A Servant’s Heart
Just about a month ago, we celebrated the confirmation of 9 of our young people at the Saturday evening mass. Bishop Frank Dewane was here and celebrated the sacrament. After the ceremony, he graciously stood for pictures. Then as is customary, he came to the rectory for an informal dinner of appetizers and conversation. We had been chatting for a couple of hours, and it came time for dessert. With absolute grace, the Bishop rose, and carrying the tray of desserts, he served the rest of us who were gathered. It wasn’t calculated or planned. He wasn’t trying to make a point or teach a message. His action was not premeditated. It was the natural response of a man who intrinsically knows what it means to serve.
I was deeply touched by his simple gesture that echoed so much of what is within his heart. He has the heart of a servant. He has the heart that Jesus called us all to have.
Regretfully, I admit that I carry a certain amount of cynicism toward the Church and the hierarchy. I get frustrated with the slowness of change, the role of women, the pomp, and so much more. Yet, that evening, in the simplest of gestures, our Bishop witnessed the call of Jesus to be a servant. In every way, those few precious moments trumped my disappointment. Our Bishop has the servant’s heart that Jesus spoke about in this Gospel.
Being a servant is not a role as much as it is an attitude. Being a servant is not about groveling at the feet of the Master. Much more, it is an attitude of the heart. Jesus was calling us to a state of being, not a role in society. Jesus was not asking us to become what we identify as servants from movies and television. The Master rings a bell, and the servant appears to do his bidding. The servant’s heart that Jesus is trying to instill in us is not a job. It is a way of living.
This reflection is feeling very ethereal, and it is not meant to be. In fact, Jesus’ command for us to be a servant was intended to be very practical. So how do we take the servanthood that Jesus asks of us and make it real in our every day?
The first step is to focus on who lives at the center of your heart. Think of it as concentric circles. There are generally 3 circles in our heart, me, others, and God. If the center circle is me, then perhaps I have some work to do.
We are all called to make the center circle God. It is from God that the Spirit will flow to the other circles. Jesus, in His call for us to be servants, is instructing us to make others the second circle and ourselves the outside circle. Then imagine the pebble of love dropped into the center of our heart, its ripples flowing from God, through others, and then residing in our own being.
If I were you, I think I would be saying, “Not helping!” Get practical quickly. We are running out of the page. Okay, here goes. A servant’s heart holds the door for others at a restaurant even when that means I will be behind them in line. A servant’s heart lets another car go ahead of ours, even if that means I get caught by a red light. A servant’s heart returns someone else’s shopping cart. It lets a sarcastic comment pass without retaliation. It does the dishes or takes the trash cans to the curb even when it isn’t your responsibility. A servant’s heart sees the other first and responds to the tired, the pain, or the need in their eyes with compassion. A servant’s heart rejects the notion that, “You need to take care of #1,” “It’s my way or the highway,” “It’s all about me.” And instead, lives by the notion that it is all about God. Because it is all about accessible, unencumbered service to others.
A servant’s heart is Bishop Duane getting up from his chair and serving dessert. Thank you, Bishop Dewane, for witnessing the Gospel by this simple gesture from your heart. Thank you for showing us what it looks like to lead by serving. May God inspire us by your witness.
In God’s Unending Love,
Gwen
