Serving with Purpose

Good evening, Brothers.

I'd like to begin with a short reading from the Gospel of Luke. "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her."

Many people hear this Gospel and think that Jesus was saying Martha shouldn't have been serving. I don't believe that's the lesson.

Martha was doing something good. She was serving others. She was welcoming Christ into her home. But in the busyness of serving, she had become distracted from the reason she was serving in the first place. Mary, on the other hand, first chose to spend time with Christ.

As Knights of Columbus, we're called to be a little like both Martha and Mary. Like Martha, we are called to serve. We organize events. We raise money for charities. We support our parish. We help our community. We stand beside our Brother Knights and their families whenever they are in need. But like Mary, we must never lose sight of why we do those things.

Our service is not simply about completing projects or checking another event off the calendar. Our service is an expression of our faith. It is how we put Christ's teachings into action. 

As we begin a new Fraternal Year, I would like to welcome and congratulate all our new officers. In particular, I'd like to welcome Don as our new Grand Knight and Al as our new Financial Secretary, along with all of the Brothers who have accepted leadership roles for the coming year.

Leadership in the Knights of Columbus is not about titles. It's about service. It means giving your time, sharing your talents, and helping guide this council so that we can continue making a difference in our parish and throughout our community. The same is true for every member of this council. Whether you hold an office or not, each of us has a role in building something greater than ourselves.

As we begin this new year together, let's take the lesson of Martha and Mary with us.

Let's continue to serve generously. Let's continue to lead humbly. And above all, let's always remember the reason behind our service: our faith in Christ, our commitment to one another, and our desire to make His love visible through the work we do.

May God bless each of our new officers, every Brother Knight in this council, and our families as we begin another year of faith, fraternity, and service together.

May we continue to be men of faith, men of service, and men who lead by example. God bless you, Brothers.