On eagles wings: Our recovery from Coronavirus (XL). Faith as a mustard seed.
The grains of mustard are perfectly seen in this jar. Have you seen the miniature size of a mustard seed? It is so tiny that, anyone that tastes it, is stared by its flavor. How could it be that a “petit grain” of mustard offers an immeasurable pleasure to your palate? The Bible has thousands of versicles related to the words faith and hope. And one of these versicles is found in Matthew 17:20. When I was a child I was fascinated to try to understand what was Jesus trying to tell us about faith.
Of course, I never saw a grain of mustard until I tried a famous grilled sausage served with spicy mustard in Switzerland. Before Zurich, for me, mustard was a simple yellow deep poured salsa that supplemented the tomato ketchup whenever we ate sandwiches or burgers. For 30 years of my life, I had no idea of what a mustard seed could look like, but by faith, I knew (without any evidence and without the Internet) that mustard nuggets were teeny-weeny. I hoped that one day I was going to be able to see one minuscule petit pit of mustard. Bellevue in Zurich granted me the wish. The Theaterstrasse had a restaurant that offered German sausages with spicy mustard “a la grain”. Eureka.! Viva! It was just then when I was able to see, touch, and taste for the first time the “Senfkörner” of the Bible.
The last story shows you, in a simple language, exactly what is the difference between faith and hope. By faith, I trusted that the grain of mustard of Matthew 17:20 was super-chiquitita. But my hope kept the confidence high, that one day, I was going to fulfill my wish to know a grain of mustard later, in the future.
I have tried to gather some information regarding these two virtues that would be an introductory note for my next publication. Please take your time to read the following slides. It is better if you print them, by clicking here:
This is all for today. It is important that you continue reading to me, otherwise you grasp only bits and pieces of the message. Do not lose hope. Democracies started recently (less than 200 years ago). Any challenge to improve our political-economic systems adds up to the evolution of our societies for a future balanced prosperity. Never forget that I am a pro-democracy person, and that my political views are moderate (at the center of the political spectrum).
See you again before the end of the week. Blessings, until then thank you for reading to me.
Sources of reference utilized to write this article: https://www.qcc.cuny.edu/socialsciences/ppecorino/phil_of_religion_text/chapter_10_definition/Faith-Hope.htm
https://medium.com/@chrisantenucci/the-difference-between-faith-and-hope-d51d39111521
https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2013/11/faith-hope-and-government/
Eleonora Escalante Strategy 