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To serve

Or

to be served

We hear often that churches conduct

services. Often, we do not specify who

it is that is being served. Are we beingserved, or are we serving God?

Modern people often will tell you that

they come to church not to serve God,

but to be served, or get their needs

met. Yet, this is not what services are

about. We come to serve God through

our worship. We also come to serve

others as a community.

Did you knowthat Jesus Christ said that He came to

earth not that we would serve Him, but

rather He would serve mankind (Mt

20:28)? So, if we are called to follow Him

and be transformed by Him, does this not

also mean that we should seek to serveothers?

Christians are sup-

posed to be servants

If you are a Christian, then you are called

to serve others. If Christ is saving you

and has rescued you from the arms of

eternal death and separation, then you

are His servant. And so, if you serve Him,

then you must serve those He seeks toserve: the Lost Sheep.

If you are lost, then you will be served.

But, are you still lost? Have you not

found your way here? You are not lost if

you are standing in the church as you

read this. You know where you are.

You are home. You are no stranger here.

So, now is the time to prepare yourself to

be the servant that you were intended tobe, the one that Christ modeled for us.

You may say, I am not prepared! I am

very needy! Then you must begin the

process of growing up to be an adult

and to serve, rather than perpetually

remaining a helpless child.

We all must become good servants,

because it is according to our service to

others that God will judge us.

How can I serve?

The first thing you need to do is make

time. There must be time to pray, time

to come to church, and time to serve

others. This means a lifestyle change for

many of us. You cant do it all, so you

will have to give up some things you liketo do in order to do the things you need

to do.

There are lots of ways you can become a

servant:

Welcome newcomers to the parish

and attend to them during the coffee

hour.Volunteer to visit shut-ins, and help

bring people to church.

Be a good example of patience andgenerosity in your parish, and an active

participant in Diocesan/Archdiocesan

activities.

Become a volunteer at a hospital or an

institution that cares for people.

Support FOCUS, an Orthodox charity

centered on community service:

http://www.focusnorthamerica.org

Support IOCC, an Orthodox charity

centered on disaster relief:http://www.iocc.org

Support OCMC, an Orthodox charity

centered on evangelization and ministry:

http://www.ocmc.org

If you commit yourself to doing good,

God will strengthen you for the task!

http://orthodoxyandrecovery.blogspot.com

2013

Fr. George Aquaro - for free distribution onlyVersion 1.1

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What about me?

When we first come to the Church, we

are spiritual infants. We do not have

the life experiences of God to be able to

help others.

So, the Church then teaches us about

God and the world around us. We learnand grow, and our spiritual growth

translates into emotional maturity.

A mature person is then able to care for

others. He knows his basic needs, those

necessary for a healthy life. But, he

removes from himself all unnecessary

neediness so that he can, in turn,

become a complete human and care for

others.

Humans truly become human when they

are able to take care of other humans.

This is seen in our maternal and pat-

ernal instincts.

If we are always thinking of ourselves

and putting our own endless needs

before others, then we are not merely

immature, but we are no longer truly

human.

A baby in a mans body is not merely a

joke, it is a tragedy. When we do not

grow up, and instead live perpetually as

spiritual infants, we lose out on the

blessings of this life that God has given

us, and we are also preparing the way for

our own condemnation.

What is a narcissist?

Narcissism is a mental disorder that comes

from immaturity. These are some of the

symptoms*:

An obvious self-focus in interpersonal

exchanges

Problems in sustaining happy relationships

A lack of psychological awareness

Difficulty with empathy

Problems distinguishing the self from othersHypersensitivity to any insults or imagined

insults

Vulnerability to shame rather than guilt

Haughty body language

Flattery towards people who admire and

affirm them

Detesting those who do not admire them

Using other people without considering the

cost of doing so

Pretending to be more important than theyreally are

Bragging (subtly but persistently) and

exaggerating their achievements

Claiming to be an "expert" at many things

Inability to view the world from the

perspective of other people

Denial ofremorse and gratitude

*- Thomas, David. Narcissism: Behind the Mask (2012),

ISBN 184624935X

Avoiding spiritual

narcissism!

If we always remain focused on

ourselves, or perhaps just our parish,

then we run the risk of becoming

spiritual narcissists. This disease is in

many of our parishes, where peoplethink only of themselves and, when they

feel like it, they will consider caring for

the parish in terms of meager donations.

How do we escape this trap of perpetual

infancy?

First, we must repent and start to live

truly spiritual lives with Gods help. We

ask for His mercy and the courage to

change. We confess our sins and startreceiving the Sacraments in a penitent

manner rather than with an entitlement

mentality.

Second, we set out to serve others and

that means we serve our neighbors and

strangers. We find ways to bless those

who have no hope other than God, and

have no way to pay us back.

Being a grown up means doing things notbecause we get instant gratification, but

rather that we know they are the right

things to do.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empathyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insultshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vulnerabilityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vulnerabilityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shamehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guilt_(emotion)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flatteryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flatteryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bragginghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bragginghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exaggeratinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denialhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denialhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remorsehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gratitudehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gratitudehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remorsehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denialhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exaggeratinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bragginghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flatteryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guilt_(emotion)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shamehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vulnerabilityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insultshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empathy