Service at SLUH Logan Hayward, Senior Editor
What is the goal of service? There are two competing views on this issue. One view holds that physical service is absolutely necessary for salvation. Proponents of this theory may cite Christ’s words from Matthew 25: 41-43: “Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.” However, there have been saints who were unable to fulfill these requirements literally, but served God’s people through the spiritual works of mercy instead. So corporal service and spiritual service are both valid ways to achieve salvation. Of course, the ideal is to achieve both, but we shouldn’t assume that someone who spent time comforting the afflicted and praying is less worthy than someone who devoted his life to working at food shelters. The other view holds that service is absolutely necessary to save lives now. However, there are many types of service that do not save a person’s life. In fact, many people who SLUH students serve on a regular basis do not need physical help from them at all. They just need someone to be friendly
with them, to respect them, and to listen to them. Sometimes, service may not contribute to saving the world. But it might save souls. If physical service is not necessary to achieve our salvation and does not necessarily save people’s lives, why does SLUH focus on it? Service is a good in itself. It is not always a means to a good end. The action of helping another person without desiring any compensation is intrinsically good. Sometimes, we may have absolutely no success with service: we may make no difference in the lives of the people we try to help, regardless of how hard we try. Sometimes, we may not find ourselves any closer to God after an act of service. But we should still serve others. Service is like a beautiful work of art. In staring at a vibrant painting or listening to a magnificent symphony, we may not find the mysteries of the universe made clear to us. But those works of art are, by their very nature, good. Likewise, we may not think we are any closer to God after a service trip, but we naturally are closer to him, unless we are in a state of mortal sin, because we are doing something he wanted us to do. During this school year, SLUH seniors will spend a good chunk of January doing service, and freshmen, sophomores, and juniors will serve through SLUH CSP, service trips, parish youth groups, or local agencies. If we have open minds and hearts, there is a