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By Fr. Roy Cimagala
Chaplain
Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE)
Talamban, Cebu City
Email: roycimagala@gmail.com
YES, he may be rich, young, and faithful to the commandments, yet he remains poor in the deepest sense. Though he had accomplished many good things, he still lacked the one treasure that truly matters—to surrender himself entirely to God, letting go of everything so that he could follow Christ without reserve and with joyful freedom.
At first glance, such surrender appears like loss, even defeat, as though everything precious has slipped away. Yet this holy emptiness becomes the doorway through which God enters completely, filling the soul with his own life. There, and only there, do we discover the perfection for which we were created.
Keeping the Decalogue, the Ten Commandments, is truly necessary, for it forms the solid foundation of a good life. Yet it can bring us only to a certain perfection within the natural order. We are called beyond that, into the supernatural life where we become one with God himself.
The lesson is gentle yet demanding: authentic love for God is measured not by how much we offer but by how completely we let go. Only a heart freed from earthly attachments can belong wholly to him. A divided heart may seem possible, but before God it can never truly exist.
There is no middle path in our friendship with the Lord. We either belong to him completely or we remain partly turned toward ourselves. Even if we imagine giving him ninety-nine percent while quietly keeping one percent, the gift is still incomplete and our peace remains fragile.
God asks for everything, because he desires not merely our possessions but our very selves. He invites us to place our hearts, our minds, our souls, and our strength into his hands. As Christ reminds us, we must love the Lord “with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” (Mt 22,37)
May we one day echo the beautiful words of an old song: “I have no use for divided hearts. I give mine whole, and not in parts.” Let that become the quiet prayer of our lives. The journey is demanding, yet with grace and humble perseverance, it is always within reach.
Because of our human weakness, we grow only little by little, learning each lesson in its proper season. Every day becomes another invitation to loosen the grip of earthly attachments. Little by little, we offer ourselves more fully until nothing remains outside God's loving embrace.
The Lord never forces this surrender upon us. He patiently waits for our generous response, gently inviting us to trust that his plans are always greater than our own. Every act of detachment, however small, widens the space within our hearts for his love to dwell more deeply.
We must often remind ourselves that nothing given to God is ever truly lost. What seems like sacrifice becomes abundance beyond measure, for the Lord is never outdone in generosity. Let Christ’s promise remain alive within us: “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added unto you.” (Mt 6,33)
Our faith and trust in Christ’s words must grow ever stronger. The more generously we give ourselves to him, the lighter and freer our hearts become. It is a beautiful mystery understood only through faith, a reality that belongs to the supernatural life and fills the soul with lasting joy.
Little by little, we learn to release our possessions, our preferences, our opinions, our ambitions, and even our cherished plans. At last, we discover the freedom of giving our whole selves to God alone. In that total self-offering, our lives become one with his, and our deepest identity and lasting happiness are finally found.
