The Sincere Gift of Self

I love being Catholic! Here's why: I am able to fully understand myself. Just listen to this. In Gaudium et spes (Vatican II document), paragraph 24, the Council states that "man cannot find himself except through a sincere gift of himself." Truth. I am able to understand myself more fully when I give of myself. Perfect example, a husband and wife fully giving of themselves to each other. A priest fully giving of himself to the Church. A mother fully giving of herself to her child. A friend fully giving of himself to his friend. The list can go on and on, but the main point is that we come to understand ourselves better when we are unselfish and give ourselves away. This means staying up late when a friend needs to talk, putting homework aside when someone needs you, waking up in the middle of the night to feed the baby, and so on. I have learned this over and over that this is the truth. And every time that I've learned this in some way, I have become overjoyed with my life, with the person that I am. Life has its full meaning when you fully understand yourself, and this can only happen when you give of yourself. Yes, it may be difficult, but the results are insurmountable. I will say it again because it is so good: "man cannot find himself except through a sincere gift of himself." Now that's something to put on your frige.