under-achievers?
"Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us exercise them." —Romans 12:6, RNAB
The Lord has given His children great gifts. Among the greatest of these gifts are charisms, the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit. We have gifts of prophecy, faith, ministry, teaching, exhortation, almsgiving, leadership, and mercy (Rm 12:6-8). None of us has all these gifts, but we have many of them — in addition to many other charisms. By the development and use of these gifts of the Spirit, we will have the power to do even greater works than Jesus did (Jn 14:12).
This comes as a surprise to most people because Christians don't seem to be so gifted and powerful. We have been so weak as to let a culture of death develop and then dominate us — not because we are not gifted, but because we have not developed our gifts. As the Lord was giving us several opportunities to learn about our charisms and exercise them, we found excuse after excuse not to grow in His grace (see Lk 14:18ff).
The Lord has made His children the most powerful people on earth. It is a sin and a shame when we don't try to develop our life-saving, world-changing gifts. Therefore, the Lord commands us: "Set your hearts on spiritual gifts" (1 Cor 14:1).
Prayer: Father, I repent of settling for a half-life. Give me a full life in the Spirit.
Promise: "Do not grow slack but be fervent in spirit; He Whom you serve is the Lord." —Rm 12:11
Praise: St. Charles used his spiritual gift of administration to profoundly strengthen both his own diocese and the Vatican.
Reference: (For related teaching, order our book, Seek the Gifts of the Spirit, or our audio tape series on the same topic, AV 3A-1, AV 3A-3, AV 3B-1, AV 3B-3, or our two-part video series that starts with V3-A.)
Rescript:
The Nihil Obstat ("Permission to Publish") is a declaration that a book or pamphlet is considered to be free of doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the Nihil Obstat agree with the contents, opinions, or statements expressed.
Nihil Obstat: Reverend Giles H. Pater, April 24, 2003
Imprimatur: †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, April 28, 2003