By Kathy Stout, Ph.D.
Today’s board member orientation meeting was heartwarming and memorable. Anne with her unforgettable smile, Peter talking to us while driving on the road, Fr. Aaron’s beautiful opening prayer, and so much more. The most striking thing for me, however, was the feeling of being wowed by the presence of so many smart and holy people, who gathered for no other reason but the desire to serve. The concept of volunteering is a Western one associated with the reality of a civil society. When I grew up in China a few decades ago, I knew nothing about it. In the US, volunteers abound in many places so we don’t often stop to think about its logic.
Why would anyone be a volunteer? For us at the USCCA, perhaps it is because we have received many blessings from God and feel it is only right to give back. But perhaps it is also because we have somehow tasted the joy of giving, the joy of serving. Perhaps as Christians, we have experienced something of the logic of the Gospel, which Bishop Robert Barron identifies as the logic of the gift. It is more blessed to give than to take. For every little thing we do for the sake of others, so much more is poured back into our own lives.
This logic of the gift is also a prominent feature of traditional Chinese culture. Chinese Buddhists, for instance, are familiar with the idea that the quickest way to spiritual progress is through the practice of three kinds of giving 佈施: material gifts, the gift of no fear, and the gift of wisdom. Isn’t this the same secret that every Catholic saint knows and lives so well? I think it is also the secret that has drawn us together into the community of the USCCA. This new year, may God help us to give a little more, volunteer a little more, and serve a little more. I suspect that God will prove his generosity to us through our small gifts of nothingness.
Dr. Stout volunteers as a facilitator of the USCCA Book Circle. She received her Ph.D. in theology from the University of Dayton, and she has taught classes on theology and religious studies as well as Daoism, Buddhism, and Chinese traditions in general at UD and the University of Oklahoma.
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Are you interested in volunteering your time with the USCCA? Contact Gerald Doyle at director@uscatholicchina.org for more information on opportunities to get involved!
Inspired by the Gospel, the mission of the US-China Catholic Association is to build bridges of friendship and dialogue between people of China and the United States by offering educational, service, and cultural programs in support of the Church and the larger society.
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