By Fr. Roy Cimagala
Chaplain
Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE) Talamban, Cebu City
Email: roycimagala@gmail.com
Sense of responsibility and abandonment
WE should develop the proper sense of responsibility and abandonment. Given
our human condition that is marked both by power and weakness, talents and
limitations, we should feel responsible for everything in our life as much as possible, as
well as learn to live the proper sense of abandonment when faced with our weaknesses,
limitations and mistakes.
Let’s remember that we are stewards of God’s vineyard here on earth. As such
we have been given enough powers to undertake our work. We have intelligence and
will, very powerful faculties that would enable us to do a great variety of things.
Just like the servants in the parable of the talents (cfr. Mt 25,14-30), we have
been given by God, our master, enough talents and gifts for us to make use of. Let’s try
our best to be like those servants who managed to trade with those talents and gained
also as much. Let’s remember that with what God has given us, we are quite powerful!
But we should neither forget that no matter how much we try to be productive
and fruitful, we also have our limitations and weaknesses, not to mention our mistakes
and failures in spite of the powerful gifts God has given us.
In this case, we should just leave things with the proper sense of abandonment in
the hands of God who, in the end, will take care of everything. Let’s remember Christ’s
words: “Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns.
Yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of
you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?” (Mt 6, 26-27)
The important thing to remember is that whether we are able or not to do
something in this life, we should just refer ourselves to God. If we are able, if we
succeed in something, let’s thank God and strengthen our will to do things always in
accordance to God’s will. This way we avoid getting spoiled by pride and vanity due to
our accomplishments.
And if we are not able, or when we fail, which is something that can happen in
spite of our efforts, we should just go to God, asking for forgiveness and more strength,
etc. Let’s remember that there simply are things that are beyond our powers, or are
impossible for us to resolve. We should just imitate Christ who in his “failure and defeat”
when he suffered and died on the cross, simply left everything in the hands of his
Father.
It might be good to echo in our own words and in the mode adapted to the
concrete situation we are in, those final words of Christ on the cross: “Father, into your
hands, I commit my spirit.” (Lk 23,46) Those words express the proper sense of
abandonment that we ought to have.
In this way, we avoid getting unnecessarily sad, depressed or discouraged. We
would just move on, like a good sportsman, willing to bear whatever adverse
consequences our limitations, failures and mistakes can occasion.
God will take care of everything. In this regard, it might be useful to remind
ourselves of what St. Paul said in his Letter to the Philippians: “He who began a good
work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (1,6) It’s God who
will finish, complete and perfect everything for us!