[stephenkhoo]

FINDING JOY AND PASSION IN THE MINISTRY

SCRIPTURE READINGS: JONAH 3:1-10; LK 10:38-42

Faith must be expressed in charity. We are all called to serve by the Lord. Many of us are willing to serve Him. We gladly respond to the call to serve Him in Church or in Non-government Organizations. We begin with much enthusiasm and joy, knowing that we can be of service to Him and His people. Yet, often we become disillusioned in ministry and full-time apostolate in the Church. Many of us are scandalized and become disheartened over time. Even priests and religious have become jaded.

How is it that we find no joy in ministry? Two reasons could explain this situation. Firstly, serving in ministry often makes us discouraged and angry because of differences and misunderstandings when working with others. Although all apparently want to serve the Lord but sometimes differences in approach, opinions and directions can cause much hurt and divisions. Secondly, sometimes we feel so burdened by the weight of the office and the demands and responsibility it places on us, we are overwhelmed. Everyone wants a bit of us.

How did this come about when we started out with great joy, passion and enthusiasm? This is because we are not conscious of our motives for serving Him and what is driving us to serve. Unconsciously, we all believe that we want to serve God, but in truth our motives are not as pure as we believe them to be. Unbeknownst to us, we are motivated by many unconscious factors such as security, acceptance, love, popularity, power and personal gains, material or otherwise.

In the first place, although most of us want to serve Him, we also want serve Him on our own terms only. This was the case of Jonah and of course Martha as well. Jonah wanted God to punish the people by fulfilling His threats to bring disaster upon them. But God forgave them because they repented. God, as the responsorial says, is a merciful and forgiving God. As a result, Jonah’s ego was wounded and he felt embarrassed that his prophecy did not come true. Similarly, Martha wanted to show hospitality but in her own ways too. She was not sensitive to what her guest wanted or needed. She was only determined to do what she wanted for the Lord and how it should be done. Instead of pleasing the Lord by giving Him some rest and intimacy, she kicked up a row and attempted to cause sibling rivalry, making everyone else unhappy. In service, we find there is so much pride and egoistic motives involved. This brings division among Church members, even to the extent of threatening or committing acts of revenge. How could this be? This is contrary to the mission of communion. We know that the mission of communion must be accomplished in communion.

Secondly, ministry becomes a chore and a duty because of the demands motivated by ambition and success. Instead of driving our agenda, we become driven. We lose our center and end up fulfilling the demands and expectations of others. We fear saying “No”, not because we are enthusiastic, but because we are afraid people might not be happy with us. So the motive of service is not coming out of one’s convictions and passion. It is not motivated by love and compassion but by expectations and the need for acceptance and popularity.

As a consequence, we begin to exhibit the same burnout syndromes as Jonah and Martha. They were angry and resentful when things did not go their way. They were irritable and complaining. They were looking for scapegoats to blame. They started comparing themselves with others. They fell into self-pity. Love was no longer a motivating factor but duty. There was no compassion for what they were doing. It became more of an ambition rather than a service. It became self-seeking.

When these signs appear in our ministry, they reveal to us that the source of our motivation is not from the love of God. Thus the work of God becomes the work for God. The difference lies in that the former allows God to work through us and the latter seeks to earn the merits of God. When it is no longer the work of God, we do not rely on the primacy of grace but on ourselves alone. This explains the cause of our anxiety and the need to be successful rather than being faithful.

This brings us back to the question of prayer. It is not the doing that is wrong. The gospel is not teaching us that we should not do more for the Lord. But it is a question of priority and primacy. Mary not only chose the better part but she knew her priority. She chose the better part because she knew that no amount of work one does and the rewards one receives from the ministry can be equal to the intimacy one shares with the Lord. Secondly, she also knew that her strength and wisdom in ministry comes from the Lord and not from herself. For this reason she was not irritable. She could spend time with the Lord without guilt. She was no workaholic but certainly she was dedicated to the work of the Lord.

We too need to turn to the Lord in prayer and contemplation so that we can get in touch with Him and with ourselves, our motives. Secondly, we find strength and consolation from Him as the source of our love and drive to do His work. Otherwise, we depend and crave from human beings that love and that acceptance. But when we have acceptance from God and His love, it is enough to drive us to continue in our ministry with passion and love. For this reason, Pope John Paul II in his apostolic letter, Novo millennio ineunte says that prayers must be the basis for all pastoral planning.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh