service
[noun]
An action of helping or providing assistance for someone. In the Gospel, Jesus showed us how to serve with love. He knelt down and washed people’s feet. He fed the hungry. He healed the untouchables. By his example, service is an act of selfless love.
In one of his homilies, the late Pope Francis explained that service is born from love. “When we learn to serve, every gesture of attention and care, every expression of tenderness, every act of mercy becomes a reflection of God’s love.”
Service is not the same as doing a favor for someone or being a hero. Service is an expression of solidarity with those who need it most. Being of service to others requires us to be humble and compassionate, to free ourselves from prejudice, and to be ready to sacrifice for others. By Jesus’s example, no act of service is too small and no one is unworthy of our care.
An act of service is not only an act of love, but also an act of humility, respect and honor.
Dear God,
Through your Son Jesus Christ, you showed us to care for one another and to give ourselves selflessly in love. Grant me the grace to serve as Jesus did. That I may see where the need is greatest and be courageous to answer the call to serve.
How can you live out your call to serve today?
