LIKE CLAY IN THE HAND OF A POTTER
Obedience is not a very popular virtue. By nature, we are self-willed beings, endowed with the gift of free will and intellect. These two gifts make us humans exactly like angels, who can always say no to God, like Satan did by crying out, “Non serviam!” (I will not serve!) For all Jeremiah’s initial protestations, he was basically an obedient man. He gave in to the Lord’s bidding and obeyed. This is not to say, though, that it had all been easy for him. It took some time for the reluctant prophet to reach the point of perfect obedience.
The Philippines has more than 64 different varieties of bamboos. The most familiar ones are those used to build nipa and bamboo huts. These varieties can be used to build posts, walls, flooring and even roofing. A whole hut can be made entirely of bamboo and nothing else. Bamboos can also be made into makeshift bridges. They swing and bend with every step but they don’t snap. Pliant and supple, they adapt and give way seemingly to the weight but never break. Other sturdier trees may succumb to strong typhoons, but not the bamboo trees. Even miniature bamboos, found only atop Mt. Pulag in Northern Philippines, are among the few plants that survive the harsh and windy conditions of the country’s second highest peak. The secret? They bow and bend and seemingly submit to the external forces bearing down on them.
We can learn a lesson or two from the lowly bamboo. Their submission, their obedience, if you will, to external forces, enable them to come out of the ordeal steady and strong. Sturdier trees that put up a stiff resistance end up getting broken. Their strength eventually becomes their downfall. As I grow older, obedience becomes even harder. Pride and years of experience tend to get the better of me. Jeremiah’s example is something I sorely need. I need to learn to be like clay in the hands of the potter. Like Saint Dominic Savio did, who told Don Bosco, his mentor: “I will be the cloth; you be the tailor!” Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB
REFLECTION QUESTION: Do you find it difficult to submit yourself to authority? Learn from the bamboo tree.
Jesus, mold me into a loving and obedient child of Yours so that I may be able to fulfill Your mission for me.
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