Corpus Christi Blog

Called & Gifted

08-14-2016Weekly ReflectionFr. Chad King

Have you been thinking that you want to do more to serve God and His Church, but you don't know what you are supposed to do? Have you wondered how you are called to build the Kingdom of God on earth? Did you want to go to the live Called and Gifted workshop last year but weren't able to make it that weekend?

If you answered, "Yes" to any of these questions, then you are invited to get to know the specific gifts (also known as charisms) that God has given to you specifically at your baptism. Knowing your charisms can help give insight to how God is calling you to serve Him and build His Church. Learning about the charisms has broadened my understanding of myself as a Catholic Christian as well as my appreciation for others and their charisms. This understanding has helped me better appreciate and love God's great design for His Church—how each and every baptized person has a role to play and we (the Church) are missing out if we don't know and use our charisms. The way I see it, as your Pastor, I am to "equip the holy ones (you) for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ." Therefore, one of the ways I know how to "equip" you is through Called and Gifted.

We have a couple of copies of the Called and Gifted workshop on a set of four CDs. You can check them out of our Parish Library and listen to them on your own time (at home or on your way to work), or you can listen to the CDs in the Parish Office at your convenience.

Through the C & G workshop, you will come to understand how a charism is different than a talent. In the workshop, you will also take the spiritual gifts inventory to help you begin to identify the possible charisms you might have.

After you have gone through the Called and Gifted workshop (live or via CDs), you can schedule a Discernment Interview with one of the parish's seven trained interviewers. This interview takes about an hour and helps you to better understand the charisms in general and yours in particular. Also, it aids in discerning which charisms you might have (every baptized person has at least one and usually two to four). There is a minimal $20 interview fee, if you can afford it, in compensation for the time of the interviewer. Contact the Parish Office to schedule an interview.

After the Discernment Interview, there is a Discernment-in-depth process which consists of five sessions. These can be done individually or in a small group. In these sessions, you will be able to more deeply discern a specific charism you may have. Furthermore, you will come to understand how the different charisms can work together. You will be able to discuss with others who are discerning the same or similar charisms in order to see how a charism might look differently in each person. The first set of Discernment-in-depth small group sessions will take place Wednesdays, September 14th – October 12th from 6:30-8:30pm. If you haven't already done so, now would be a great time to listen to the workshop CDs and have your interview so you can participate in these sessions!

Through this three-part Called and Gifted process, you will be able to identify at least one of the charisms you have and then be able to discern other charisms. Coming to know the charisms helps us to learn how we specifically are called to serve God and build the Kingdom. We can then live our lives accordingly and watch what God does in and through us.

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