It's the little things that matter

Have you ever been told something and you knew it was true but you didn’t want to believe it?  We usually don’t want to believe these things because they change the way we think about the world.  And we don’t usually like to change the way we think about the world.  We hold on to our beliefs with firm conviction until something earth shattering comes along and rocks those beliefs from their foundation. 

Not too long ago I had the privilege of attending a retreat for young adult Catholics (think 20-30 somethings).  It was held in early spring at a ski resort in the scenic mountainous region of Virginia.  The weather was beautiful and the leaves were just starting to blossom.  It was the offseason so we were practically the only ones there.  It was a perfect time and location to connect with God. 

The first morning of the retreat we all had the blessing of listening to a young, newly ordained priest give a talk.  This guy had it all.  He was on fire for God and you could tell he was excited to get out and preach to us.  I can’t exactly remember what the talk was on but I vividly remember the first question that came out of his mouth.  He asked, “What is the biggest tragedy that could happen in your life?”  Everyone just kind of gazed back at him with this puzzling look on their face.  I myself was stumped.  I wasn’t expecting this one.  I remember the first few thoughts that popped into my mind, thoughts such as the loss of a child or of another loved one.  Being abused as a child or the taking of one's own or another one's life were probably some other thoughts that popped into my head.  No one said anything, but instead we all just looked back at him with this dumbfounded look on our faces.  “The biggest tragedy of this life is to not become a saint”, was what he responded. 

I immediately thought, “Is this guy for real?”  I thought about it a little more.  The more I thought about it the more it made sense.  This was blowing my mind.  My whole worldview was just turned upside down.  Now this did not rattle me so as much as to change all of my future actions right there and then.  I did not start engaging in extraordinary saintly activities like befriending my enemies, referring to how St. John Paul II befriended the man who attempted to assassinate him.  I did no hop on a plane to the Middle East and beg the political leaders to end the bloodshed such as St. Francis traveled to Egypt to convince the sultan to end the crusades. 

However, saintly ways of living are not just those that change the world as a whole but they are the small things that impact the people around us: forgiving someone who has wronged you, being patient with your server when they mix up your meal at your favorite restaurant, or maybe sacrificing that extra dollar or two or five or whatever is hard for you to put in the collection bucket at church.  It is these little things that lead to sainthood.  Mother Theresa put it best when she said, “Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.”