“WE ARE WORKERS, NOT MASTER BUILDERS;
MINISTERS, NOT MESSIAHS”. This is a
statement of Oscar Arnulfo Romero, the martyred Archbishop of San
Salvador.
In the
‘Sambuhay’ of today, Feb. 3, 2013, Fr. James H. Kroeger, MM, quoted this
statement of Archbishop Romero in his article on the Word of God for the 4th
Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Elaborating
further on this insight, Archbishop Romero said: “We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in
realizing that. This enables us to do
something, and do it very well. It may
be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for
the Lord’s grace to enter and do the rest.”
Reflecting
on what the Archbishop said, I realize that, indeed, in the Kingdom of God, God
is the ARCHITECH and we are but His laborers.
We simply cannot fully understand the mysteries of life on earth, much
less the mysteries of life after death.
We have to acknowledge our limitations as human beings, and our complete
dependence on God’s creative power for our existence. We have, however, to be grateful that in God’s
infinite wisdom, we are given the
privilege to serve Him in His Kingdom.
I recall two
opportunities wherein God used me to help in starting an enterprise. The first was the establishment of an
Insurance System for the Knights of Columbus in 1958. With a seed capital of only P32,000 coming
from 64 Founder members, each of them contributing only P500, this Juridical entity, after 50 years, has now a Net Worth exceeding Two Billion
Pesos. The second was a Credit
Cooperative of St. Paul University.
Together with Sister Marie Adele Bonzon, Spc, we organized this
Cooperative in 1988 with 42 members and with a paid-up Share Capital of only
P3,000. Today, after 25 years, this
Cooperative has a net worth exceeding P12,000,000.
The above
two experiences proved that I am but a worker in God’s Kingdom. I simply have to do the best I can and in whatever way I can
under the circumstances of our life and
leave the rest to God. It is God who knows
the significance of what is done and He alone has the power to use it for the
Grand Design of His Kingdom.
Everyday,
when I pay a visit to the Lord Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament I pray: “Here I
am, Lord, I come to do Your Will.” I
then try to see what I have to do during the day and say: “Lord, do give me the
grace to do what You want me to do in the best way I can.”
This makes me feel that I am God’s servant – one of the workers in His
Kingdom.
by: Buddy Cagurangan
Feb.3, 2013
