On the Little Things
Rian Mitchell Piamonte
I remember one of my teachers back in high school that I really disliked. I find her style of teaching dry and I never really learned from her. She usually starts her class with a prayer that eats up almost half of the class time– and what’s worse about it, most of that prayer time that we had were for meditation! Imagine a 14-year old kid sitting still inside the class with almost nothing to hear but the noise coming from the fans; it’s quite unbearable. As much as I didn’t like it at that time, she became my Christian Living teacher twice in my entire high school life.
Back then, I never really knew the purpose of the “long-silent-prayer” that she made us do in her class. Perhaps my classmates back in high school would share the same opinion about it. I treated that kind of prayer as a menial thing. It was only years after my high school did I realize that what she taught me greatly affected my life.
There are some things in life that we tend to give less importance. We wanted things big, grand, even grandiose! We skip out the little things in life, the things that we see too little and of no importance. At times, in these little things do we find greater horizons.
The readings today show us the grandeur of God. We are being introduced to a God who is seen in the less; who shows His great act of mercy through meekness; and raises those who are meek and the humble of heart.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus made use of two parables to describe the kingdom of God: the man who scattered seed and the mustard seed that became a great tree. The scattered seeds grew and its harvest became useful. The small mustard seed that was sown became big and had large branches where birds dwelt in its shade.
Jesus compared the kingdom of God to a mustard seed in order to emphasize that God uses the little things to bring out greater ones. And thus, the grandeur–the majesty– of God is seen to things that are oftentimes seen as unimportant. It is seen through the least of our society, and even to the least of our own selves.
Have you been aware of your weaknesses before? Or even those who have been marginalized and left out in our society today? Perhaps it’s time for us to be mindful in their presence and to listen in what they may have to say, maybe through these little action to the little things can we see God.
Dear Joseph and Mary, through your intercession, pray for us as we fulfill the little tasks we have for the greater glory of God. Lead us always to your son. Amen.
