Franciscan Fractal: “Gifts for the Common Good”
Contemplating Today’s Culture through the Eyes of St. Francis & the Light of Christ
Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. I Corinthians 12:4-7
St. Paul must have witnessed pandemonium when he visited the City of Corinth. The followers of Christ discovered that the Holy Spirit gave them spiritual gifts. Prior to encountering the Holy Spirit, citizens had worshiped inanimate statues that were silent. Followers of Christ found that they now could speak with the power of God. The verbalizations apparently caused chaos in their community, as people attempted to figure out who was really speaking from the Holy Spirit.
Paul tries to settle this apparent confusion in his writing. He explains that people receive a variety of gifts, services, and activities, but all come from the Holy Spirit. Some people utter wisdom, others speak with knowledge. Still others bear witness to either faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, or the discernment of spirits. God has no special preference for one gift over another. No matter what type of gift has been given, the gift is to be shared for the common good, and not used selfishly as a status symbol within the community.
Although 2,000 years have passed since the time of St. Paul, status in terms of gifts still reigns supreme in the church and among church members. A pastor or priest presiding at the Eucharist is often given more credence in terms of a special gift than a cook serving a freshly baked loaf of Communion bread in the kitchen. The head of a vestry or church council is often considered more gifted in directing a group of people than an administrative assistant who ferrets out phone calls all day long. A treasurer may be seen as having more value than an usher who simply passes the collection plate.
It matters not what gift has been given to a follower of Christ. The purpose of that gift is to keep the WHOLE COMMUNITY on track for the common good. No piece is less important than another piece. Moreover, no person has a gift that is LESS IMPORTANT than another person. Gifts are called forth by the Holy Spirit, and not by our own desires.
The largest problem with using our gifts is that we are frightened of them. Instead of focusing on the source from which our gifts come, namely God, we compare what we have with what others may or may not have been blessed to receive. That is a clever tool of the evil in our midst. As long as we compare ourselves to others, we stay paralyzed and cannot fully identify our gifts. We deny God’s goodness, and eventually come to a complete halt. The result is that we fail to support the common good.
We fool ourself by attending church services, where we can vicariously see others doing the “right thing.” This lets us off the hook and allows us to feel justified for not having to do anything more ourselves, especially where we might have to identify that unique gift of the Holy Spirit hidden deep within us.
If you have not identified your gift of the Holy Spirit, you are not alone. There is, however, a way to begin the process of identifying your gift(s). It costs nothing, and simply requires patience. There is a distinction between knowledge and wisdom in the gifts of the Spirit in Corinthians. Most of us think they are the same thing. Spiritual knowing is often called wisdom, and needs to be contrasted from merely having correct information. There is no way to “figure out” your gift by gaining more knowledge.
Just as you and I cannot know God by “figuring God out,” so too, you and I cannot identify our spiritual gifts by “figuring them out.” In figuring something out objectively, we use our mind to analyze the problem to get an answer. God does not reveal God’s self in that way.
We only begin to comprehend God and our spiritual gifts by becoming one with the source of our life. This happens only in “contemplative knowing” or “sitting with God” in stillness or quietness. Our relationship with God then becomes a subjective one revealing itself to us without words.
“Contemplative knowing” comes to us by allowing ourselves to be known totally by God through and through. As St. Paul would say, “It is no longer I who lives, but Christ who lives in me.” (Galatians 2:20)
The true gifts that we have been given begin to appear, when we are prepared to sit with God. Our intimate relationship with God begins to tell us what our gifts are. We are often struck with surprise, awe, and a growing confidence that we then can offer our newly discovered gifts to the common good in community. And, we can do so without comparing ourselves to others!
Prayers and Blessings as you find your spiritual gift(s)!
Fr. John
