There is one spiritual gift that has intrigued me, or has aroused a great interest or curiosity on my part. And I am writing about it here in the hope that others who have experienced this gift may give an explanation of why this happens and how this happens. It seems that the why is more easily answered than the how.
Spiritual gifts are necessary for our spiritual development. They are abilities or functions given by the Spirit for the spiritual development of individuals as well as of the Church. What they are depends on how we look at these gifts.
There are so called charismatic gifts such as speaking in tongues or other languages, interpretation of tongues, healing, etc.
There are also function gifts like the gift of being an apostle, an evangelist, a teacher, a giver, etc.
Still there are other spiritual gifts which are not included under the first two categories I have mentioned, such as the gift of celibacy, the gift of interpreting dreams, the gift of voluntary poverty, etc.
The gift that I am going to discuss now is not enumerated explicitly in the Bible but it is described there. It is being talked in a way by some people but it is not explicitly what I am going to describe here. Some people talk of the multiplying of seeds or of one's net worth. But the gift I refer to is the multiplying of things, like the multiplication of bread and fish in the story of the Gospels.
We read in the Gospels that Jesus multiplied bread and fish on two occasions. In the Old Testament we read that God rained manna on the desert for the Israelites to eat. In this sense God multiplied food also.
But most of us or rather none of us have seen food being multiplied before our very eyes. I say "none of us" until we hear reports that indeed food has multiplied before somebody's physical eyes.
I am intrigued by this gift of multiplying things, which gift or power Jesus had in the multiplication of the bread and fish, because it has happened to me on certain occasions but this was never under the control of my will. It just happened without my willing or even desiring it.
In 1982 I was eating a plate of rice when I noticed after 15 minutes of eating that the rice was still of the same quantity. The cooked rice had multiplied before my eyes. I did not will it. I did not desire it. There was plenty of rice in the rice cooker, but the one on my plate multiplied. That happened only once. But who knows, it may happen again.
But it is not only food that multiplies. Money also multiplies. The amount involved is small but it is real. It multiplies usually when I need a certain amount, just enough for a bus fare, for example. I put a certain bill into my pocket for fare. I go out and ride a bus. I pay the conductor with that bill. I return the change to my pocket. Then I notice the bill of money is still there, the same amount.
This happens not only once but several times already.
The intriguing thing here is that I cannot will this multiplication. I do not even pray for it. It just happens.
Why does it happen, this multiplying of things like food or small amounts of money? One answer is that it happens because a person needs it.
But how does it happen? Frankly I do not know. We know of certain processes of multiplication, like the multiplication of prints by carbon copying or Xerox machines, the copying of pictures and sounds by tapes and other storage devices. But we do not yet how actual things, like food or money, multiply without the intervention of machines.
Theoretically nothing is impossible, but why do some possible things become actual and others are not actualized is a subject science or religion will have to tell us later on. Until then, you can tell us about your experience on this matter.
About the Author: Jose Bulao, a Carmelite secular, wants to help you in your spiritual development. He is a Carmelite formator, helping other Carmelites in their spiritual growth. Prior to this work he taught philosophy, theology or religious studies at Notre Dame University and Ignatian College in Cotabato City, Philippines. This year he teaches at De La Vida College, Cotabato City. To learn about the process of your spiritual development click this site http://developspirit.blogspot.com/.
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