Let God work in you, then you can work for Him
Some 5,000 singles from all over the world gather at the Western Visayas State University from Feb. 17 to 19, 2017 for the 24th CFC – Singles for Christ International Conference. (Photo: Jionel Tiamzon)
ILOILO City – For those who have an image of God as a bearded, heavenly boss counting every good deed we do, a priest had this to say: God isn’t interested in what you “do for Him” as He is interested in what He does in you.
“Before we work for Christ, make sure that Christ works in you,” Fr. Joenick Territorio, JCD told some 5,000 delegates, who attended a Holy Mass on the second day of the 24th CFC – Singles for Christ International Conference (ICON) on Feb. 18 at the Western Visayas State University in this city.
“[Being] all out for Christ is a consequence of all in from Christ. I would even dare to say in this context, God is not so much interested in what we do for Him than what He’s doing in us and for us,” he explained.
The director of the Jaro Archdiocesan Commission on Laity said God wants that “what we do for Him is a fruit of what He does in us.”
The priest, who came on behalf of Jaro Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, also stressed the external and internal dynamic of faith, formation, and mission.
“Work in, work out; work in formation, work out ministry; work in spirituality, work out morality and social responsibility; work in character, work out conduct; work in solid Christian doctrine, work out duties and responsibilities,” Territorio said, noting that one cannot be without the other.
“We need to have both, we need to have them both but in this order. First, God works in us, then we work for God.”
This year’s SFC ICON themed “All Out for Christ” is inspired by 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 “Be on guard, stand firm in the faith. Be courageous and strong. Your every act should be done in love.”
The international event gathered delegates from 21 countries including China, Singapore, the U.S., Canada, Australia, Poland, Papua New Guinea, and the Philippines.
