By Sharon Chiarucci | Special to the Herald

“For the courage to put our gifts at the service of others: that God will free us from fear so that we may live as women and men for others, we pray to the Lord.”

This recent prayer of the faithful at University Catholic Center/Holy Spirit Parish at the University of Hawaii in Manoa captures the purpose of the “gifts discernment” process presented to a number of Hawaii parish teams in May.

The process was developed by authors Brother Loughlan “Lock” Sofield, a Missionary Servant of the Most Holy Trinity, and Sister Carroll Juliano of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus. Broher Lock made the presentation.

As Catholics we have a mission. Each parish is challenged to interpret that mission in its part of the world. We believe that God has given us all the gifts we need to carry out this mission and that the Holy Spirit has gifted every baptized person so he or she may respond to God’s call and be a vessel for God’s love in the world.

The prayer starts with a plea for courage, recognizing that it is not always easy to put our gifts at the service of others. We are often blocked by our own fears of inadequacy, the demands on our time, or not valuing our unique gifts because they seem so ordinary. We need the courage to recognize that we have been given these gifts, not for our own sake, but for the sake of building the community and extending the kingdom. We have a responsibility to know, develop and use our gifts.

The process Brother Lock presented calls for an interior reflection. Looking at my own life, how has God used me to build community? Identifying these gifts can be a powerful experience as we begin to see God’s hand in the joyful and difficult times of our lives. Gifts show up in many different ways: in our faith life, in our natural talents and abilities and in our life experiences. The recognition of God’s love that may come in times of prayer, or the gift of gratitude for the blessings of one’s life and for one’s faith can be shared to help others grow in faith.

If you find that people readily approach you for help or that you are always looking for ways to help others or that you have the ability to play music, draw, fix things, or that you are the one who welcomes the stranger, advises the confused, or helps others understand the latest papal encyclical, these are your gifts.

Many gifts often show up in difficult times. A mother sees the gift of being an unwed, pregnant teenager — not for herself but for that teen in her catechism class who turns to her for help. A father sees the gift in his struggle with alcoholism because he can help the young adults in his parish who struggle with it. A parent who has lost a child, children of divorce, caregivers for elderly parents with dementia, those who have lost a job, fought cancer, or suffered spouse abuse — all present opportunities to see God’s presence in the midst of pain. Who ministered to you in the darkness? What did they do for you or with you? How can you do the same for others?

Many times we do not see our own gifts. Brother Sofield and Sister Juliano’s process adds a second step asking others in the community to affirm, add to, or challenge our own list of gifts. Participants are often surprised that others have noticed their gifts and this step often convinces people to continue sharing their gifts.

Five parishioners of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Ewa Beach attended Brother Lock’s workshop and then led 46 of their own parishioners through the steps of the gifts discernment experience. The team members provided the background material, demonstrated the process and then invited the participants to gather in small groups to do their own discernment. Members of the Young Adult Ministry, pastoral council, RCIA and other parish ministries spent an hour listening to and affirming one another.

At the end of the workshop, the Our Lady of Perpetual Help team led the participants in a variation of the prayer of St. Theresa: Christ has no body now but mine, no hands, no feet on earth but mine. Mine are the eyes through which he looks compassionately on the world. Mine are the feet with which he walks to do good. Mine are the hands with which he blesses all the world. Mine are his hands, mine are his feet, mine are his eyes. We are his body. God asks no more of us than simply offering everything we have been given for the sake of God’s kingdom.