This gospel passage reminds me of a Reese's Cup. Part chocolate, my favorite, and part peanut butter, something I really could easily live without. I'm not crazy about peanut butter, and my apologies to Reese's. Give me the chocolate, you can keep the peanut butter. Part favorite, part not so much, that's this gospel. The part that's my favorite, it always inspires me when Jesus teaches us about the mustard seed. If you have faith as small as a grain of mustard seed, you'll be amazed at what you can do. Just need a little. And yet we really struggle to believe. And it always reminds me of God's great power, faith the size of a mustard seed.
But then in the gospel there's this peanut butter part. Not so favorite. Jesus says when you're doing the will of God, when you're serving people, loving God, bringing justice, sharing peace, do not look to be thanked, or even recognized. Hear these challenging words. When you have done all that is commanded of you, you say, "We are unworthy servants, we have only done what was our duty." Just doing our duty?
I got to admit, I'm not all that crazy about that. I don't mind the doing my duty part, I'm all about that. But being honest, I kind of like to be thanked. Or at least acknowledged. Have you ever given somebody a gift, and they never even acknowledge receiving it? And they never say, "Thank you." It's not very satisfying, is it? In fact, it can be highly demotivating. I'll go where my gifts are appreciated or wanted, thank you very much. My neighbor is not big on saying thank you very much. I’m glad the nurse and physical therapist show up to her home just the same.
But these words of Jesus, "We are unworthy servants. We've only done what was our duty." These words of Jesus make me think about Fr Erick. He should be the patron saint of anonymous service. Poor Fr. Erick, when his parish was struggling through shock and disbelief that they would be homeless, Fr. Erick was there. When the parish had to relocate to a new building, Fr Erick was the moving van that took the altar, pulpit, altar rail tabernacle and statue of Our Lady of Gaudeloupe and relocated into a neighborhood mall. When you walked into their new worship site everything was in its place like before. Eventually after the move, all the extra statues he placed in storage pods. I know because I was with him setting up for Holy Week where he found the statue of Jesus lying in the tomb in one ot the pods. Fr Erick just quietly goes about following Jesus without recognition or special treatment. Fr. Erick: quiet, faithful, almost anonymous.
Think about it. Some of the most remarkable people in your life are just like that, aren't they? Stuff just sort of gets done and nobody really knows who did it. The meal just got delivered; the church just got cleaned up; the home visitation ministry just helped some seniors; the dishes just got washed; the bus for the youth, it just got driven; the chapel just got unlocked for morning Mass.
What do you do that no one else really notices?
Are you faithful in the little things when nobody's paying attention? Are you good with serving and doing things without recognition? No plaque, no banquet, no applause, no Nobel peace prize. Fr. Erick understands that we all serve an audience of one. And he was good with that. He preaches the gospel every Sunday from his heart and his people benefit from his humility and generosity.
Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who are challenged with these tough words, "We've only done what was our duty." Expect no gratitude, expect no praise, expect no recognition, we have only done what was our duty. And that's the thing about Reese's Cups. If you like the chocolate, you got to eat the peanut butter too.
