Traits of a Disciple - Routinely Serve Out of Love

Routinely Serve Out of Love

Reflection Questions

• Do I want to serve others like Christ did?
• Do I actively look for ways to put others before myself?
• Do I serve out of love or out of obligation?
• Am I familiar with the Works of Mercy and do I live them out in my every day life?
• Do I spend my time in a way that serves others and can lead them to Christ?
• Do I use my talents I've been blessed with to help others and serve the Lord?
• Can I use the treasures I have to help the less fortunate and support my parish family?
• What are some specific ways that I can use the time, talent and treasure that the Lord has blessed me with to serve others? How can I use them to serve Christ and His Church?
• Who are the specific people in my life that I can do a better job of loving, serving and demonstrating the gospel to?

Examples of Action Steps

• Become more familiar with the Works of Mercy that Christ calls us to live out in our lives. The Works of Mercy can be categorized as the Corporal Works of Mercy and the Spiritual Works of Mercy. Work on implementing these into your every day life. 
• Think about those in your family, community, school, parish, etc. that are most in need and what you can do to serve them.
• Sign up to receive Flocknote notifications for service opportunities in the parish and lend a helping hand. A parish cannot run without dedicated parishioners who step up to help out! Check out what service opportunities we have going on here.
• Become familiar with the different ministries at the parish and get involved in one that you're interested in. If you see a need that isn't being addressed, talk to Rose or someone else in the office to see what can be done about it.
• Reflect on the ways you are using your time. Your life is a beautiful gift from God and something that we frequently take for granted! How are you spending your time? Take time each day away from TV, electronics, sports, studying, friends, etc. and get into the habit of devoting it to your relationship with the Lord. Set time aside to pray, read the Bible, journaling, learning about your faith, etc.
• Reflect on the talents that the Lord has blessed you with and how you can use them to help others in your family, your community and your parish. Talents can range widely: the talent of being a good comforter or listener, of making others laugh and bringing joy, of cooking or baking, of teaching, of being athletic, of connecting with children or the elderly, of being handy or good with electronics, etc. We should not keep these talents for ourselves but learn how to use them to serve others and glorify the Lord.
• Reflect on your treasures and all the financial gifts you have been given by the Lord either through hard work or other people's generosity. Can these treasures be used to help out those who are less fortunate by donating to charities, organizations, individuals or the parish? 

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To continue on to Reflection Questions and Examples of Action Steps for Accept Christ's Teaching, click here.