(Adults, the Gospel for this Sunday contains a difficult moral parable that really does not apply to our 3-6-year-olds! But then Jesus says something that seems just for them.)
In the Gospel for this Sunday, Jesus speaks a great many words that are confusing—not just for children but also for adults. Perhaps the children who are following him start pulling his hand or hugging his knees, because then he says something that seems perfect just for them.
Jesus says,
“Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much..."
What does this mean?
We know what "very little" means. We know babies are very little; we are bigger than them. We know that children are littler than adults, but they grow bigger.
Sometimes, "very little" means "not so much." Sometimes adults think that children have very little work to do, but we know that is not true.
Children know how to focus on a work and to do it well. That takes concentration. Very much concentration, not very little.
Some of us know how to play with toy cars, how to line them up—each one right after the one before it—so that the line stretches so far around the room.
Some of us know how to dress up in a costume to play the "grown-up game"—"house" or "work" or "school." We play with such focus that for awhile we forget everything else.
Some of us know how to ride a bike and we know how hard it was at first but we kept going back out there even though we were afraid to fall and scrape our knee again.
These are times when our whole self is focused on doing something and doing it well. This is called being faithful.
Adults may think that all this is very little. They may think this is just play. But we know something more. We know it is important. This is how we are learn to be faithful.
When we are asked to put away the forks and knives and spoons, and we separate and sort them carefully so that each one goes where it belongs—we are being faithful.
When we are asked to put our toys away and we pick up each one and put it where it belongs (even if we grumble)—we are being faithful.
When we are at church and we remember to whisper when we need to say something because people are praying—we are being faithful.
Perhaps these things seem very little, but Jesus says, if we are faithful in a very little then we will be faithful also in greater things.
Like following Jesus so closely.
So let's keep up the good work! We are faithful!
