12th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year A - 6/21/26
By Father Shiju Joseph, C.S.C.
Our lives become worth living when we realize that we matter to someone. To God, you are worth more than you realize.
"In all things God works for the good of those who love Him."
When Jesus tried to explain how much God loves us, He said, “not one sparrow falls to the ground without my Father’s knowledge”, not ‘not one sparrow falls to the ground.’ He does not deny that the sparrow does fall to the ground. Faith in God does not guarantee that we will not fall to the ground. But it assures that when we do hit the ground, it is just another manifestation of the plan of an ever-loving God: A reminder not that God has forgotten us, but that we matter to Him.
One of my relatives is a driver by profession. He would leave early morning for his work and usually return only by late evening. He did not get much time to spend with his small children. Over a period of time, he knew he was missing out on something important, but he could not help it. He began to worry if his kids cared for him or only saw him as a provider. Recently he had a fall and tore an ankle-ligament. The doctors put his feet in plaster up to the knees and advised him to rest his leg for about three months. The doctors’ advice to be confined to his house was devastating news to him. He resigned to his fate and stayed home. However, in a few days, his whole outlook about the situation turned around. He began to notice how the kids reorganized their schedule to care for him. They decided on their own who would push him around on a makeshift wheelchair they fashioned out of an old revolving office chair on wheels. They made sure he had everything he needed within his reach. They kept him company, narrating stories about little things that he so longed to hear. They climbed on him and made him laugh when he became unusually quiet. He began to realize that he was loved dearly ... that he did matter.
In the drudgery of our everyday lives, it is very easy to feel taken for granted. A housewife may feel that her spouse or children do not appreciate how much she works daily to put the food on the table. A husband may begin to feel that his wife has begun to take his hard work for granted. All of us want to feel wanted, all want to know how much they matter in their dear ones’ lives. All want to know how much they count and are loved. Jesus assures us today that we do matter in the eyes of God. We need to hear it, and experience it in real ways, from our own loved ones.
The passage is a classic demonstration of how much our Father loves us, no matter how clumsy or small we feel about ourselves. Even when we feel we deserve so little of His mercy, He assures us that we are precious in His eyes.
Personal life: Identify different ways in which you have found God’s love and affection in unfortunate situations of your past.
Make time today to thank God for loving you despite our inadequacies.
Identify how you may be taking your partner or parent or children for granted and decide how you can express your love for them in more concrete ways.
God our Father, thank You for making me Your precious project! I know how much You care for me. Help me help my family members realize how precious they are to me.