With a little help from us

Fr. Roy Cimagala .

YES, with a little help from us the full wonder of God’s grace would be revealed to us. This was articulated by Christ himself when he compared the Kingdom of God to how a seed grows. (cfr. Mk 4,26-34)

“It is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land and would sleep and rise night and day and the seed would sprout and grow, he knows not how. Of its own accord the land yields fruit, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once, for the harvest has come.”

What he is telling us is that as long as we do our part, no matter how meager it is, he will astound us with his own tremendous power! He reiterated this point when he again compared the Kingdom of God to a mustard seed, a very small seed.

“Once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.”

It is very moving to realize that what God is asking of us is actually very little in comparison to what he will be giving and doing for us. Another gospel episode that highlights this point is that of the miraculous catch of fish. (cfr. Lk 5,1-11)

Christ asked Peter to go to the deep and lower the nets for a catch. Peter at first was hesitant because he was fishing the previous night and caught nothing. But to Peter’s credit, he just obeyed Christ. And lo and behold, Peter caught such a large quantity of fish that he had to ask help to bring the catch of fish to the shore.

It is indeed very reassuring that this is actually what happens in our relationship with God. All that we need to do are just the little duties we have, and God’s grace will come to us in abundance.

We simply have to do things in good faith, in obedience to God’s will, though sometimes God’s will would require extraordinary effort and sacrifice. But then again, whatever investment we have to give, even if in our own estimation it is already quite sizable, is nothing compared to what God will give us in return.

Corresponding to God’s will in our own small way is the highest yielding investment we can make. Let us remember that God can never be outdone in generosity. Christ himself said: “Whoever has (referring to one’s faith and trust in God) will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.” (Mt 13,12)

Let’s not forget that when we are sparing in our self-giving to God and to others, God will take away even the little that we have. The law that should rule our life is that of love, of total self-giving no matter what it would cost, though most times, the cost is really little only.

Only to a few people would some extraordinary sacrifices would be asked by God. For most of us, we would only be asked a little. The secret is to do God’s will with pure faith accompanied by the best effort we could give.

And we do not have to wait for some special occasions or for some special persons to do this. The usual, ordinary events of our day and the ordinary people as recipients of our good deeds can be the good occasion to show our faith and love for God.

Remember Christ saying: “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” (Mt 25,40)

E-mail: roycimagala@gmail.com