rst discussion

Our fundamental human call is to live in relationship with one another and to be of service to one another. Jesus’ words remind us of the centrality of service. In the “Last Judgment” story in Matthew 25, he is explicit that the way we treat our fellow human beings, the ones he calls his brothers and sisters, equates to the way we treat him. That treatment is to be SERVICE: feeding the hungry, giving water to the thirsty, welcoming the stranger [read: alien], clothing the naked, giving shelter to the homeless, caring for the sick, visiting the imprisoned. (These acts of service are referred to as the “works of mercy” in some Christian traditions.) Jesus himself is the supreme model of service to others, ministering to those in need throughout his life and going even to the extent of giving his life for the sake of others.

Christians throughout the ages, as well as people of many faiths, have recognized the importance of serving others in fulfilling our human calling. Service became the key to Saint Francis’ conversion, when he realized profound meaning, joy, and union with Christ in touching, embracing, and nursing the lepers. And although he did not actually write the famous “Peace Prayer of Saint Francis,” it expresses well his foundational orientation toward serving others.

Chapter 2 of Gaudium et Spes reminds us of this fundamental vocation, as well. (I encourage you to go back and reread this chapter of the document.) Paragraph 25 states it explicitly: “So we humans, in order to fully discover ourselves, must donate ourselves to one another in love.” Paragraph 27 lays out our responsibilities to our fellow human beings explicitly, centering around its affirmation that “we have a special obligation to make ourselves the neighbor of every person without exception and to actively assist them when we meet them in the path of our lives.” And paragraph 33 brings it full circle: “The lifestyle, friendships, and social engagements of Jesus point the way for us: we are to live as one Body, members of one another, rendering mutual service to each other based on our gifts.”

This is a call we hear echoed today in the words and example of Pope Francis, as well as in those of Martin Luther King from only a few months before he died in 1968.