THE POWER OF FAITH AND HUMBLE SERVICE
For some years I had the privilege to live with a man even secular governments had acknowledged as a man of great faith who trusted in God’s providence. He was one who had renovated chapels or made big improvements to schools’ facilities without first raising the funds needed. In fact not only did he change the physical aspects of schools, he also exercised his creativity not attempted by many educators and which benefited not only his immediate students but the generations which followed. When he started La Salle College of the Arts some years after his retirement as the principal of St Patrick’s School, the Brothers were so stressed because they were afraid of the debt that he might accumulate.
Whenever I read in the scripture describing faith as strong enough to uproot trees and move mountains, I cannot help but remember Bro. Joseph McNally who moved huge chunks of metal and rocks even in his later age and transformed them into sculptures which speak to people about life experiences and its values. Nothing was impossible. These include his belief that everyone is made in the image of God and is basically good with all the potentials and giftedness. By sharing a fragment of his life story here, I am not canonizing him for like many of us he will likely remain anonymous in the liturgical calendar although the secular organizations and authorities had decorated him with many awards. Among these are the Paul Harris Fellow of Rotary International, Montblanc de la Culture and the Singapore National Day Meritorious Service awards.
When the apostles asked Jesus ‘Increase our faith’, glad with their request, our Lord replied that if they had faith even the size of a mustard seed they could have the power to command trees to be uprooted and be transplanted into the sea. Indeed faith is a key factor in our lives and it is the quality rather than the quantity which needs to be increased. Faith does not depend on its size for it can grow in a qualitative way becoming deeper and richer resulting in the bearing of good fruits. Of course it does not mean that faith gives us the power to literally uproot trees and move mountains but rather that it gives us the grace to cope with difficulties and especially obstacles which come our way so that we may attempt greater things for the greater glory of God. Yet some people like Bro. McNally had faith which moved rocks and ‘mountains’.
His installation at the chapel of St. Francis Xavier Major Seminary here bears testimony to this for those rocks were moved from across the straits even though it was impossible even to get soil across. In the mid 70’s Bro. McNally also gave St Patrick’s School a beautiful refreshing landscape with huge red earthen rocks scattered around looking like fallen meteorites blending with the softness of bamboo and palm trees. It seems to me that these installations and some art collections there were gradually removed or destroyed by his detractors who of course also had no art education. One thing I remember about Bro. McNally is his belief that if the project is for the good of humanity and the Church, God will provide the funds needed. With such disposition he actually lived out the Lasallian Spirit of Faith, as found in the Brothers’ constitution called THE RULE, for ‘it is in faith that the Brothers are aware of God’s presence in their undertakings, their cares and their joys’ and it is also ‘by faith that the Brothers learn to see in every happening and in every person, especially the poor, a sign and a call of the spirit.’ And in God’s providence He sent many ‘guardian angels’ to deliver the funds needed.
With regards to humble service I must say that the noble thing about Bro. McNally was that he did not spend his life deliberately working to get those awards I mentioned earlier. He received those awards because he had great passion in education and totally immersed in being a steward in the creative kingdom of God. Often going beyond his call of duty, he gave his all not only to education and the arts but also for humanity beyond political boundaries.
What we need as Christians is to believe that in Jesus all things were created in heaven and on earth. That our Lord truly reigns and his decrees are to be trusted. May our faith, no matter how small, can always renew our lives and move us to share the Good News to the world solely for the greater glory to God.
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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Gregory Chan on 8th Oct 2010.
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