Back to basics…do whatever He tells you

By Judy Joseph McSween

Time Out Specialist—Emotional Intelligence, Conversational Intelligence and Spiritual Intelligence Coach

We begin as we usually do, by pausing and taking a few deep breaths to centre ourselves, to bring ourselves to the present moment. We breathe in peace and release all anxiety.

We acknowledge God’s presence in the present moment to guide and direct us. We let go of our egos and acknowledge the opportunity to align our will with God’s will. We have our Bible nearby, for therein lies the Word of God (Ps 119:36).

Christian Meditation and the Ignatian Daily Examen are two pathways for us to become more self-aware, less egocentric, and more inclined to align with the plans God has for us (Jer 29:11).

In his ‘Conversations with Archbishop J’ column (CN, March 8–14), the Key Message was: “To follow Christ, we must daily dethrone the false ego-driven self, which is shaped by fear and pride, so our true identity in Him may flourish …”   The Action Step was “Become conscious of the subtle ways we seek to gratify the self”.

Today we focus on this Action Step, as it relates to self-awareness in ministry.

Reflect and respond:

• How many parish ministries are you actively engaged in?
• How many of them do you lead, by position or by presence?
• How long have you been the leader of this ministry?
• How many persons are you currently training to take over your role?
• When is this hand-over scheduled?
• Why are you holding onto this ministry/these ministries?
• What might you be avoiding, through your involvement/busyness in numerous ministries?
• What are some of the reasons that you have given for not immediately handing over the lead?
• How many youth members are there in these ministries?
• Which, if any of these ministries do you believe is your vocation?
• When you consider your ministry as a vocation, what are some things that you currently do, that you may stop doing and what are some things that you may start doing?
• What were your predominant emotions as you responded to these questions? What was the message in that emotion?
• Were you able to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit, reaffirming your vocation?

Extract from Message of His Holiness Pope Francis for the 2018 World Day of Vocations

“…We will never discover the special, personal calling that God has in mind for us if we remain enclosed in ourselves, in our usual way of doing things, in the apathy of those who fritter away their lives in their own little world. We would lose the chance to dream big and to play our part in the unique and original story that God wants to write with us.”

When we acknowledge our call to ministry as a call from God, as a vocation, we can view our involvement and our interactions through the lenses of humility, love, compassion and forgiveness. We can discern God’s guidance. We can put God first. As we continue our Lenten journey, let us pause and listen to God’s words and like Martha, may our faith drive us to do whatever he asks of us (Jn 11:21–22, 27). Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. And even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” … She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, he who is coming into the world.”

Contact Judy Joseph McSween to schedule a personal or a group Time Out session judy@timeoutspecialist.com or call (1-868) 684-9827

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Prayer

Heavenly Father, as I present myself to be of service to You in my parish, may Your will be done, not mine.

May I be aware of the subtle ways in which I may wear

my service a badge of honour.

May I be aware of the ways in which my hubris and false humility may seek to subtly overtake the purity of my desire to do Your will.

Remove from within me, all that is not of You, Lord God.

May I always be an instrument of Your peace. Amen.