St. Matthew Catholic Church

Weekly Message     

Small Acts bring Great Rewards

Dear brothers and sisters,   

      God often enters our lives through the people we welcome and the small acts of kindness we offer.

     The Shunammite woman opens her home to the prophet Elisha. She simply notices a holy man passing by and offers him a room, a meal, and a place to rest. This simple act of hospitality becomes a channel of God's blessing in her life – childless woman is blest with a child.

     Jesus echoes this: "Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me." If anyone gives a cup of cold water to one of His disciples will not lose their reward. What a remarkable promise! Jesus does not measure our love by the size of our actions but by the love with which they are done.

     Hospitality is more than entertaining guests - a smile to a visitor at church, a phone call to someone who is lonely, a meal shared with a neighbor, etc. these may seem small, but in God's eyes they are precious. Think of the many people who have shaped your life with those small acts! Our small acts of kindness may become moments of grace that change someone's life forever.

     The saints understood this well. St. Teresa of Calcutta said that we are called not to do great things but to do small things with great love. St. Augustine said, “True love and reverence are shown through how we handle minute details.” A cup of cold water, a warm greeting, an open door, a compassionate heart—these are the tools by which God continues His work in the world.

     May our homes, our parish, and our hearts become places where everyone feels welcomed, valued, and loved, and where Christ Himself is always received with joy. Hospitality becomes an encounter with God's grace.

    Blessings!

Msgr. Xavier Pappu
                     Insert:  Giving to God/Dar a Dios.pdf

                                    Please pray for vocations to the priesthood,
                              for the Priests of our Diocese; & for our Bishop.

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