Coins and the Mustard Seed

There is a saying that “great things come from small beginnings”.

There is this story of a boy from Gensan who lived a life of abject poverty. He lived with his parents, sister, and two younger brothers in a single-room shack in a rugged landscape of coconut groves, dense jungle and coastal mountains. Until the age of 10, he had never seen a TV set and had never set foot in a town or city. His father would climb up as many as 70 trees a day to gather coconuts, struggling to earn enough to feed his family. Their family lived on bananas and root crops. They had no rice most of the time. At the age of 12 he dropped out of school. At the age of 15, he stowed away on a boat to pursue his dreams in the big city of Manila, sleeping on the streets. Today this once poor boy is now rich and famous not only in the Philippines but all over the world. His name is Manny Pacquiao.

The parable of the mustard seed describes briefly the humble and small beginnings of God’s Kingdom and its grand endings. The parable declares that, while the kingdom of God seems to be insignificant at the start, it will be a big thing when full-grown.

There is also a story of a fine young lady who was given in marriage to a gentleman who died shortly after they got married, leaving her a childless, young widow. She then dedicated her time to prayer and social service helping many who were poor and sick in the city of Manila. Together with 3 other ladies, they requested that they be allowed to live together in a life of prayer and the practice of the virtues while continuing their social apostolate. This young widow later became the first prioress of the Congregation of the Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine of Siena, which has been in existence for more than 300 years now. She is Servant of God, Francisca Del Espíritu Santo de Fuentes. Today the members of the Congregation of the Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine of Siena are present in almost 50 schools, hospitals, spirituality centers and other institutions here and abroad.

Last week, I celebrated mass at Siena School of General Santos City. After the mass, they had a launching of a project which they called “Theology of the Crumbs”. In this project, they try to share their blessings with our less fortunate brothers and sisters by gathering coins. These coins may seem insignificant, but gathered together for a good cause, it is like the mustard seed. As what is mentioned in the gospel, the mustard seed is the smallest of all the seeds, but when full grown is the largest of plants.

Let us not underestimate what small things and small deeds can accomplish. Just like the mustard seed, great things come from small beginnings. May the kingdom of God flourish in our time and may all our deeds, words and actions be for the greater glory of God’s Kingdom.