NBVM Novena Day 7: Apostles – Men Under the Gaze of the Lord
“We should see ourselves as God’s beloved child” said Fr. Desmond Jansen during his homily on the 7th Day of Novena. He broke the word with a story of a father and three sons. The father was concerned about his sons as they were not living their lives to their potential. On his deathbed, he told them that there was a treasure hidden in their land. Soon after the father’s death, the sons began digging the land but never found the treasure. It so happened, that at that moment a wise man passed by and gave them some seeds to be sown into the soil, since the land has been well tilled. Disappointed in not finding the treasure, the brothers sowed the seeds. Soon the fertile ground bore an abundant harvest for the brothers, and they became wealthy. The moral of the story – the hidden treasure lies within all of us, and we just need to use it.
Fr. Desmond added that the apostles were neither the most talented nor the most intelligent people; on the contrary they were ordinary people who struggled in all aspects of life. God called them because he saw the hidden treasure within them. We fail to see the good in ourselves because we tend to compare ourselves with others. We do not appreciate what we have.
During his pastoral experience in the interiors of Sarawak, where there were Masses only three times a year, the people congregated without fail on every Sunday to hear the Word of the Lord. Similarly in places like Nairobi, where Masses are held in the open air, thousands of people congregate. We are so blessed here with good infrastructure and yet we sometimes do not make time for the Eucharistic celebration.
He reminisced his moments at the seminary when ten candidates enrolled in the first year. Six of the candidates were diligent and were the cream of the crop. The other four were those who lumbered to their feet with manual duties, with minds that wandered during prayer into the durian orchards awaiting adventures of feasting on the king of fruits and handing in assignments in the nick of time. Not the very promising candidates! Ultimately, the four unlikely candidates graduated into priesthood while the six promising candidates left the seminary after some time. He was one of the four.
The Lord knows the hidden gem in all of us – our hearts, our thoughts and He knows our potential. The four may have seemed like the unlikely candidates, but God had a plan for them in His vineyard. We all have a treasure hidden within us because we are the beloved child of God. As Pope Francis quoted, ‘I am a sinner under the gaze of God”. So, were the apostles. Thus, let us too not be too focused on our shortcomings but be grateful sinners under the gaze of God.
Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future