You Are Worth More than Many Sparrows

Saturday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Matthew 10:24-43

Jesus said to his Apostles: “No disciple is above his teacher, no slave above his master. It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, for the slave that he become like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more those of his household! Therefore do not be afraid of them. Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge. Even all the hairs of your head are counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.”

Opening Prayer: Lord, help me to be more and more like you with each passing day. Help me to see in others the worth you see in me. Most of all, go before me—I will follow and will lead others to your perfect love. 

Encountering Christ:

1. More and More like the Master: An up-and-coming actor agreed to play the biographical role of a very famous actor, now deceased. To prepare for the role, this actor listened every morning to recordings of the famous actor’s voice. In this way, he was able to train himself to be more and more like his master. Jesus invites us to be more and more like him, and to do that we need to listen to his word, reflect on it deeply, and receive him in the sacraments frequently.  The more we hear, the more we meditate, the more we try to live his word, the more like him we will become.
2. Proclaim the Good News from the Housetops: What a beautiful picture these verses paint of a believer proclaiming the Good News from a housetop! Where are our modern housetops?  Social media? Religious statues or pictures in our homes or workplaces? How “public” is our devotion to the Lord? If we were challenged, would we profess our faith, or make excuses for it? Do we pray for the courage to face threats to our faith, or do we seek the safety of the trending popular culture? Where can we proclaim the Good News today?
3. Even the Hairs on Your Head: These verses call to mind a new mother, stroking her baby’s little forehead and counting his fingers and toes. Jesus wants to love us this intimately. Everything about us, every detail, every part of us, has been created in his image. Would we want to approach him with a tongue that had been gossiping, eyes that had seen images or media we shouldn’t be watching, or hands used for idle distractions instead of useful work? May our mind and heart be pure so as to offer a proper dwelling place for Jesus most holy.

Conversing with Christ: Lord, how I long to be more like you! Help me to resist the temptations that lead me away from you and from your love. Knowing how you value me, help me to value others and to treat them with the tenderness you demonstrate to me. 

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I resolve to find a “rooftop,” a place, however small I may think it is, where I can proclaim your truth. 

For Further Reflection: Catechism of the Catholic Church 1391 and 1395: “The principal fruit of receiving the Eucharist in Holy Communion is an intimate union with Christ Jesus… The more we share in the life of Christ and progress in his friendship, the more difficult it is to break away from him by mortal sin.” 

Dorothy Warner is a writer living in the Washington, D.C., area. When not engaged in writing, artisanal baking, volunteering, or gardening, she can be found working for a technology company or spending time with her husband and family, and all their pets.