What’s does the word minister mean? I means a few different things.
It can mean a person, as in someone who is authorized to conduct religious worship. A pastor for example.
I can mean a person that is the head of a government office. A Minister of Finance for example.
But the meanings I want to focus on here are:
1. To give service, care, or aid; attend as to wants or necessities.
2. To contribute, as to comfort or happiness.
So the questions that come to mind are: What can I do to serve, care, or aid the Lord in gaining His wants and necessities? How can I contribute to His comfort and happiness?
Now the Lord does not want or need of anything. Especially when I think of in the respect that we would need to eat, sleep, or drink. The Lord is perfectly content in Himself. But that does not mean He did not creates us to please and serve Him. As the Principle and Foundation of St. Ignatius of Loyola states:
“Man is created to praise, reverence, and serve God our Lord, and by this means to save his soul.
And the other things on the face of the earth are created for man and that they may help him in prosecuting the end for which he is created.
From this it follows that man is to use them as much as they help him on to his end, and ought to rid himself of them so far as they hinder him as to it.
For this it is necessary to make ourselves indifferent to all created things in all that is allowed to the choice of our free will and is not prohibited to it; so that, on our part, we want not health rather than sickness, riches rather than poverty, honor rather than dishonor, long rather than short life, and so in all the rest; desiring and choosing only what is most conducive for us to the end for which we are created.” -Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola
We were created to serve and honor Him. But how do I do that exactly? He gave me some instruction concerning this question in the following contemplation.
Grain of Wheat
“Amen, amen I say to you, unless the grain of wheat falling into the ground diet, itself remaineth alone. But if it die, it brings forth much fruit. He that love the his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world, keepeth it unto life eternal. If any man minister to Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there also shall my minister be. If any man minster to Me, him will my Father honour.” -John 12:24-26
My Contemplation
As I stand before the Almighty God, surrounded by a halo of pure light, He speaks thee words to me.
“If any man minister to Me, him will My Father honor.”
“How can I minister to you, Lord?”
Many ideas run through my mind. Penances I could take up, sacrifices I could make, too many options. How do I sort through what to do?
I look up at Him and He raises a hand as if to silence me, but I have not spoken a word. But I see that it is to silence my racing thoughts. I can hear the words in my heart, “Be still.”
Then, I ask Him, “How do You want me to minister to You, Lord?”
He smiles and begins to instruct me.
Listen To and Obey His Commands
Our purpose here on earth as, I stated above is to serve the Lord. Obedience to His command is something to be strived for and should be in everything. The easy things and the difficult things.
His commands lie in the teachings of the Catholic Church. In adhering, believing, and following these teachings we minister to Him through acts of servitude for ourselves, for the Body of Christ, and for the world.
Have you ignored a command (or commands) of the Lord? Where can you say, “Yes, Lord, I will do that for You?”
Stand Watch With Me
One of my favorite things in the whole world is to sit before the Blessed Sacrament in Eucharistic Adoration. It gives me a chance to glorify, praise, and adore my Lord Jesus. It gives me the opportunity to be strengthened by Him as His grace pours forth from His presence in the Eucharist. It is where I receive so much wisdom, understanding, and clarity. It is also a wonderful way to minister to the Lord. As Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta says:
“Every Holy Hour we make so pleases the Heart of Jesus that it is recorded in Heaven and retold for all eternity!
I wrote a blog post here about what Eucharistic Adoration feels like to me.
Is your church offering Eucharist Adoration? Have you been lately? What do you love about it? I would urge your to consider signing up for an hour a week, at least.
Pray Unceasingly
When we pray we draw ourselves closer to Him. Prayer is a sign of love, trust, and devotion to our Lord. It is the only way we can know what the Lord asks us to do:
Without Prayer nothing good is done. God’s works are done with our hands joined, and on our knees. Even when we run, we must remain spiritually kneeling before Him. -Blessed Luigi Orione
My Spiritual Director gave me the helpful hint/prayer to use throughout the day. She said to pray, “Lord, go before me, stay with me, and linger behind me.” She gave it to me especially for difficult situations, but I have used it as a morning offering, before traveling, before making decisions, and before asking for help at work. It has become a way for me to pray in all things and bring the Lord into each moment as they come.
Do you have a set prayer time everyday? Are you attempting to bring Him into every moment of your day? What can you simplify in your life to create more time to sit in quiet prayer?
Fasting and Abstinence
We can minister to the Lord, by purifying ourselves, which can be accomplished through the discipline of the passions. Because He so desires us to be one with Him for all eternity, it important for us to attempt to conquer our sins and inordinate desires. For our Lord said:
“No, I say to you; but except you do penance, you shall all likewise perish.” -Luke 13:5
In the practice of disciplined fasting we work on conquering ourselves and taking control of the flesh, which I will admit seems to rule me most of the time. He cares deeply for each one of us, and any effort we put forth in imitating Him is answered by Him with the greatest love.
I really struggled with fasting for a long time. I always have had a very physically demanding job, and my predominate sin is gluttony. It definitely rears its ugly head in stress eating. The devil, and my own weakness, always told me I couldn’t fast. I wasn’t capable of doing it. My body wouldn’t let me. My body needed to eat because I was working so hard. Even just abstaining from meat on Fridays during lent felt like the end of the world.
I can see how silly that is now. Through learning about some more traditional fasting and abstinence practices I realized that I was perfectly capable of doing much more than what I was offering.
Do you fast regularly? Do you offer, even small, penances regularly? I would suggest beginning with abstaining from meat on Fridays throughout the whole year, not just during Lent as a small step.
Use Your Gifts
The Lord blesses each person, individually, with certain gifts and a graces that are to be used to bring about His kingdom. It is our duty to discern those gifts, then discern the will of the Lord, and use those gifts and graces accordingly.
The Golden Rule
The ultimate rule of conduct in all situations. Is it easy to be kind when someone hurts us? No. Is it easy to be combative and angry? Yes. There is strength in treating others with dignity and graciousness over relying on the unbridled emotions.
I often think of our Lord Crowned with Thorns as a reminder of this. He was beaten, berated, insulted, spit on, stripped, humiliated, and belittled. He did not, however, give in to any inordinate passion, but instead remained silent out of love. He treated His accusers with divinity and graciousness, when He of all people had the right to treat them in the manner they treated Him.
When we treat others with dignity and gracious charity it is Christ we treat with dignity, respect, and graciousness.
Do you let your emotions rule you? How can you better get then under control? Are there certain people that you treat poorly or annoy you more than others? What can you do to show them greater charity?
Serve Those Around Us
Jesus instructed us to love our neighbors. It is the core of who He is, unending love. But how is loving our neighbor a way to minster to our Lord? The parable of the Good Samaritan teaches us how in the words of St. Bede:
“Carefully considering the parable in the Gospel, we shall at once see that the Samaritan, giving a helping hand to the man found on the road and covered with wounds, is a figure of Jesus Christ, Who, in a more worthy and sublime sense and with a special love, became our neighbor by taking upon Himself our wounds to heal them. Let, us therefore, love Him, for He is our Lord and God; let us love Him as our neighbor, since, being our Head and we His members, He cannot be nearer to us. Let us also love those that follow Him, and show that we love our neighbor as ourselves by giving them all spiritual and temporal help in our power.”
It is our duty as Catholics to love those around us with the intent focus of loving our Lord and Savior.
How can you love those closest to you today? How is Jesus calling you to care for those around you? Who in your life needs loving forgiveness?
We are called to be servants of the Lord, in the same way He humbled Himself to take on our human likeness, and serve those around Him. He has given each of us very specific gifts and talents that are to be used to listen to His commands and care for others in charity. We need to strive to lead lives of penance, while praying for the Kingdom of God and His Holy Will. It is only through love, forgiveness, and compassion that we can attend to the wants and desires of our Lord, and hope to contribute to His joy in us.
Thrive in Jesus, my Friends!
What ways have you found out minister to the Lord in your life? What can you do to serve Him and others?
Leave me a comment and let me know!
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