Bishop Eric Menees
As we continue our examination of
the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, we come to the one that has come most naturally
to me - Exhortation. The word exhortation comes from the Greek word parakaleo
(παρακαλέω), which St. Paul also includes as a
gift in his letter to the Romans in chapter 12, verse 8. Parakaleo means
to: “ appeal to, urge, exhort, or to encourage” someone to take a certain action.
If we try to motivate someone to be kind to another person, we are exhorting
him or her to action.
A clear example of this comes from
St. Paul's second letter to his apprentice Timothy, when he exhorts him to: “Do your best to present
yourself to God as one approved, a worker who
has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15)
The one gifted with exhortation
encourages people to live godly, loving lives that will be pleasing to the
Lord. Equally important though, is that the one gifted with Exhortation also
provides ways for people to live into the exhortation.
When I was a high school student,
Fr. David Heaney exhorted me to pursue a calling to the priesthood. In doing
so, he invited me to meet with him regularly, study the scriptures together,
and to make pastoral visits with him. The summer of my Senior year of High
School he encouraged me to volunteer at the local hospital as a lay pastoral
visitor. There I discovered that I had a gift for being with people in
difficult times and encouraging them to trust in the Lord and to work hard on
their recovery. I would regularly meet with Fr. David after those visits to
debrief and discover what God the Holy Spirit was doing in those visits, both
with the patient and with me.
Ultimately, I pray that all of us
in the Diocese of San Joaquin will ask the Holy Spirit to give us the gift of
Exhortation, so that we may all live into the Mission of the Diocese:
"To equip, train, support and encourage clergy and lay
leaders to bring people to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ." And to that I say AMEN!
I pray you all a blessed week!
Catechism Questions 149-152
149. What is
prayer?
Prayer is turning my heart toward
God, to converse with him in worship. (Psalm 122, 123)
150. What should
you seek in prayer?
In prayer I should seek the joy of
fellowship with God, who made me for fellowship with him. (1 Chronicles
16:28-30; Psalm 96; John 17; Revelation 22:17)
151. What is
fellowship with God?
Fellowship with God in prayer is
relating to him as his children, as we approach the light and glory of his
throne. (Revelation 7:9-17)
152. How can
you have fellowship with God?
Through the death of Jesus as both
High Priest and sacrifice, and in his Holy Spirit, I have fellowship with God
in Word, Sacrament, and prayer. (Hebrews 4:16; 1 John 1:1-4)
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