The true value of the little ordinary things

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

Chaplain

Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE)

Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

WITH Christ comparing the Kingdom of God with a seed that is planted and that needs to be taken care of until it grows and bears fruit, (cfr. Mk 4,26-34) we are clearly reminded that this whole business of sanctification, which is how we start to be part of God's kingdom, will always begin in the little ordinary things of our life.

When we manage to see God in the little things and be urged to follow his will in carrying out our duties toward them, then we would indeed be on the right path toward our final destination which is to be with God in heaven.

We just have to learn to find Christ in the little things which comprise most of our day, if not of our whole life. This is not a gratuitous, baseless assertion, an act of fantasizing, of hunting lions in the corridors of the house.

This is as real and true as can be. Of course, it requires faith, but if we care to listen to faith, we will, in fact, find it reasonable and practicable, not something quixotic, cocooned in the realm of the abstract, the absurd and the impossible. Christ is all at the same time our creator, savior and model, and as such he can never be absent but is always present in all things, big and small.

Sad to say, Christ’s parables comparing the Kingdom of God to a seed seem to still be breaking news to many of us who have the tendency to disparage little and ordinary things in our life.

We should then try to make the necessary changes in attitude and understanding regarding the little things. We have to realize that it is actually in them where our true knowledge and love of God is developed and maintained. 

When we fail to see, know and love God in the little things, it is very likely that we also will fail to see, know and love God in the big things of our life. Let’s keep in mind what Christ said in this regard: “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much.” (Lk 16,10)

In short, the point we should realize more deeply is that sanctity, our ticket to heaven, certainly requires heroism, even to the point of martyrdom. But we can be sure that by being consistently loving in doing the little things of life, especially when they are hidden and unappreciated humanly, we would already be very heroic indeed, even approaching the level of martyrdom.

What we have to do is to learn to find Christ in the little things which comprise most of our day, if not of our whole life. Another way of saying it is to learn to refer everything to Christ, no matter how little or insignificant it is.

We should always be with Christ at every moment of our day, offering things to him, asking him questions like, “Lord, how should I deal with this particular situation, be it an exciting work, a boring and tiring moment, etc.?”

We should never dare to do things simply on our own. Especially when we find ourselves in difficulties, in a quandary, in moments of temptation, etc., we have to go to Christ as quickly as possible and cling to him as tightly as possible.

And we should never forget to thank him all the time, for such a gesture connects us with him in an abiding way. When we are with Christ especially in the little things of our day, how can we doubt about having heaven in us while still here on earth?