ARTICLE – Asking Each Day for the Grace to Help Someone

ARTICLE – Asking Each Day for the Grace to Help Someone

December 4, 2024 by Pierre-Alain Giffard News, Recommended Texts

The love of neighbor lies at the heart of Christian life. In loving others, we respond to Jesus’ call: “Love one another as I have loved you” (John 13:34). Yet love, above all, is a grace. For this reason, we should daily seek the grace to help someone. Acts of service, whether grand or small, can spring from a prayer of faith and a genuine attentiveness to others. This daily petition is an expression of humility and openness, recognizing that God can create opportunities for us to manifest His love, especially to those who need it most.

Scripture is unequivocal: in serving others, we serve Christ Himself. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus teaches: “Truly, I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40). This passage from the parable of the Last Judgment reveals a profound truth: to aid another is to encounter Jesus. Saint Paul exhorts the faithful in his letter to the Galatians: “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2). Helping someone is not merely an occasional act of charity; it is a calling to live in communion, sharing in both the joys and struggles of others.

The Church, in her teachings, emphasizes the Christian vocation to be artisans of charity. Pope Francis writes in Evangelii Gaudium: “Authentic faith—which is never comfortable or individualistic—always involves a deep desire to change the world, to transmit values, to leave the earth better than we found it” (§183). This transformative desire begins with concrete acts of help and service to those we meet. Saint John Paul II, in Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, reminds us that love for our neighbor must manifest in active solidarity: “To be in solidarity means to draw close to the needs of others, to commit to concrete actions that promote their well-being and human dignity.”

The saints offer luminous examples of the daily grace to help others. Saint Vincent de Paul, known as the apostle of charity, often said: “Charity is infinitely inventive.” His life teaches us that helping others requires not only a generous heart but also boundless creativity and determination. Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, through her “little way,” lived this grace by performing small acts with great love. She remarked: “I cannot do great things; I can only do small things with great love.” Her humility, rooted in prayer, reveals that even the simplest gestures, done for the love of God, carry eternal value.

The liturgy forms us to live with an inner disposition to serve others. In every Eucharist, we receive Christ, who gave Himself entirely for us. This perfect gift compels us to, in turn, become gifts for our brothers and sisters. The Rite of Peace, for example, invites us to restore harmony and be instruments of reconciliation. Similarly, the Universal Prayer broadens our horizons, calling us to carry the needs of all humanity in our hearts.

Modern psychology confirms that helping others benefits not only the recipients but also the helpers. Studies show that those engaged in altruistic acts experience profound satisfaction and happiness. This truth echoes a spiritual reality: “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). However, it is important to remember that helping others should not become an overwhelming burden. Saint Mother Teresa, who devoted her life to the poor, wisely noted: “If you cannot feed a hundred people, then feed just one.” This reminds us that the grace to help is not measured by the quantity of our actions but by their quality and the love that animates them.

Asking for the grace to help begins with prayer. Saint Francis of Assisi offers a powerful model in his prayer: “Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.” In praying this, we make ourselves available to God’s will, becoming channels of His grace. Daily prayer cultivates spiritual vigilance, helping us recognize opportunities to serve, even in simple ways: listening to someone in distress, offering a smile or encouragement, or sharing a meal with someone in need.

Helping someone each day is not merely an act of human kindness; it is an encounter with Jesus. As Pope Benedict XVI writes in Deus Caritas Est: “Love of neighbor finds its source in the love of God. Every time we help another, it is Him we encounter.” May this daily petition become our prayer: “Lord, today, grant me the grace to help someone. Make me a sign of Your love to the world.” In this way, we discover that every act of charity draws us closer to Christ, the One who “came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).

 Pierre-Alain Giffard, Director of Pastoral Work

Email: pierre.alain.giffard@gmail.com

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