Column by Jonathan Nagy
Each month, prior to writing these articles, I pray on and decide what to focus on, often going through several ideas. Sometimes, I have an article nearly finished, as was the case with this one, only to decide to delete it all and start over. Today, I started to develop ideas to speak about light, strength, and other large and powerful symbols. Yet, I was not satisfied with what I was reading on my screen. In fact, I began to feel frustrated, not knowing which direction to go. I then closed my eyes and prayed, “God, please guide me to write the words you intend for me to write.” I opened my eyes, and staring right at me was the answer, not something large and powerful, but something very small.
On the corkboard behind my desk is a little card that my aunt gave me a few years ago which had my grandmother’s favorite Bible verse, Matthew 17:20. It reads, “And He said to them, ‘Because of your meager faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.” There was my answer. I was envisioning this grandiose idea of what incredibly large, powerful imagery I could use to relate the love of the Father to all, and here it was, the tiniest image possible.
Have you ever seen a mustard seed? This itty-bitty little seed, when properly cultivated, grows into a large plant. They are very small and easy to misplace or lose entirely. I can remember growing up and every time I would doubt something, whether it be my performance on a test in school or wondering if I would ever achieve a goal I set for myself, my grandmother would always quip back, “Have faith the size of a mustard seed.” In fact, in fourth grade, I set out to explore this topic in a science fair project. We were tasked with growing something, and after hearing my grandmother speak about mustard seeds, I wanted to give it a shot. Honestly, I had no idea where the yellow bottle of mustard came from, and it intrigued me. I couldn’t understand how this tiny seed created this large green plant which was then turned into a condiment in a squeezable container. In true Grandma-fashion, she said, “In order to understand it, you must have faith the size of that mustard seed.” Thanks, Grandma. I still didn’t know what that meant! This never really hit home for me until I was a teenager growing in my faith and I started to understand the verse and her point, which was an echo of Jesus’ point. One’s faith does not need to be large to make a great impact. That small seed will grow, faith will grow, and what seems impossible will become possible.
In Dr. Seuss’s book Horton Hears a Who, Horton the elephant hears voices coming from a microscopic speck of dust. The other animals in the forest do not believe him when he says there are people living in the speck. They do everything to try and destroy the flower that the speck is on and also prevent Horton from protecting the speck. In the climax of the book, the mayor of Whoville convinces everyone in the town to make noise so that the animals know that they exist. Everyone is making noise except for the mayor’s son, who has shied away from the rest of society. At the very last moment, the boy uses his new instrument, the symphonophone, to help break the sound barrier and allow all the animals to know they exist.
The most famous phrase from this book, “A person’s a person no matter how small,” has been used in many situations, including the defense of life in the womb. Just like the tiny little citizens of Whoville, our mustard seed of faith has great potential to make a powerful impact.
A wonderful modern example is Saint Carlo Acutis. Carlo had a remarkable life. Although he looked like a typical teenager, he wasn’t a typical teenager. He played video games, but he limited himself to one hour per week. He hung out with his friends, but Jesus always came first. He was drawn to the Mass very early in his life and spoke openly about his faith to the point where he even converted people close to him. He had a very strong devotion to the Eucharist, the Blessed Mother, and every aspect of Catholicism. He used his computer skills to develop a website documenting the Eucharistic miracles of the world. His death from leukemia at the age of 15 was truly tragic. However, that was not the end of his story, but instead the beginning. Carlo was a mustard seed in a vast garden. His faith was inspiring to those around him, and through his website, he became famous after death. In a world of nearly 8 billion people, this unassuming teenager from northern Italy became a spark that would light the world on fire. His subsequent miracles and heroic virtue led the Vatican to canonize him this past year, joining other young saints including Maria Goretti, Agnes, Therese, Joan of Arc, and more.
His impact has been felt the whole world over, including in our little neck of the woods. Bishop Mark was so affected by the strong devotion of the students at Bishop Carroll Catholic High School to Saint Carlo that he rededicated the previously unnamed chapel as the Saint Carlo Acutis Chapel. He also worked with the school to acquire a first-class relic of the modern saint. Entrusting our school to his intercession and protection has been integral to an astounding faith transformation that has occurred and continues to develop. Many people from all walks of life feel the faith is palpable when they spend time in our school with our students. This is not the only place in the world that has felt the enormous impact of Saint Carlo Acutis. However, if we were to interview him, he would say he was just one small voice.
One of Saint Carlo’s famous quotes was, “All people are born originals but many die as photocopies.” Just like every mustard seed, people are born unique with the power to do great and wonderful things to advance God’s Kingdom on earth. The impossible becomes the possible with belief and faith.
My all-time favorite movie is The Empire Strikes Back. In one of the most moving scenes, Master Yoda is attempting to train the young Luke Skywalker in the ways of the Force. Luke is frustrated and overwhelmed, especially when his X-Wing ship is consumed by the swamp on the planet Dagobah. Yoda encourages Luke to use his powers to lift the ship out of the water, saying, “Size matters not,” in reference to one person being able to lift a giant spaceship. After a failed attempt, Luke said to Yoda, “You expect the impossible.” The miniature green ancient master then uses the force to raise the ship. Luke turned to Yoda and said, “I don’t believe it.” Yoda quipped back, “That is why you fail.” Yoda, who himself was diminutive, had the greatest hope and belief. His message is one that we all can embrace. The mountain cannot move unless we have faith that it will move. The problems that we face will not improve unless we believe that God will guide us on our journey.
That is why we all fail at times. We don’t believe. We lose faith. The hope that is the size of the mustard seed gets lost. However, as Jesus said in Matthew 17:20, if we have faith, nothing will be impossible. To maintain and grow in faith begins with the tiniest glimmers of hope. We need to look for those moments that go right when everything else seems to go wrong.
Henry Ford famously once said, “There are two kinds of people: Those who think they can, and those who think they can’t. And they are both right.” We can’t do anything without God and all we need is a little faith to begin to turn things around. If I could rewrite Ford’s quote, I would say, “There are two kinds of people: Those who think they can do anything through Christ and those who think they can’t do anything without Christ, and they are both right.” We need God in every aspect of our lives, for it is only through Him that we exist at all. The problems of life can seem insurmountable, but that is only because we attempt to solve them without the help of God. We aren’t meant to know the answers ourselves. We are meant to use our faith the size of the mustard seed to trust that God knows the answers.
In her diary on the Divine Mercy, God spoke through Saint Faustina with the following words: “The graces of My mercy are drawn by means of one vessel only, and that is – trust. The more a soul trusts, the more it will receive. Jesus, I trust in you!” Have trust in Jesus. Have faith the size of a mustard seed. In doing so, you will be amazed at how quickly it grows, spreads, and is able to move mountains!
Jonathan Nagy, M.Ed., is the Principal of Bishop Carroll Catholic High School in Ebensburg and the Music Director at the Basilica of Saint Michael the Archangel in Loretto.
