Volunteerism

Why bother to volunteer?

By Carmen Aguinaco

We often hear young people say, “When vacation time gets here, I’m going to sleep all day.” Sounds like quite an ambitious project, right? Others, however, think that when they have spare time they will volunteer to help out with a good cause. This too is ambitious, but less understandable. Why would you give up your precious time doing something that you will not be compensated for, at least with money?

Some say they do so because it makes them feel good. Others want to meet people and make contacts that may later lead to economic or professional benefits. Some young people, and these are truly rare, volunteer simply because they feel it is something they should do out of a sense of duty toward their brothers and sisters in need and because it is what God is asking from them. They realize that their time, talents and energies do not belong to themselves but to God who provides them.

Volunteering can be difficult. It requires commitment, effort, dedication, sacrifice, and the will to do good. It is the result of a free and personal choice that does not expect any compensation. It is the opposite of selfishness and convenience, and it is an action we take for others. In reality, it is what heroes are made of, which can also be considered somewhat crazy by today’s standards.

Volunteering is our will in action and cannot remain a simple wish. English author G.K. Chesterson once said that prayer does not change God but it does change us. Our petitions do not obligate God to act but give us the strength to look at our own situations and see what can be done. Those reflections push us into action.

Some believe this is all fine and dandy but what can one person do with all the problems in the world? That is why volunteering is not an act of one but of an entire organization, and requires that we unite our efforts to act as one. We must find a group or organization that best responds to our own concerns and join.

Your turn

What do you think God is asking you to do with your time, talent and energy? Do you believe you have better things to do? Do you sometimes think you will receive no benefits from helping others?