Gifts and Charism

It is common during this time of Thanksgiving to recognize the many blessings in our lives for which we are grateful—blessings of people and bountiful opportunities. Cultivating an attitude of gratitude through giving thanks is one way we thank God for the many blessings we have received. Doing so changes our focus from looking inward and focusing on what we lack or need, to one of being grateful for all that we have. For this week’s blog, I want to change the perspective on gifts from those we receive, and for which we are thankful, to those we possess and which we share.

It is common around Avila to speak about the charism of the Sisters of St. Joseph, our sponsoring order, and how that charism distinguishes how we provide the education we offer. We speak of right relationships with self, others, and our world. We speak of the love of the dear neighbor, without distinction, and our responsibility for lifelong contributions to the global community. We speak using the language of servant leaders. This, too, is an important way to speak about gifts, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, shared from our sponsors in the mission, values, and actions of the University. This is not how I want to speak of charism, although this is important.

I want to speak of the charism as the gifts of the Holy Spirit that each of us possess–those gifts, that when shared with the community, enhance the community and help bring about the greater glory of the Kingdom of God. Too often we think of charism as something outside of ourselves. Charism speaks to the gifts of ourselves and how we offer them back in service. These gifts that we have been given are not only for our good, maybe not even primarily for our good, but shared with us for the good of the community. They come to fullness when we use them responsibly in the service of the community.

So my questions for us at Thanksgiving are: What is the charism, the gifts you have been given? How are you using those gifts responsibly to make a difference in the world? How are you being called to do more with them? And how is God calling you to be thankful in a new way this Thanksgiving?