Shadow

[May] a full reward be given you by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge (Ruth 2:12)

A tall or big person casts a shadow.

What kind of shadow must then st. John the Baptist cast, if: "Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not arisen a greater than John the Baptist"? (Matth. 11, 11)

Beware if you are one of those who are of the greats of the world!

Have you got many virtues?
Can you accomplish a lot of things?
Did you accomplish a lot of things?
Are you strong?
Are you intelligent?
Are you courageus?
Are you righteous?

Don’t you know that God is close to the small, the poor, the weak?
Rejoice in your weaknesses, says st. Paul, because it’s when you are weak that you are strong.
Where does this strength come from? Obviously from God.

Does the strong need God to give him strength?
Does the rich need God to give him food?

Because the small are more advanced, in the kingdom of God, than the great.

And if you are great, what do you use your greatness for?
Do you give it all to God, like st. John the Baptist? Yes, he put his powers in the hands of God. Thatʼs the only way someone great like him can enter the kingdom of the Skies.

Maybe you were made great. It’s not your fault. You were given all those talents.
You have to use them. Jesus sais so.
You had the chance to develop them, too. Well, good for you.

But be careful.
Shadows shed cold. And what you want is warm your peers. Not freeze them.

What does Jesus do? Isnʼt he like the sun? Doesnʼt he light and warm people?

What are you going to do with your greatness? Are you going to use it to cast a shadow over the smaller ones, so that they freeze and die?

Or are you doing what God does?

Are you using your greatness to cover others, to protect them, like a chicken mother with its chicks? Are you going to use your wings to protect the small?

Or are you going to use your abilities to keep the small down and never let them move?

Can the small find shelter in your shadow, or would they be frozen to death?

What do you use your greatness for? To prevail over others and gain an always more advanced position in society, or to support the small giving away pieces of your greatness if necessary?

God gave you that greatness, that talent, like a deposit. Itʼs not for you to enjoy it and have fun with it. Itʼs something you are borrowing.
When the small – Godʼs small – are in need, how does God provide for them?

Always through a miracle? Not always.
Sometimes he just puts someone great and big and strong and rich to the smallʼs side. Thatʼs how he uses that deposit that he lent in the first place.

If you are great, you are always called to giving.
Those who received more, will be asked more.