March 9, 2025
Even during our Lenten observance, we continue celebrating the Jubilee Year of Hope. Today we commemorate the Jubilee of Volunteers. Where would our church and our human society be without the dedication and selflessness of volunteers? Increasingly, it seems that social relationships have become tilted toward being transactional: “What’s in it for me?” The spirit of volunteerism opens our hearts beyond mere self-interest to see the needs of others and to consider how our gifts and talents can bring good to them, even if it brings a cost to ourselves. We are also moving toward a society of “us vs. them,” clearly demarking limits of who does and doesn’t fall within our circle of care: “We take care of our own!” But who is our own? Jesus shared his thoughts on this when he told the parable of the Good Samaritan in answer to the question, “who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29-37) In God’s eyes, all people are our neighbors whom we are called to love and serve in God’s name. Although we don’t volunteer for this reason, any volunteer will tell you that they receive much more than they give.
Volunteers make our parish community, our society, and our world a better place. This parish is especially blessed with many, many volunteers that enrich our worship and liturgy, our evangelization and catechesis of youth and adults, our charitable outreach, our care for the sick and homebound, and many other life-giving ministries. However you share your gifts of time and talent with Assumption parish, THANK YOU! Your service is deeply appreciated! So many of you also serve in countless ways in our local Midland community. Our parishioners are key volunteers feeding the hungry at Open Door and at local family centers, mentoring and coaching families and young people, serving the senior population, caring for and advocating for vulnerable people. Finally, our world is more compassionate and humane through volunteers who leave their homes and loved ones, at least for a period of time, to dedicate themselves to the difficult mission of human development in areas threatened by violence and economic instability.
To be truly life-giving, volunteerism must come from the inside out. Sometimes, volunteers can become disheartened, judgmental, and/or overwhelmed if they do not tend to the spiritual gardens of their hearts. Our good works become fruitful when the love of God flows through us in service for the good of our neighbor. We can then have proper perspective and detachment from our volunteer work, realizing that each person is in God’s hands and on God’s timetable and therefore the fruitfulness of our generosity is not solely dependent on our efforts. If we let our volunteerism become mere activism, we will eventually burn out, which can lead to bitterness and judgmentalism. Keeping our volunteerism rooted in our prayerful communion with Jesus can help us avoid this pitfall (Luke 10:38-42).
I can think of a couple of saintly Americans who inspire me in my volunteer work. One is Blessed Michael McGivney. He was a priest in Connecticut in the late 19th century. He saw the needs of many orphans and widows, so he started the fraternal service order Knights of Columbus to address those needs. There are now 2.1 million Knights of Columbus around the world, doing charitable work for the good of the church and for the good of the overall society, especially looking out for the vulnerable. Both Assumption Parish and the Midland community are extremely blessed by our Knights of Columbus council! Also, Servant of God Dorothy Day was an inspiring volunteer figure. She lived in the early and mid-20th century. After her young adult years of disillusioning social activism, she was baptized into the Catholic Church. Her fiery spirit of concern for those left behind by society continued through her co-founding of the Catholic Worker movement, providing houses of hospitality, solidarity, and charity where anyone could stay and be welcomed as Christ suffering among us.
In our own day and time, I see the spiritual heritage of Fr. Michael McGivney and Dorothy Day in the volunteer work of the Guatemala Stove Team and Global Compassion, Inc., which brings people together in our own Midland community to care for those who are suffering the effects of violence, climate, and poverty.
On this Jubilee Day of Volunteers, I am reminded of a truth that I have seen over and over again throughout my ministerial career. The surest path toward happiness is to be grateful for and generous with the gifts that God has blessed you with. I give thanks
for the great spirit of volunteerism here at Assumption Parish, and I pray that we continue to expand the light of Christ’s compassion in Midland for many years to come.