ACT AS IF YOU DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE. IT DOES - [William James]

"There are different ways of serving, but the same Lord is served. 

There are different abilities to perform service, 

but the same God gives ability to all for 

their particular service.” 

(1 Corinthians 12:6)

"I have no time to help any cause now." "I will do some volunteer work when I am retired." "There are so many more talented people around. I am just an ordinary person." These are a few of quite a number of similar comments I got from people  who knew or  met me after I decided to serve as a fulltime volunteer in India. They would express how much they always wanted to help people and how lucky I was to be able to do so...I did wonder whether I had transformed from an ordinary human being to a "superhuman" without my knowledge!  

Yet the Word of God above clearly shows that God gives ALL (not a chosen few!) the ability to serve. In fact, serving others is not something that is a separate aspect of our daily life. If as Christians, we heed our Lord's Call to have a "servant heart" like He did - "The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve." (Matthew 20:28) - then SERVING OTHERS is not an option., it is our duty! For every Christian, it is our mission  to not just know God's Word and proclaim it to all mankind -  but to live His Word. Well, it does not mean all of us have to pack our bags and travel all over the world to preach! That is a common misunderstanding - the best way to proclaim God's Word is without words but by the way we live our lives. As Mahatma Gandhi said, "My life is  my message." 

Since I first started working, I had always supported  charitable works but it was only from a financial aspect. I was always interested in helping needy causes and usually family, colleagues, friends, the church would ask for donations - and I was happy to oblige. I thought that was enough. Not much effort except for donating money. I thought I was being a relatively good Catholic...

This "detached contentment" lasted until my 1st night in Divine on 14 February 1998 when I came for my initial retreat. Lying on the upper bunk bed, I used a torchlight to read my new Bible. It was after 11.00 p.m. and all the lights were out but it was definitely too early for me to sleep! The moment I opened my Bible, the light fell on the bible verse James 2:14 - "What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have good works? Can faith save you?"  This Word of God truly pierced my heart - it seemed like a thick wall of indifference shattered within me. My Catholic faith was something I took for granted. I distinctly remember asking myself, "What is my faith? What is there in my life that I can proclaim my faith?" While I was still reeling from the suddenness and intensity of these questions, my eyes fell on another verse - "Be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves." (James 1:22)  I knew at that moment I could no longer live the life I led before. It was a life-changing moment for me - even before I even heard one talk in the retreat I came to attend. Much later, when I read Hebrews 4:12 - "The word of God is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword. It cuts all  the way through, to where the soul and spirit meet, to where joints and marrow come together. It judges the desire and thoughts of man's heart." - I knew I had experienced the  truth of this Word of God.  

How can we show our faith in our works? I used to keep my Catholic faith a very private issue. It used to puzzle me when colleagues and clients from around the world would ask me if I was a Catholic. I would answer "Yes" and asked how they knew and the answer I usually got was - "You have a Catholic conscience - must be the fact you have to make a Confession if you do something wrong." This would make others laugh and I would feel a little embarrassed - as if I was caught out on something best not known. Now years later, I will be grateful to God if my Catholic identity is clear to everyone i meet unlike before. The world we live in is now a very multi-cultural and multi-religious community. Of course, we need to respect each person's faith but it should not mean we sanitize our faith to the point that we are afraid to be identified as followers of Christ. We need to love as Christ does - a radical love - one that reaches out to those who are in need to know God as well as for those who are marginalized and suffering in our community and around the world. Pope Benedict XVI in his inspiring First Encyclical, Deus Caritas Est (God is Love) wrote, "I wish in my first Encyclical to speak of the love which God lavishes upon us and which we in turn must share with others."

I know I need to stay rooted in God. In my ministry here in India, I have found my strength and the great will to make a Christian difference from my daily prayers and meditation. It is something that came into my life so quietly that I did not realize the change at first. But I know my capacity to love has increased and I am calmer - it is because of the Power of the Holy Spirit. I needed for God's Word to flourish in my heart for my life to have true meaning in learning how to serve others.   When the Holy Spirit leads and guides us, we will find it within ourselves to care for those who we do not know; to have courage to raise awareness  and help for a worthy cause; to persevere and not give up even when raising needed funds may take years and seem futile; to not just say, "When I am rich, I will help the poor; and most of all to trust in God's Providence."

What is "love"'? One main aspect of Christ's Love is to "remember those who are suffering as though you are suffering as they are." (Hebrews 13:3)

Not everyone is called to go out and to serve as a fulltime missionary or for charitable causes. However, as Christians, each of us must obey Jesus' command - "Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:34-35) We cannot separate serving God and others from our daily life. Our faith has to be the reason we live. 

I prepared the YouTube music video above: SERVE OTHERS - BE THE DIFFERENCE! to share some of my favourite Inspirational Quotes on Serving Others set to the music "WE ARE ONE" from Lion King.      

God has called each of us to serve others - Let us make THE Difference for Christ!