My “goodness” and “greatness”, I am now convinced, are purely related to, and dependent only on the “services I render” in my neighbourhood. If so, the economic abundance – the type of car I drive, the size and location of the house I live, the stuff I pile up in my abode – or a superior social status, or even higher educational qualifications that I am inclined to do not determine, or add up to my authentic stature, or to my real greatness. They do not in any way increase my goodness. Hence, I do not need to be crazily craving for all these. All what I have to be concerned in my day-to-day living is “my little acts of good works”. This is the ‘basics’ of faith. It is the only purpose of spirituality. All the fundamentals of religion are contained in that “little acts of good works”. All the rest are lee and scum of religious faiths and secular philosophies!
Those trained in a little Christian theology, I know, may object to my saying these words! Are we not saved only by “Grace and through Faith alone”? Are you preaching a Gospel of “Good Works”, they may query? God’s Grace alone saves us, they may warn me!
To them, I would say, “Sure”! But what I want to affirm here is that “we are saved, and we are being saved, only to serve”. God saves us that we may work his good and great works to those around us!
The Book of Proverbs 31:10-31, twenty-two verses, is an acrostic poem on “good works” of a woman, through which she earns the title of “a good and a model wife”. I know it is unfortunate that we do not have a similar poem on “a good and a model husband” to complement this! Without getting into an argument about the “andro-centrism” of the Hebrew Scriptures, I note, the heroine in that passage becomes good and great only by her diligent caring for her family. She becomes the ideal only by her eager sharing of her energies for the welfare of her husband and children – her immediate neighbourhood!
Conscientious care for those in my neighbourhood, and eagerly sharing – lovingly sharing – what I have and enthusiastically giving my self is that call I receive from that ever silent, odourless, invisible “More” – that some call God, others call Nirvana, some others call Allah, Yahweh, Brahman, etc. – that is always present!
That was the essence of the message Jesus of Nazareth taught! He even dramatized the same message of diligent care and eager sharing to his disciples, who, like me, were inclined to becoming great and good in the worldly sense of addition and accumulation! To them Jesus said you become first and great by becoming last and through serving – the word Jesus offered them is servant, serving as a servant! (Cf. Mark 9:35)
Jesus once took a little child, in Mark 9:30-37, and said: “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me” (Mark 9:37). The point here is my diligent care for and an eager sharing with one of the least in my neighborhood. This, then, is that which will drive me towards “goodness and greatness”!
James, the writer of the little book in the Greek Scriptures, (which some may consider as one of the actual brothers of Jesus), like his friends who did not understand this at the beginning, appreciated the importance of diligent care for and keen sharing with those around him as the Wisdom. He therefore wrote in his letter, “Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness” – your works with gentleness because you are doing to the least among you – “willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy” (James 3:13b and 17).
Hence, I – giving it a title “Work the Faith” – say to myself:
You have been set free
Those trained in a little Christian theology, I know, may object to my saying these words! Are we not saved only by “Grace and through Faith alone”? Are you preaching a Gospel of “Good Works”, they may query? God’s Grace alone saves us, they may warn me!
To them, I would say, “Sure”! But what I want to affirm here is that “we are saved, and we are being saved, only to serve”. God saves us that we may work his good and great works to those around us!
The Book of Proverbs 31:10-31, twenty-two verses, is an acrostic poem on “good works” of a woman, through which she earns the title of “a good and a model wife”. I know it is unfortunate that we do not have a similar poem on “a good and a model husband” to complement this! Without getting into an argument about the “andro-centrism” of the Hebrew Scriptures, I note, the heroine in that passage becomes good and great only by her diligent caring for her family. She becomes the ideal only by her eager sharing of her energies for the welfare of her husband and children – her immediate neighbourhood!
Conscientious care for those in my neighbourhood, and eagerly sharing – lovingly sharing – what I have and enthusiastically giving my self is that call I receive from that ever silent, odourless, invisible “More” – that some call God, others call Nirvana, some others call Allah, Yahweh, Brahman, etc. – that is always present!
That was the essence of the message Jesus of Nazareth taught! He even dramatized the same message of diligent care and eager sharing to his disciples, who, like me, were inclined to becoming great and good in the worldly sense of addition and accumulation! To them Jesus said you become first and great by becoming last and through serving – the word Jesus offered them is servant, serving as a servant! (Cf. Mark 9:35)
Jesus once took a little child, in Mark 9:30-37, and said: “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me” (Mark 9:37). The point here is my diligent care for and an eager sharing with one of the least in my neighborhood. This, then, is that which will drive me towards “goodness and greatness”!
James, the writer of the little book in the Greek Scriptures, (which some may consider as one of the actual brothers of Jesus), like his friends who did not understand this at the beginning, appreciated the importance of diligent care for and keen sharing with those around him as the Wisdom. He therefore wrote in his letter, “Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness” – your works with gentleness because you are doing to the least among you – “willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy” (James 3:13b and 17).
Hence, I – giving it a title “Work the Faith” – say to myself:
You have been set free
To set others free
Faith is not
A spectator sport
Learn a simple truth
Share it
Discover your gift
And release it
Hook up
On a project
Not as the boss
But as a partner
Give your ear
Not your tongue
To talk her story
Look for opportunities
And meet the needs
Others passed
By the other side
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