us into service must also be cared for if it is to thrive. Doing so directs us into true friendship with the Lord in support of our role to share His love with our neighbors. This does not occur overnight. It takes intentional, continual, and lifelong spiritual nourishment to be most effective. Even so, when properly nurtured, what starts as a trickle can manifest itself into an abundance of God’s grace and mercy. While many opportunities for growth and deeds exist, I would therefore like to propose an approach to deepen our faith, awaken our call to mission, and serve with God at the forefront.
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Deepening our personal encounter and relationship with Christ provides a solid foundation for awakening and service. This is a time for Mass attendance, communal and personal prayer, scriptural study, and reflecting on the Lord as our friend and guide. We also strive to hone our ability to truly listen to His will by pursuing silence outside and within. This formed relationship can be further enhanced by recognizing moments of awe and gratitude.

Our intimate connection with God prepares us to cultivate a compassionate awareness of the poor and needy among us. This is where we rouse our hearts and become truly awake to societal needs while allowing our innermost call
to mission to flourish. We work diligently to recognize the Holy Spirit in others considering how we might openly share the Lord’s love in the world.

It is through faith alive in our hearts as well as deliberate awareness that we are called to act with Christ leading the way. This further implies that the order of things matter. Placing Him first in all things provides a solid footing for a
life of service from the body of Christ to the body of Christ. Our actions may seem small at times but knowing that many trickles often form rivers, we can find inner peace and strength through the words of the prophet Ezekiel:

Wherever the river flows, every sort of living creature that can multiply shall live, and there shall be abundant fish,for wherever this water comes the sea shall be made fresh. (Ezekiel 47:9)



Endless Blessings,
Deacon Luc and Diana Papillon

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