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Today’s psalm puts God directly in the details. I try to be a good person every day, in small things and big things, but I don’t always succeed. Today’s readings reinforce the idea that God knows us and still loves us. The first reading from Job uses such wonderful imagery to show the mightiness of God:
The Psalm then shows us how God, even in that grandeur, knows each of us, when we sit and when we stand. Small things do matter. In that prayer we ask God to guide us. In the Gospel, we learn of Jesus sending out pairs of apostles as advance teams, but he warns them that they will be like “lambs among the wolves.” They, too, must pay attention to the big and small things they find out on this journey. Sometimes it’s easier to do the big gesture than pay attention to the small things. I need to remember that everyone deserves my respect and kindness, even when I’m not having a good day. I think God would understand my crankiness but rejoice with me when I overcome it. It’s fitting that today is the feast of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus. She lived her short life dedicated to the idea that we need to do what we can where we are. In many respects, we could consider her life small, but she made it big. Small things matter. |