Diversity of Charisms
Those who are passionate about the Catholic faith most likely are also passionate about the expression of faith. Within the Church, that comes in many forms, and it always has. Today, there are Catholics who focus on service to the poor and vulnerable, while others focus on building the immense riches of Catholic spirituality, prayer, and liturgy. In the past, those who wished to dedicate their lives to the faith would choose between being a mendicant and going out to the world or being monastic and focusing on contemplation. In its earliest days, the Church consisted of those who actively evangelized and those who cared for the local community of believers.
This diversity of expression is not only acceptable to us as Catholics, it is necessary. We need Catholics to be going out to the world and expressing the charity and love that flows from our faith. We also need Catholics who study and reflect on the doctrines of the Church so that all within the Church may remain faithful and knowledgeable of her teachings. This raises a question about what constitutes something that should be expressed by all Catholics versus those things that allow difference in expression. There are two sins that arise from improperly exercising your expression of faith: you may focus on those teachings of the Church that are required to be accepted by all Catholics, but wrongly demand obedience also to those things that are not required to be accepted by all Catholics. On the other hand, you may look at those things that allow freedom of expression in the faith and begin to apply this freedom of choice to those things that are firmly and infallibly taught by the Church. We must avoid both of these sins. If we could use an analogy, it is like choosing a job. Doctors are necessary to the flourishing of a society, but just because they are one of the necessary jobs in an economy does not mean that everyone should be a doctor. On the other hand, people picking and choosing whatever job they want is not always beneficial, considering that there are many jobs that are necessary though not exactly appealing. For a functioning society, we need every necessary job to be done by those willing to do them.
The same can be said of the Church. We need those focused on serving the poor and the needy to live out the charism of Charity. We need those focused on the intellectual side of the faith to live out the charism of Truth and Reason. We need those focused on the artistic and aesthetic aspects of the expression of Catholicism to live out the charism of Beauty. We should look to today’s first reading from Acts to understand this: there were five prophets and teachers in the Church of Antioch, but God called only two of them to leave this community in order to spread the Gospel to other places. The other three who stayed were not insignificant to the flourishing of the Church; they were necessary for the community to continue learning about the faith according to their authority given by God. God is calling you to serve the Church according to your abilities. Do not demand, then, that the Church as a whole should reflect you as an individual. Instead, appreciate the gifts God instilled in you to serve the Church, and appreciate those who give back to the Church in ways that you cannot.
Today's Readings:
