..strive eagerly for the greatest spiritual gifts

The phrase “strive for the greatest gifts” keeps clanging in my brain, signaling a need to listen for a lesson trying to form. As I read the gospel for the day I relish in the affirmation of all parts of the body of Christ. The discussion of the distribution of gifts to all resonates with my fundamental belief in the equality of souls and God’s ability to work through us all. Then the verse ends with “strive eagerly for the greatest gifts.” Pursuing the “greatest” gift seems to imply that some gifts are greater than others, which runs counter to the equality focus that I usually read into the listing of the variety of spiritual gifts. In my Western brain, the phrase “greatest gift” reconstructs the listing of the gifts right before as a hierarchy of gifts. “First” and “then” become markers of greater and lesser. However, this framework runs counter to the wisdom of seeing and rejoicing in all of the gifts of the spirit in ourselves and in our neighbors. The call to strive for “the greatest spiritual gifts” must have some other lesson to offer.

We can puzzle on the question of what other meanings “the greatest spiritual gifts” have for us today. The insight that comes to me echoes the fundamental lesson that I learned about vocation in my Jesuit studies with Creighton colleagues. In those conversations we pondered on the truth that our vocation is where our deepest passion meets the worlds greatest need. This turns the emphasis of “greatest” to the service provided by the spiritual gift instead of the status of the gift. The greatest spiritual gift is the one that fits the purpose of your calling. This lesson removes the hierarchy and restores the equality of our gifts and callings. Let us eagerly strive to joyfully and gratefully employ our own unique spiritual gifts to serve the greatest needs in front of us today.