Adjusting his eyeglasses, the priest read Genesis 1:28. “This is the most misunderstood verse in the bible.” I was covering the inauguration of our new office in BGC. Blessings are part and parcel of such ceremonies in the Philippines.
“People think go forth and multiply means procreation. But it means cultivation of the world.”
“Just as priests or nuns pray,” he added, “our hands pray at work because we are filling the world with our gifts. Our work is a work of holiness. It doesn’t just exist in Church. It exists because we are doing what the divine teaches us: to multiply our gifts and create a better world.”
I no longer practice religion, but it resonated so much that I cried. I was in the middle of another wave of depression. During these episodes, which last from 4 days to 2 weeks, I have no energy for service. I simply want reclusion. Lia aside, only 3 things tend to make me feel better: writing, taking a walk, or serving others.
The third is the hardest. So I chose to continue going that route.
Days before, I had begun reading tarot for others. I offer these readings for friends whenever I feel they are in a bad place, with the caveat that they do not take my readings seriously, as I’m only a beginner (I began studying it and practicing on myself in February 2023, after months of eerily accurate readings done for me by others. It’s an on-off practice).
There were shared tears after readings the past weeks. Someone who’s struggling with a career said it came at the right time. Last week, a friend whose husband passed away, said it helped her. Knowing all these nourishes me too. It makes my suffering small. It shifts my focus from “I” to “us”.
I used to wonder, as others who know me do, if service became my love language due to trauma. It was the only way I could be loved as a kid. But over time, I learned I serve because I love, not to be loved.
I offer my hands without expectations or trades. I only know that through my hands, be it writing, reading cards, or any other service, I’m brought closer to the soul of the world, to the most sacred act of love.
