The little things

Today’s Gospel (Mt. 10:37-42) contains several sayings on seeming diverse topics that can be summed up in one expression:

The little things

In the first part of the passage, our Lord speaks of things that most of us consider very important (and not without reason), but everything pales in comparison to God.

Everything else - our most significant relationships and even our lives - are little things in comparison to the goodness and the importance of God and his way of love.

"Whoever loves father or mother more than me
is not worthy of me,
and whoever loves son or daughter more than me
is not worthy of me;
and whoever does not take up his cross
and follow after me is not worthy of me.
Whoever finds his life will lose it,
and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

In the second part of the passage, our Lord speaks of what seem to be little things – an attitude of acceptance, the virtue of simple hospitality, even a cup of cold water – that can reap great rewards.

Whoever receives you receives me,
and whoever receives me
receives the one who sent me.

Whoever receives a prophet
because he is a prophet
will receive a prophet's reward,
and whoever receives a righteous man
because he is a righteous man
will receive a righteous man's reward.

And whoever gives only a cup of cold water
to one of these little ones to drink
because the little one is a disciple--
amen, I say to you,
he will surely not lose his reward.

Before God and his glory, all things are really little things.

Through God and his grace, even little things gain infinite value.

Praised be Jesus Christ.