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| Nathan Greene's Jesus Light of the Universe |
But celebrities are not the only people with talent. Every one of us has gifts or talents that can “build up” other people. We have special gifts by virtue of our baptism. We possess the power to believe, to hope and to love.
The Book of Isaiah notes practices like fasting are useless if we treat people unfairly. It’s better, the author says, to practice works of mercy: feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, care for the sick, and be compassionate.
St. Paul asks us to look for wisdom not just in people of eloquence, but in the Spirit who empowers us to proclaim the good news: God became one of us in Jesus so that we could become like God, see God as God is. That indeed is our purpose in life: to be in relationship with God forever.
In the Gospel according to Matthew, Jesus says we are to be “salt of the earth” and “light of the world.” Adding salt to food can bring out the natural flavor. Salt in our bodies enables our muscles to expand and contract, our hearts to beat, our blood to circulate. We are “salt” when we bring out the best in people: bring out the “flavor” of God in everything.
Light can transform a cold night into a warm day. Light enables us to study, to behold the beauty of God’s universe. Luminosity in art can point us to the transcendent. We are “light” when we illuminate the presence of God in our everyday life. There are many splendid callings. Parent, teacher or student, doctor or lawyer, businessperson -- whoever you are, you have a specific vocation, right now: to inspire people to be the best version of themselves, to give their time and talents to others, to have the courage to stand up for what's right and true, to be men and women of integrity.
And what makes us a faithful and effective Christian is the Spirit of God within us. Oh, personality can be a blessing. But the Spirit of God works through us as we are. The Spirit illumines our minds to know the way we should behave and strengthens us to behave in that way. The Spirit gives us “love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and discipline.” What more can we want?
The Spirit of God can make us a means of healing, a channel of grace, an instrument of peace. What a wonderful gift. These gifts or talents we have are not for ourselves but for the common good, for the family in which we live, the profession in which we work, the community in which we find ourselves.
May each of us realize that the purpose of life is to matter, to make a difference for the better by giving the best we have in service to one another. And then we will realize, with God’s grace, the best version of ourself.
