When Jesus wants to teach us how a Christian should be (even though there were no “Christians” at the time of Jesus), he tells us very little. Instead, he showed us. He does so by feeding the hungry, by welcoming the stranger. The love that Christ shows to others is boundless, and it surpasses anything that we can imagine. It is not always easy to understand, however God often expresses His infinite love in small, tender ways, rather than in bulky methods. The goodness and tenderness of God is most often expressed in small ways.
It would be easier to see God’s presence in mighty deeds, like the raising of a dead person to life or some seemingly miraculous sight overhead. That would almost make things too easy to believe. Instead, we need to find God’s presence in the small and easy-to-overlook simple occurrences in our daily life. In the Old Testament, we hear that the people were looking for the voice of God in the great and mighty wind, but it was not there. They sought it in the earthquake, but that was not God’s voice. Afterwards, there was a fire, but alas, God’s voice was not there. Then came the voice of God in a whisper, a gentle blowing of the wind. There was the voice of God.
We don’t need to be in the forefront, always in charge and in positions where we are seen to live a good Christian life. Working in the background, without even expressing our opinions or getting the recognition is what it means to live a Christian life. Often times those who are looking for attention step forward; they seem to be the “super” Christians. That is not the example that Jesus gave us.
A good friend of mine was the Rector of our PIME International Theology School for a number of years. I remember that I would often tell him, “Make sure you teach our future priests the virtue of humility”. He would chuckle and respond, “You can’t teach humility”. Maybe you can’t teach it, but you sure can model it, not only for future priests but for all who choose to serve the Lord. God is present in the littleness and tenderness of our actions.
Fr. Ken
St. Mary, Cause of Our Joy Catholic Church 