Have you ever felt insignificant in your efforts to build the Kingdom of God? Have you ever been overwhelmed by a great sense of powerlessness in the face of a culture of death? In my case, it has happened quite frequently. I remember one particular instance, during my first cross-cultural missionary experience. As my companions and I were landing in Arequipa, I could see beneath me a sea of poverty – the shanty towns surrounding the airport. Within me, I heard a voice whispering: “What difference could your life make in the face of such immensity? Wouldn’t you be wasting your life even to try?” Thankfully, a stronger voice spoke in my heart, assuring me that even if my life were to be a blessing for only a few, it would still be worth pursuing my vocation.
In the Gospels, Jesus acknowledges this feeling, yet proclaims that there is power in smallness – or, to put it another way, that the power of his Kingdom lies precisely in its smallness. The images he uses speak for themselves: salt and yeast, a lamp placed on a stand, a child set in the midst of the disciples. Most impressively, in several parables Jesus uses the image of a seed – above all, the mustard seed, which “is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the largest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and shelter in its branches.”
Even if my life were to be a blessing for only a few, it would still be worth pursuing my vocation.
Even our Founder seems to have shared this same understanding of Jesus. When he wrote about our Society, he often referred to it as la Piccola Compagnia di San Paolo – the Little Society of St Paul. The way he repeatedly used Piccola gives the impression that it was part of the very name, as if to say that smallness is integral to our identity.
I find this deeply significant for us who so often struggle with our own smallness. Again, I can speak from personal experience. The first time I took part in a meeting of the Union of Superiors General, I almost felt ashamed of how small we were. When someone asked me about our Society, I felt tempted to give a brief, dry answer and quickly change the subject! I realised that I had not yet embraced the mindset of Jesus and our Founder, who both recognised power in smallness. I was still influenced by the mentality of the world, which adores greatness and power.
Another powerful invitation to a change of mentality comes from the great patroness of the missions, St Thérèse of Lisieux. She is known for promoting the spirituality of spiritual childhood, a path of holiness in which one humbly embraces one’s own littleness, trusting completely in God’s mercy and providence. For Thérèse, smallness is not a limitation but a way to God, for her littleness drew down God’s love, just as a father is moved by the fragility of his children. Her conclusion was clear: “To reach perfection, I need to remain little, to become smaller and smaller.”
Closer to us, our Founder himself expressed the same faith-filled attitude in his speech at the laying of the foundation stone of St Agatha’s Motherhouse. He could well be speaking to us today:
“ ‘Go and teach all nations’. Excellency, faced with this command, we feel humbled and confused: indeed, compared with the work still to be done we become ever more aware of the smallness of our endeavour, which is still at its beginning. At present there are so many who are still waiting to be evangelised, whose ears have never heard the sweet name of Jesus, which we have known for two thousand years thanks to Paul of Tarsus. Therefore, no one should be surprised that we feel some confusion when we contemplate so great a task. What encourages us not to lose heart is the Gospel story of the widow’s mite; thus we look upwards and place our hope in Him who is our most beloved Father: indeed, when it is God who is building, those who labour on the walls do not toil in vain. We find another consolation in the thought – full of truth – that God’s power, which made everything out of nothing, and the power of the God-Man who fed thousands from five loaves, have never changed and remain forever.”
What powerful images he uses! In the feeding of the five thousand, it was a little boy who saved the day with his meagre supplies. The image of the widow’s mite is especially striking when used by our Founder. He lived by it – as seen when he sent Brother Joseph Caruana, his most precious member, to Abyssinia.
Clearly, we are being invited by God’s Spirit to embrace our smallness with faith and trust in Him. This, of course, does not mean that we neglect our responsibility to invite others to join our community. Jesus himself, while speaking of smallness, still commands his disciples to make disciples of all nations. Nor does it exempt us from dealing wisely with our limitations. Once again, Jesus himself teaches that it is not prudent to go to battle with ten thousand troops against one who comes with twenty thousand.
Let us therefore allow God’s words to Paul – spoken in the midst of his own struggle with weakness – to resound in our hearts:
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Cor. 12:9)
Your brother,
Fr Martin Galea mssp
Superior General.