Paying it forward

My Lord God,

Sometimes I wonder if, instead of doing the right the for the world, I only ever do the right thing for me.

Sometimes I wonder if, instead of truly embracing charity, I only ever see my own needs.

Sometimes I wonder if, instead of selflessness, I choose selfishness.

Help me, in everything I do, to have a true and self-consuming devotion to You, one that will manifest itself in true, selfless charity, in the service of others before myself and in total submission to Your will, so that in loving you and loving others, I might show your love to the world.

Amen.

I've been reading St. Francis de Sales' absolutely amazing book Introduction to the Devout Life, which despite being written in 1608, is full of beautiful truths for our modern world. He very much emphasises the importance of charity for a truly holy life.

True living, my Philothea, implies the love of God. Indeed it is itself a true love of Him in the highest form, for whereas divine love enlightening our soul is called Grace, and makes us pleasing in his sight; so giving us power to do good is called Charity; and when it reaches that point of perfection wherein it not only causes us to good, but to do it earnestly, frequently and readily, then it is called Devotion.

In girls' group this term we've been studying "pathways to God", and a few weeks ago looked at the little path of love. Here we listened to the advocation of both St. Therese of Lisieux and Mother Teresa to do little things with great love.

And I think that's where charity truly begins. To serve others, and do good for God's world, by loving everyone around us unconditionally and, even in the smallest acts, devoting ourselves to God's will and to the needs of others, is one of the highest forms of worship, for by feeding the hungry and nursing the sick (etc. etc.) we glorify God in a pure and holy way. 

A few weeks ago I watched a great movie called Pay it Forward, which is the story of a boy who, to fulfil his social studies class homework to come up with a plan that will change the world- and put it into action, devises a system called "pay it forward".

It starts small. An individual does three acts of service- ones that will change someone's life for the better- selflessly and without reward. When asked "how can I pay you back?" the response is always, don't pay it back. Pay it forward. Serve others too. Make a positive difference in the lives of three other people. The "Pay it Forward" project creates a chain of good deeds, which will eventually spread love, service and charity to every person in the world. It's a wonderful idea.

So, in the midst of the chaos, deceit and isolation that reign in our world, I must become a beacon of peace, truth and love. To serve others earnestly, frequently and readily is something for which I must strive every single day. For I cannot truly love God without loving every single person in the world, and I cannot truly serve God if I do not first serve others.

Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier. Mother Teresa