In the Preciousness of Faith column of the Catholic Peace Weekly, the seminary professor gives us a reflection on Uselessness in his column
Some time ago, he wrote an essay titled “The Usefulness of Uselessness.” Later, he learned that Zhuangzi's Miscellaneous Discourses contain a parable called “The Usefulness of the Useless,” which reaffirmed to him how the Gospel and Eastern classics resonate with each other.
One of life's greatest sorrows is when our efforts go unrecognized. Or when our hard-won achievements crumble into nothingness. Often, we become unconsciously intoxicated by our accomplishments, greed takes root, passion turns to overreach, and when things go wrong, it becomes a heavy burden. We may even feel like we're becoming useless, experiencing a deep sadness.
As we age, our strength wanes, our minds grow foggy, and we lose confidence. We may feel depressed when no one seeks us out anymore, as if we are becoming unnecessary.
Truthfully, admitting one's own uselessness is no easy task. Conversely, it is also true that the moment one acknowledges their uselessness, they experience great freedom. In that sense, isn't life a school where we learn our own uselessness?
A nun who traveled with him on a pilgrimage to Italy shared that during a complex and heavy journey, she suddenly felt hope and freedom upon seeing the simple bed where Saint Clare passed away. Perhaps true hope isn't something we create, but rather a gift given when we let go of what we possess and our attachments.
Even if I possess nothing and have achieved nothing, if only I could meet God who treasures me just as I am and gazes upon me with love. Even if I am a pitiful being whom no one else notices, if only I could meet the Lord who takes notice of me and holds me in His heart, I would be satisfied with that.
Lately, he often meditates on God's heart, which cares for and watches over the smallest and weakest. “Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:40) Jesus' words remind us that the most important thing in faith is caring for and watching over the weakest.
The smallest and weakest deserve the greatest care and nurturing. This stems not from ‘ideology’ but from the ‘heart’. When we see the smallest and weakest, we feel compassion and a desire to protect them. This is because the ‘image of God’ is imprinted within our hearts.
Seeing a fetus, he recalls that he too was once a fetus. Human beings, helpless creatures who cannot survive without care and are constantly threatened by life's dangers, require unceasing care and nurturing from birth through growth, old age, and death. Jesus too experienced everything human. Conceived in the womb of the Virgin Mary, lying in a manger, He was exposed to all manner of threats and nearly sacrificed to Herod's tyranny. Beginning His public ministry, He reached out to the least, the poor, and the sick. It was to care for the smallest and weakest.
God granted us life to care for the most powerless. Our lives begin in a state of great smallness and weakness, and they end in a state of great weakness. When we are strong and healthy, our task is precisely to care for the smallest and weakest—our past, present, and future selves. And when we stand before the Lord again at life's end, may we be able to say:
“We are useless servants. We have only done our duty.” (Luke 17:10)
