Grandma's mite

Columban Fr Jovito Dales with parishioners during the Mission Appeal in Gusa, Cagayan de Oro City, Misamis Oriental. Photo: Fr Jovito Dales SSC

“Please, Father, accept my little help for your mission. I will be okay.”

On October 2, 2021, during an Opening Mass in Rome for the launching of the two-year synod process, as reported by Christopher White in the National Catholic Reporter, the late Pope Francis said: “Every encounter, as we know, calls for openness, courage and a willingness to let ourselves be challenged by the presence and stories of others.”

I am privileged to have had this kind of life-changing encounter.

For years, I have been helping, whenever possible, with mission appeal Masses here in the Philippines, alongside our active and energetic Mission Promotion Coordinator in Mindanao, Bernardo Durangparang. One day, while distributing newsletters outside the Cathedral in Pagadian City, an old woman who was selling candles approached and asked me: “What is it that you’re doing, Father?”

I looked at her: she was a little bent, with grey hair and a gentle face. “Oh, we are Columban missionaries and we are doing a Mass appeal in your parish to thank you all for your continued support of us through your prayers and financial help.” Apparently satisfied with my reply, she returned to the spot where she displayed her candles.

A few minutes later, she approached me again and gave me 10 pesos (about USD 0.20) as her donation to our mission. I looked at her smiling face. At the back of my mind, I knew she was earning a living not just for herself but for her grandkids, too. So, instead of accepting her money, I offered it back to her. With all sincerity, I told her: “Thank you, Lola (‘grandma’), for being so thoughtful, but I think you need it more than we do.”

To my surprise, she begged: “Please, Father, accept my little help for your mission. I will be okay.” Taken aback by her reply, I was speechless for a moment. Then, I hugged and thanked her. What a great display of generosity and kindness! Left alone, I felt both embarrassed and humbled. Nevertheless, my heart was filled with joy and gratitude for such an experience.

Ten years have passed since that encounter, but I still remember it as though it happened yesterday. It was a gift that continues to teach me valuable lessons about divine providence, as revealed by the story of the widow’s mite (Lk. 21:1–4). Like that old woman selling candles, the widow in this pericope gave everything that she had, leaving nothing but her trust and confidence in God’s divine providence. What did she have left to survive on for another day or two? And if she had a child to feed, what then? Instead of finding answers to these questions, I turned to God in my prayer and asked, “How can I repay our generous benefactors?”

Getting involved in facilitating recollections for Columban friends and benefactors has provided me with opportunities to express my gratitude to a multitude of generous friends of the Columbans here in the Philippines.

Meeting them face-to-face, listening to their stories about their first encounters with Columban missionaries, having meals together and praying with and for them have deepened my appreciation of their quiet accompaniment and support for our missions. These are simple, ordinary, kind and generous people, many of whom do not even want to be named, who, in their own little ways, fuel our missionary endeavours. Yet they are there, present like a mist that seeps and creeps into the crevices and under the doorways of our lives, quietly entering and enriching us with their depth of faith and trust in God.

The prayer intentions I read during our regular Mass for Columban supporters demonstrate their deep trust in God and their selfless concern not only for their loved ones and friends, but also for those who suffer calamities in various parts of the world.

One of the challenges in mission today is the overwhelming, seemingly insatiable hunger for power by those in authority. It creates ripples of misery and hopelessness in many innocent lives. “Grandma’s mite”, as I fondly called that unforgettable encounter, has this to offer us, who, despite the apparently insurmountable difficulties we are facing today, continue to work for a just and peaceful world. We are called to offer to those in need whatever we have, in whatever way we can, no matter how small. The greatness of the grandma’s mite, as well as the widow’s mite in the Gospel of Luke, is not so much what they gave, but their deep trust in the Giver. We are challenged to emulate that same trust.

I suppose that one little act of kindness, like one little candle we can all light together, makes this darkened world a little brighter. We cannot give in to hopelessness or be overtaken by the darkness around us. We need to do something. That something could be just like “grandma’s mite”. That’s good enough, I believe.

Columban Fr Jovito Dales lives and works in the Philippines