In one of our Sunday mass homilies in a congregation
where I belong, our parish priest homily struck me a lot. It has very simple and yet striking message to
everyone. This is why I want to share it with you.
According to him, to be a true Christian we had to follow
the 4 Basic Mathematics of Life.
ADDITION, SUBTRACTION, MULTIPLICATION AND DIVISION.
ADDITION
This is the first step and the most important aspect of
being a good Christian.
We have to accept Christ in our heart and in our life. We can never be called a Christian unless we
put Christ at the center of our life. He
will be our guiding force. The captain
that will lead us to the right path and ensure safety in everything we do for
as long as it conforms to the values of a good Christian.
But being a Christian also implies bigger
responsibilities. We need to practice good
works. And we can never be called a good Christian if
this will not reflect in our day to day life by doing good things to others.
Let the the Gospel of Matthew summarizes these: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. ... And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself" (22:37-39).
SUBTRACTION
Sometimes or most of the time, it is in this state, when
we are starting to accept Christ in our heart that we are being tested for our
faith. Some has fallen to the trap; others remain strong to conquer temptations
and sins.
Leaving behind and not accepting the things that will hurt
our relationship with Christ is very important. Again, this is where our faith will be
tested.
" Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, Move from here to there, and it will move. Nothing will be impossible by you." (Matthew 17:20)
MULTIPLICATION
Good Stewardship of Christ. We have to be instrumental in spreading the Good
News.
Remember that we are not living in this world not by just ourselves. We have our neighbor, friends, love ones and
even enemies who are looking for God’s mercy and love. And if you truly love Christ then, you will
be happy to be with Him together with the people who really mean a lot to you.
"The Earth is the Lord's and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it". (Psalm 24:1:)
DIVISION
This is where sharing, giving and dividing one’s
blessings comes in.
However, funny as it was, I have observed that sometimes when
we are at the lowest moment of our lives that we always remember the people who
needed help. But once we received all
the blessings we prayed dearly and started enjoying it that when we forgot
other people’s need. The attachment to
material things and power has overcome who we really are.
But if we really love our neighbor as how we love Christ
as our Savior, we will always be The Good Samaritan that Christ has wanted and
expected us to be.
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (2 Corinthians 9:6-8)
***
The message is so simple but how are we going to practice
it requires a lot of FAITH and LOVE.
I
hope we can all reflect from this.
This is the 4 Basic Mathematics of Life.
What
about sharing your own good news?
Happy Reading,
Arlene