In today’s Gospel reading from Saint Luke, Jesus says, “The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones; and the person who is dishonest in very small matters is also dishonest in great ones” (16:10). I often use this Scripture passage with my students.
When I begin the school year with my third graders, certain children quickly emerge as being trustworthy. In my substitute teacher plans, I name these children as reliable students who can help when I am away. While I strive to be equitable to every child in my classroom, I am less likely to give extra responsibilities to students who are consistently mischievous. The students who have lost my trust must intentionally work throughout the year to regain it.
It is humbling to think about the trust that God has in each one of us. Our Heavenly Father finds us trustworthy in great things. As Saint John Henry Newman so eloquently said, “God has created me to do Him some definite service; He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission.”
So how do I figure out this definite service that God has created me to do? How do I know what work He has committed to only me? How do I discover the mission that He has given to me?
God uniquely works with each soul with His providential timing. We must remain with Him in prayer, deeply rooted in the sacramental life of the Church. As we grow in our relationship with the Holy Trinity, we will discover our identity before God in prayer. Then our mission will flow from this identity.
As women, God entrusts souls to our motherly care. The Church is strengthened through this gift of our spiritual and physical motherhood. And the Church needs generous women who will say yes to the gifts God bestows upon them. Today, let us ask the Holy Spirit to help us to grow in this virtue of trustworthiness.
Our Heavenly Father finds us trustworthy in great things. // Rose Coleman Click to tweet