On being "faithful in small matters."
The "Little Way" of following God's will.
“A nobleman went off to a distant country to obtain the kingship for himself and then to return. He called ten of his servants and gave them ten gold coins and told them, ‘Engage in trade with these until I return’. . . But when he returned after obtaining the kingship, he had the servants called, to whom he had given the money, to learn what they had gained by trading. The first came forward and said, ‘Sir, your gold coin has earned ten additional ones.’ He replied, ‘Well done, good servant! You have been faithful in this very small matter; take charge of ten cities.’”
Today’s gospel reading (cf. Luke 19:11-28) is about being faithful in small matters.
Sometimes—oftentimes—that’s all I can do. I’m not capable of great feats of sanctity. I’m painfully aware of the limits of my meager talents.
But, according to the wisdom of Mother Teresa, “God has not called me to be successful. He called me to be faithful.” It goes against the grain of my nature and upbringing, but I’m learning—slowly—to be faithful in small matters and leave success in God’s hands.
We live in a culture so mesmerized by the illusion of worldly acclaim and achievement that we apply those chimeric standards even to spiritual matters. But we can’t haul ourselves up to heaven by our bootstraps. The life of grace just doesn’t work that way.
Consider St. Thérèse of Lisieux’s charming image of the spiritual elevator—God’s power lifts the soul up to where it needs to be. All we need to do is choose to get on the elevator.
Thérèse understood the meaning of today’s gospel passage better than perhaps any other saint. After all, she pioneered the “Little Way” of holiness beloved by so many.
But to advance on the Little Way—indeed to take the first steps—requires humility, the spiritual freedom to be seen as small in the eyes of the world. To become, along with Thérèse, the “Little Flower” that God plucks from the earth and raises up with joy.
Of course, Thérèse learned and perfected the Little Way in the training ground of the Carmelite cloister, but there are countless opportunities to practice this rule in any state of life. It’s our job to recognize these opportunities—the daily duties that God lays in front of us. The faithful servant of the King did just that and was rewarded. But not every servant did likewise.
“‘Sir, here is your gold coin; I kept it stored away in a handkerchief, for I was afraid of you, because you are a demanding man; you take up what you did not lay down and you harvest what you did not plant.’ He said to him, ‘With your own words I shall condemn you, you wicked servant. You knew I was a demanding man, taking up what I did not lay down and harvesting what I did not plant; why did you not put my money in a bank? Then on my return I would have collected it with interest.’ And to those standing by he said, ‘Take the gold coin from him and give it to the servant who has ten.’”
This foolish servant was willfully blind to the opportunities around him to carry out his Master’s will. Afraid of failure in large undertakings, he refused to take even simple steps to exercise the plain daily duties assigned to him.
Whatever your vocation, wherever you find yourself along life’s journey, take the next step in front of you. Be intentional. Start every day with the commitment to remain faithful in small matters and God will bring even these little things to fulfillment in his Kingdom.
You can find the daily scripture readings on the USCCB website.