Private Tiny

Drill Sergeant PG, as usual, came out early to wake the squad of young penguin recruits in the boot camp.  In less than five minutes, they were all good to go for the cold morning run, swim and catch exercises that would take nearly a day.  They were told that the trainings these days were more grueling than in the past, as the ocean was more polluted and the fishes fewer.

Except for Private Tiny, the rest of the squad had the build and stamina to cope up with the standards of Drill Sergeant. Private Tiny always came out last in the every aspect of the exercises. Even how much the Drill Sergeant pushed him, still the little penguin just couldn’t cope up.

When graduation time came, each of the cadets was given their assignment. All except Private Tiny took the heroic task of hunting for food in the farther parts of the ocean.  He was given the post of lookout, to march to and fro daily at one of the higher elevations near the colony.  It was a thankless job, without much challenge.  But Private Tiny attended to his job enthusiastically and diligently. Tasked to make a daily account of what he observed, Private Tiny made detailed reports to the Chief Scribe.

One day, Private Tiny noticed an unusual movement in the glacier overlooking the colony.  At first, there were snowflakes as the wind became stronger than usual.  This was a snow storm! He immediately ran towards the warning horn and sounded this with all his might.  The sound stunned all the penguins, as they moved in fast cadence to a safe area. And then suddenly, an avalanche of snow totally wiped out the penguin colony.  Not one penguin died, except that Private Tiny was missing.

The penguin community including Drill Sergeant PG and the squad searched for Private Tiny.  They found him buried under the snow, just a few meters from the warning horn. And he was breathing! They carried him to the where everyone had settled and as he regained consciousness he could hear them shout, “Tiny, our hero!”

Saint Benedict the Black was a slave who became a solitary. Though he did not know how to read and write, he became the superior in the hermit community which was disbanded by Pope Pius IV.  He persisted in serving the Church, settling as a Franciscan lay brother and cook of St Mary’s convent near Palermo. He rose through the ranks becoming the superior of the convent, only to be relieved and returned to being the cook.  He attended to his assigned task with fervor and love, while at the same time performed miracles, and was sought as a confessor that brought many to the faith.  Though humble was his work as a cook, he became God’s instrument to be believers and unbelievers.

There is no thankless job. Everyone has an assigned role in the world, and we are meant to do our job well out of love. How therefore should you approach your job? “Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people…The Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward.” (Colossians 3:23-24)

Gwardia

The sheep farm was safe from wolves.  Farmer relied much on Gwardia, the guard dog, who had proven time and again of his courage against the predators that preyed on the sheep.  At times, Gwardia would bark aloud to awaken Farmer who’d bring his shotgun to scare the wolves.  But there was one time that Farmer was too tired that he failed to wake up; leaving Gwardia to fight off two wolves.  The guard dog suffered deep wounds, but was able to recover and return to his duty.  

One particular night, a she wolf lured Gwardia away from his post, while the rest of the pack killed several sheep.  Gwardia was then attacked by the wolves and would have died, had he not crawled towards a hole enough for him to hide.  For days, he took refuge in the hole. Though hungry and weak, he did have not courage enough to return to Farmer, ashamed of his failure.  

Little did Gwardia know; that Farmer was searching for him.   It was the fourth day that Gwardia could hear the voice of Farmer growing nearer and nearer.  Gwardia wanted to stay hidden, and just die in the hole; yet he could feel Farmer’s voice of worry and care.  Gwardia forced a deep howl of repentance that caught the attention of Farmer who pulled him out. Farmer then carried Gwardia tenderly back to the house.

The parable of the lost sheep and that of the prodigal son come to mind.  The shepherd left the ninety-nine in open country to look for one lost sheep. And even if his son squandered all that he had given him, the father was overjoyed when his prodigal son returned home.

For as long as one repents and turns a new leaf in life, God will embrace the individual in His loving arms.  Mary Magdalene was a sinner; yet she turned her back on her life of prostitution to follow the ways of Jesus, and as such, is revered as a saint.  According to one author, “there are over thirty saints who were very ungodly before they changed and after some time achieved saintly characters.” Among those are St Paul, St Olga, St Mary the Egyptian and St Camillus de Lellis.

How many times have we failed to follow God’s commands? We hide in our shame. There are others who take their own lives unable to cope with the burden they carry.  But we are never held captive by sin and Satan.  We can call upon God.  He is just a whisper away. “God looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.” (Psalm 53:2)

Supreme Moa

The land later called Aotearoa was uninhabited except for birds. The vegetation was lush and bountiful. The eagle was the king of the skies.

Yet there were flightless birds whose wings were not strong enough to take them off the ground.  The moa was supreme in the ground.  The mature ones reached 12 feet in height and weighed 510 pounds. With its beak like a pair of secateurs, it could easily clip leaves and twigs for food. And when provoked, these beaks proved fatal to others.

No bird would want to ever encounter a moa. More so by the almost blind kiwi birds that could see about six feet at night and around two feet during the day.  

An elder kiwi bird told others of how he had seen the might of the moa when a fight ensued between the giant bird and an eagle. He was so near that he was almost hit by the giant feet of the moa.  The eagle attacked the moa, but the latter was able to bite the former’s face, knocking it to the ground. The eagle died as the huge claws of the moa flattened its body to the ground. The story spread among the kiwi birds that then feared moas.  Most decided to hide underground and settled for worms as food.

Then the Maori people came and settled in the land.  The huge birds became fair game. With their slow speed in running and their having difficulty hiding their huge bodies, the giant birds were killed for their meat. The kiwi birds remained in hiding, safe from humans. When they were discovered, people had other sources of food, and the kiwi birds were deemed unattractive for cooking.

Today, the kiwi bird is protected, while the moa has long been extinct.

The world has seen the rise of mighty empires, yet not any of them survived.  Either they were conquered or succumbed to internal strife. Then there are communities that remain intact for centuries, untouched by civilization, living in harmony with nature.

Many people in these modern times seek fame and fortune, yet they fall hard in sin and shame; while there are those who commit to living in poverty and prayer, and are rewarded by the Living God with eternal bliss.

“Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last." (Luke 13:30)