Jan 07, 2021
It All Adds Up
By Father Patrick O'Shea - Lower Hutt
As we begin a new year, I want to thank all our benefactors for their support and to reflect on how small things can add up to something very substantial.
The garden song describes how “inch by inch, row by row” people make a garden grow. It could also apply to a quilt or to knitting. It can even apply to a missionary society who because of many contributions from a solid base of supporters are enabled to assist the growth of the kingdom of God.
rows of tulips in a garden
That little things add up to something big is also illustrated by what is called the Salami Technique. This describes a type of fraud whereby someone can divert small amounts of money from various bank accounts into one of their own. The sums taken are so small (e.g., the few cents difference when figures are rounded up) that they are not noticed or if noticed are considered too small to bother contesting. These little bits added together can eventually become considerable.
Just how much things can add up is illustrated in an old proverb which says: “For want of a nail the shoe was lost. For want of a shoe the horse was lost. For want of a horse the rider was lost. For want of a rider the message was lost. For want of a message the battle was lost. For want of a battle the kingdom was lost. And all for the want of a horseshoe nail”.
Something of this is played out in the story of the feeding of the 5000, a story that is included in all 4 gospel accounts. Faced with overwhelming need and very limited resources the disciples of Jesus wanted him to send the hungry crowd away so that they could go and buy the food they needed. In his commentary on the story John Shea suggests that often the default position in the face of great need and few resources is to look outside for a solution.
But Jesus instructs his disciples to feed them. In doing so he invites them into a three-stage process.
- Look at the resources and assets that you have. When they are few it is easy to say that we have nothing but when you look you can discover that you have more than you thought.
- Give thanks for what you find. It is easy in the face of great need to curse the fact that we have so little and conclude that there is nothing we can do. When we are grateful for the gifts that we have we are better placed to start to use them.
- Do not take and hold but take and give. Many gifts multiply when shared which is why generosity to others in at the heart of many religious traditions and even secular philosophies.
We learned during the early stages of Covid-19, when it seemed that we had no tools to fight the virus, that there were many small things that we could do to slow down the spread until better tools like a vaccine could be developed. It worked here in New Zealand because most people willingly followed the suggested practices. All the individual small efforts added up and made a substantial difference.
In the early days of the pandemic in England media attention focused on Captain Tom Moore, who set out to raise $1000.00 for the NHS by walking around his garden and finished up raised over $14m. The willingness of a 99-year-old to so something small to help a good cause was multiplied many times over as he inspired many others to join in.
So, thankyou again to all the friends of Columban Mission and do remember that it all adds up.
The Garden Song
Inch by inch, row by row
Gonna make this garden grow
All it takes is a rake and a hoe
And a piece of fertile ground
Inch by inch, row by row
Someone bless these seeds I sow
Someone warm them from below
Till the rain comes tumbling down
Pulling weeds and picking stones
Man is made of dreams and bones
Feel the need to grow my own
Cause the time is close at hand
Pray for rain, sun and rain
Find my way in nature's chain
Tune my body and my brain
To the music from the land
Plant your rows straight and long
Temper them with prayer and song
Mother Earth will make you strong
If you give her love and care
Old crow watching hungrily
From his perch in yonder tree
In my garden I'm as free
As that feathered thief up there
Inch by inch, row by row
Someone bless these seeds I sow
Someone warm them from below
Till the rain comes tumbling down
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