All who serve, whether ordained or lay ministers, come into service with a hopefully discerned gift from God. Fr. Ron Rolheiser recounts the period in his life when he was away from his teaching, one of his gifts, as he fought his battle with cancer.
When he returned to teaching, he was somewhat nervous, but as the three-hour session got underway, he noted, “My nervousness passed quickly as the class robustly engaged the topic and, after the three hours, I walked out of the class feeling a wonderful energy that I hadn’t felt for six months.”
Every good gift comes from God. Not just the visible talents — the quiet strengths, the compassion that comes naturally, the ability to listen, to build, to lead, to create. These are not accidents of personality. They are entrusted with grace.
Rolheiser continued his reflection by questioning himself on the anxiety he felt. “What really triggered that wonderful feeling and burst of energy? Narcissism? Pride? Was I basking in the capacity to demonstrate some cleverness and learning and then drink in the students’ admiration? Did I feel good because my ego got stroked? Was my teaching really about furthering God’s kingdom or about stoking my ego?”
He goes on to write that “these are valid questions for anyone who draws energy from his or her work, especially if, because of that work, he or she drinks in a fair amount of adulation. Our motivations are never completely pure.” A beautiful example is drawn from the story of Eric Liddell, the Scottish Olympian and evangelist that was depicted in the movie, Chariots of Fire.
Liddell once made this comment on his running, “When I run, I feel God’s pleasure.” Rolheiser writes that “in his quest to win an Olympic gold medal, he was motivated more by his faith than by his own ego. His faith had him believe that, since God gave him this unique talent, God, not unlike any proud parent, took a genuine delight in seeing him use that gift. In his heart, he sensed that God was pleased whenever he exercised that talent to its optimum.”
He continues: “Moreover, that an inner sense that God was happy with his use of his talent filled Eric, with a wonderful energy whenever he ran. And this, I believe, is true for every one of us. When anyone uses the gifts that God gave him or her properly, God will take pleasure in that. After all, God gave us that gift and that gift was given to us for a reason.” [Excerpt from Ron Rolheiser’s “God’s Pleasure in Our Action” February 2015]
