Service to Others – Sunday, December 11, 1983
When the judgement day arrives and our lives are reviewed, we will probably be judged in large measure on whether we were kind to other people, not by the wealth, social status and material things we accumulated. The judgement will be based on what was in our hearts and what we did for others.
The great principle taught by the Savior—whose birth we celebrate at this season of the year—was one of service and unselfish concern for our fellow man.
The ability to be the servant and not the served requires a peace of mind, an understanding of that which is of greatest worth. It is an attitude that comes from within the soul. At any given time, we may lose our strength, our money, every single possession, but we will never lose the happiness in our lives if we serve our fellow man.
Rev. Theodore Hesburgh of Notre Dame has suggested three qualities intimately associated with service to others:
First, compassion—the human quality of sensitivity, to suffer with those who suffer, to be moved, to reach out, to understand.
Second, commitment—without which we are likely to live for ourselves alone, and that is a poor and valueless life indeed.
Third, consecration—a quality with religious connotations. But the qualities of compassion and commitment are difficult to achieve unless buttressed by religious motivation to help us overcome the urge for personal selfishness and self-centeredness. That’s what the Lord is telling us when He says we have to lose our lives to find them.
This is indeed a fitting season of the year to renew our determination to serve others, to find ourselves in the brotherhood of man, to share our love and expound “peace on earth, good will to men.”
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December 11, 1983
Broadcast Number 2,834