“Son out of all eternity, I chose you. I need you. I need your hands to continue to bless, I need your lips to continue to speak, I need your body to continue to suffer, I need your heart to continue to love, I need you to continue to save; stay with Me.”
The word Charism means spiritual gifts used for the service of the whole community.
It is an important word and can be distinguished from a gift or talent because it does not need to be practiced and does not need to be developed and instead can be used as it is given – freely.
A Charism is given by the Holy Spirit and is for the benefit of the individual and for the benefit of the entire Church…
The Saints received Charisms. For example, Saint Paul’s charism was the preach, and his writing has continued to inspire the Church for millennia. Saint Luke’s Charism was to write. Saint Teresa of Avila was to write as well. Saints Padre Pio and John Vianney had the Charism to preach. Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta had a Charism of acts of mercy…
And the list goes on.
“Jesus said, ‘A man once gave a great banquet, and invited many; and at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come; for all is now ready.’ But they all alike began to make excuses...Then the householder in anger said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and maimed and blind and lame.’ And the servant said, ‘Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ And the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges, and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.’” (Luke 14:15-24).
God is asking us to simply ACCEPT the Charism He has given to us. He is simply asking us to just allow the Holy Spirit to express His power through our actions.
A French priest, Father Michel Quoist (who lived from 1918 to 1997) imagined Jesus speaking to us saying, “Son out of all eternity, I chose you. I need you. I need your hands to continue to bless, I need your lips to continue to speak, I need your body to continue to suffer, I need your heart to continue to love, I need you to continue to save; stay with Me.”
And today, I ask God to count on me. To give me the Grace to allow my Charism – whatever it may be – to be of use to Him…
Today, that is my only prayer, because it seems to me that I could not possibly ask for anything more…
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.