Three weeks ago, we launched the new 2026–2027 pastoral year. It is filled with hope because God’s grace is assured to us. God is always present in our lives and accompanies us at every moment. If God accompanies us, we too are called to support one another. Our Christian faith is a call to sharing. This implies the need to serve the community through its various ministries and in service to its members. The very notion of community implies service in every respect. It is a guarantee of growth and harmony within our community of faith. If everyone understands this and puts it into practice, its benefits will extend to all and ultimately to each individual.
Etymology and Definition
The notion of service brings to mind the servant, a word that comes from the Latin servus, whose primary meaning is slave. A slave is one who is required to work; he works for the good of others, not for himself. The original meaning of the term has evolved considerably over time, eventually taking on a noble meaning: service, like work, ennobles the human person. In general, the term “services” refers to the various possibilities available, the arrangements made to meet the needs of users, and even those who are appointed to provide such services. Today, service is a necessity; it is sought after just as much as the person who serves. This is because service is useful and beneficial to everyone.
Creation as Divine Service
The biblical account of Genesis, which presents creation as a divine work, describes God’s work. We see Him creating the universe and everything in it, both through His word and through His hands. Through His word, God calls creatures into existence; through His hands, He shapes them and gives them form and life. Thus, God presents Himself both as the Master-Creator and as a worker, thereby giving work and service their full dignity. When we consider that the human person was the last of God’s creations, after He had prepared everything before calling humanity into existence, we understand the great dignity that God has bestowed upon man and woman. This, in turn, shows how God has taken the place of Servant of His creation. It is therefore God Himself who gives us the true meaning of service.
As One Who Serves: The Paradigm of Christ the Servant
If God Himself chose to serve His creation, Jesus, the Son of the Father, did not depart from this divine spirit of service. He lived it, practiced it, and recommended it to His disciples: “I am among you as one who serves.” (Lk 22:27) Indeed, Jesus was deeply concerned about the crowds who listened to Him. He urged the Apostles to “Give them something to eat”, rather than sending them away hungry after they had spent long hours listening to His teaching. His concern extended to their physical and moral well-being, as demonstrated by His compassion for the sick, widows, and orphans. Jesus truly is the Servant. The enthusiasm of the crowds who went out to meet Him and sought Him whenever He withdrew was rooted in His availability to serve them. More than this, the greatest service He rendered to humanity was to give His life for the salvation of all: “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for that one love.” (Jn 15:13)
The Benefits and Reward of Service
Service to others is filled with benefits in both directions: for those who receive the service and for the one who serves.
From the perspective of those who benefit, service provides the good that is needed, which may take many forms: from material and physical assistance to spiritual and moral support, and especially the human presence and personal contact of the one who serves. Thus, without even realizing it, the servant becomes a provider of goodness and well-being in many different ways. His commitment to the cause of others makes him an unsuspected yet real benefactor, through the humble—and perhaps even demanding or humiliating—act of service.
From another perspective, the servant also receives, in return, the beneficial effects of his investment in others. For whatever form it takes, service first has an impact on the person who performs it. Indeed, serving others takes us out of our comfort zone and opens our eyes to realities we might otherwise never have discovered. Through its demands, we learn not to place our “self” at the centre, but rather to discover the needs of those whom we serve. In this way, service teaches us patience, humility, compassion, and self-giving. For service is a concrete expression of love. The servant therefore receives in return what he has given. In this sense, he is the great beneficiary of service to others.
Serving in Order to Grow: A Call to All the Faithful of Christ
From the paradigm of God as Servant in creating the world, and from that of Jesus, Servant of the poor throughout His earthly existence and public ministry, we can learn that to serve is to love concretely; it is to give oneself to others. Service is, in fact, a commitment to actions that benefit others. It is therefore not surprising that, today, volunteering is developing in every area of life. Indeed, an awareness of our common belonging is shedding light on the world of our time, which has come to understand the importance of human solidarity and, therefore, of freely giving oneself in service to the community. If this is true for the world in general, do we, as faithful followers of Christ, not have even more reasons to commit ourselves to volunteering and to serving the community as much as we can? Jesus explicitly invites us to do so, following His unique example when He washed the feet of His disciples: “So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.” Is this not an explicit invitation to all the faithful of Christ to place themselves at the service of others? Our parish community is always in need of volunteers for various forms of service, particularly at the beginning of this pastoral year. We know that there are different ministries that provide service to the community, helping to sustain and develop our life of faith, as well as making our life together as a community of faith easier and more joyful. For this purpose, God, through His Spirit, has endowed each person with charisms for the service of others. This is why we have different gifts, dispositions, and abilities. These are gifts received from God for the service of the community. It is by putting them into practice that they can flourish even more for the good of all.
What if each one of us took some time, at the beginning of this pastoral year, to ask: What could my contribution be to the life of the community? In which ministry could I dedicate myself for the sake of my own spiritual growth and the growth of the community? For to serve is to place our gifts at the service of a community that needs them. The ministries and services within the parish are many and varied, and they call for volunteers.
In summary, if love of neighbour is the greatest commandment of the Christian faith, service is an expression of that love. The Lord Jesus, who gave us this commandment, illustrated it through His own life, freely given: “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” Our Christian community needs each of its members for the service of all.
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