This phrase gives us much food for thought, not only for those who serve in the church but also for our society, which values usefulness as one of their highest values. A good way to begin the new liturgical year is to be mindful of the meaning in our daily lives.
How difficult it is to serve without selfishness. We move only when there is a reward and sad when there is no reward. But isn't the happiest time when we serve willingly, even though no one recognizes it, rather than when we receive a reward?
Parents are happy to see their children growing up. They don't shower their children with love, expecting a reward. All the pain and hardship of raising a child, the anxious moments, the struggling hearts, the long, painful nights, all that hard work and effort, melt away with just one smile on their child's face. There is joy when you give freely and without expecting anything in return. That joy cannot be exchanged for anything in the world.
As someone involved in forming priests, the happiest moment is when seminarians complete their seminary training and are ordained as priests. He thanks God for the students who have grown up.
Gratuitousness, giving without expecting anything in return, is the value and virtue our faith needs today to take a leap forward. Today, everything is judged by the yardstick of economics. As a result, not only everything people do but even themselves are judged by economic logic. If I receive something, I must return it, often with interest.
However, let's think about it. We realize that what keeps our lives humane is not economic logic but the logic of love and gratuitousness. What warms our hearts and gives vitality to our lives are minor considerations, small concerns, and small words from the heart. They do not cost money, but they have the power to make people happy, heal the wounded, and bring them back to life. What makes us human is love and giving with a pure heart without expecting anything in return.
This is also connected to our relationship with God. As we grow older, we become weaker and less capable of doing things and must rely on others. When we see ourselves becoming useless little by little, we lose our motivation and become depressed. However, God never judges us by our usefulness. Instead, God values our lives because we are his sons and daughters. He blesses our complicated lives and washes away our lives stained with sin.
Perhaps, as we experience being useless, we can yearn for God's love more. We can gain eyes that can better perceive what God is doing. God needs useless people because He can work with greater power in them. Those who consider themselves useful cannot open their hearts to that extent. Those who recognize their uselessness are always open to God and willingly share and give what little they have. This is why God loves useless people.
The Usefulness of Uselessness. Isn't this the value we, who live today's complicated life, should open our eyes to? We are not valuable because we are useful but because we belong to his creation. Then, can't we now look at everything around us with a new perspective and try to see through God's eyes?
