“ ‘ Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master's joy.’ ” – Matthew 25:21
Once again Christ places before us His gift of joy. He longs so desperately to fill our hearts with unfathomable beatitude. The Gospel for this Sunday reminds us that such joy cannot be found in mere pleasure. True joy is rooted in obedience to the Lord; Whose Law brings our gifts to fruition.
God bestows His gifts upon us and calls us to use them to the full; not because he is in need of our service, but because this obedient exercise of our talents animates us completely, while illuminating His glory within us. In the words of St. Irenaeus, “The glory of God is man fully alive, and the life of man is the vision of God.”
To attain this vision, we need only to open ourselves to His love. If we do, His grace will unfailingly increase and unfold in us over time. As the Gospel indicates, our faithfulness in small matters will give rise to greater opportunities. Or, as St. Faustina wrote in her Petit Journal, “faithfulness to one grace attracts others.”
It seems to me that the key word here is faithfulness. It is one thing to say we have faith, but it is another thing to actually be faithful. Christianity is not just an arbitrary set of rules. It is about placing our trust in a Person and then following Him as loyal disciples.
Faithfulness is not easy, but it is simple. It is what St. Paul calls “faith working through love” (Galatians 5:6). In short, to be faithful, we must love one another, as He loved us.
So, let us start small. Let us do the little things with great love. Let us follow the example of St. Therese of Lisieux, who did not allow “one little sacrifice to escape, not one look, one word, [who profited] by all the smallest things and [did] them through love” (Story of a Soul, Manuscript B).
Though we may not be able to help a hundred people, as Mother Teresa once noted, we can help one. And with God’s grace, our capacity to love will grow. If we remain faithful, before long we will join St. Ignatius of Loyola and together “set the world on fire” with God’s love.
Lord Jesus, blessed be your Name. We long to share in your joy and glorify you by living our lives to the utmost. Grant us the strength to remain faithful to you, in both small and large matters alike, so that one day we may come to share in the fullness of your love. Amen.
