There Are No Bystanders!
January 15, 2025
Fr. John Riccardo
Brothers and sisters, there are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. To each individual, the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.
To one is given through the Spirit the expression of wisdom; to another, the expression of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another, faith by the same Spirit; to another, gifts of healing by the one Spirit; to another mighty deeds; to another prophecy; to another, discernment of spirits; to another, varieties of tongues; to another, interpretation of tongues.
But one and the same Spirit produces all of these, distributing them individually to each person as he wishes
(1 Cor 12:4-11).
And just like that, we’re back to Ordinary Time. Not only that, but we pick up 1st Corinthians in…Chapter 12! Since this is an actual letter from Paul to a Church he founded around the year 50, a good use of time this week would be to read the entirety of the letter to get some context — it’s not that long and won’t take much time. If we do, we’ll see that this small Christian community is like many of our parishes. There’s a lot that’s really good, and there are, well, some issues, since all of us are broken people. The Church in Corinth, maybe 100 people or so, was loaded with gifts but also had its share of challenges: division, sexual immorality, issues regarding worship, doubts about the resurrection and more. Not much has changed in 2000 years.
Though an awkward place to jump into the letter, this passage seems well suited for the start of a new year. How so? Well, for one, Paul is reminding us that every single person in the Church has been blessed by God with gifts. God has not only willed for each of us to be alive at this moment in history, but He has equipped each of us with gifts, both natural and supernatural. These gifts include, but are not limited to, the ones Paul mentions. My experience, however, is that most believers don’t know what gifts they have, especially the more supernatural ones. So, then, a most worthwhile endeavor for some of us in these first days of 2025 might be to dive into one of the many excellent online tools that can help us discern our gifts or charisms.
Without knowing, and employing, our gifts, then the community to which we belong is like a body that is paralyzed on one side, needing and expecting the other side to do all the work. The truth is that our communities need us all to contribute; everyone needs to step up. As my Archbishop, Allen Vigneron of Detroit puts it, “There are no bystanders in the Church” — and no consumers.
Unfortunately, many in Corinth felt themselves more than a little puffed up and proud as a result of having certain gifts. Some fell into a game of comparison with others, wrongly thinking that certain gifts make one person more important than another. We can all too easily do those same things.
One of the reasons it is so important to know our gifts is that they aren’t for us. Paul tells us that these gifts are “forms of service,” and therefore are given to us for others, both the Christian community we belong to and beyond.
There are so many needs in any given parish or community, and in order for it to function and thrive as it should, each part of the body needs to be involved in some way. Without knowing, and employing, our gifts, we’re left with the all too familiar scenario where someone calls for volunteers for a given ministry and people step forward. But if we aren’t gifted in that area, no matter how well intentioned we are in graciously volunteering, we often quickly end up finding the ministry a drain on our energy and the fruit is limited. When, however, we’re operating out of our giftedness, we not only find the ministry most fulfilling but the people we’re serving benefit enormously.
Finally, though, the gifts aren’t only for the sake of the parish community. We have to keep in mind that our mission as disciples, and especially the mission of the lay faithful, is both to evangelize and to do all we can to recreate and transform this world, whether that be art, education, law, healthcare, politics, or any other area. St. John Paul II regularly encouraged his listeners to not be afraid to throw open the doors of every area of human life to the power of the gospel!
So, as we settle into 2025, let’s do ourselves, our communities and the world a favor and learn what our charisms are and then step up to the plate and serve the Lord and one another with magnanimous hearts.
ACTS XXIX Prayer Intentions
January 2025
For our mission with Our Lady of Lebanon Eparchy in Phoenix. May our time together be a source of refreshment and restoration for the priests.
For our time at the Evangelical Catholic Conference in Texas. May all those gathered be filled with the Holy Spirit and ever more fired up for the mission.
For a holy Christmas season for our Episcopal Advisory Committee, Board members, benefactors, prayer partners and all those running The Rescue Project in their parishes, homes and college campuses.
For God’s protection upon Fr. John Riccardo, the ACTS XXIX family and all our families.
