celebrating smallness/littleness - bday of BVM 2015

We continue to reflect on our first reading today, this time from the book of the prophet Micah.  Our reading has in reality a prior verse which was for whatever reason omitted by the liturgy.  The omitted verse says, “Marshal your troops now, city of troops, for a siege is laid against us.” That’s the first verse and from there follows our reading today, “but you Bethlehem-Ephrathath.”   

Jerusalem was threatened by enemies from all sides and so the prophet Micah shouted at the top of his voice – “marshal the troops.”  It was a call to arms rousing the people to join in the fight against the enemies and this cry was addressed to Jerusalem which was referred to by the prophet as the city of troops, the city of armies, of soldiers, of generals and commanders.  So on the one hand there was a shout “marshal the troops, in Jerusalem the city of troops.”  But on the other hand (and this is where our first reading begins) there was this feeble and gentle cry “but You, Bethlehem-Ephrathah, too small to be among the clans of Judah.”  

There’s a wide contrast here.  “Judah, Jerusalem marshal the troops,” but you Bethlehem you are too small, too small to contribute to the defense of the nation, too little to muster any troops.  But today in the prophecy of Micah this smallness, this littleness is highlighted for from Bethlehem shall be born the ruler, from Bethlehem shall be born the Messiah.  In the whole of salvation history, in God’s marvelous and grand design to save his people, Bethlehem is called to offer just one note in an orchestra, just one note in a concert, just one act in the divine drama of salvation.  Bethlehem is only asked to give birth – from this unassuming town, from this small and seemingly insignificant town shall be born the ruler who will save God’s people.

And this is what I want to celebrate with you today on the birthday of our Blessed Mother – to celebrate littleness, to celebrate smallness. Mary is only asked to give birth.  Like Bethlehem she had only one act to play in the drama of God’s redemptive plan, but it was an important one, for from this seemingly insignificant girl shall be born the savior of the world. 

Many times I feel, and this is just my feeling, with the so many titles and privileges we heap on Mary to honor her we are in fact robbing her of her littleness.  Like Bethlehem her littleness is her greatness, the ordinariness of human activity as giving birth, this little act which many girls can do lies her greatness.  Today it is not greatness that we celebrate.  Today we celebrate littleness, we celebrate smallness, because this is how God works in us even today, in many humble and unassuming ways, in many lowly and often unrecognizable places, and often through many humble and unassuming people.

For the past five years now I have come here every Tuesday to say mass with you and I always do, conscious that I have to share with you God’s word.  It is a small task that I have to fit in my Tuesday schedule.  It is perhaps even an insignificant ten minutes of your time.  AM I making a difference in your lives, did our gathering for mass every Tuesday make you grow, did I contribute to the growing of God’s kingdom?  I do not know.  But this I know:  I have contributed this small task, I have made myself available to God in my own little way, in the best way that I know.  And yet I believe that the little that I do in God’s plan is part of something big.  This is what keeps me going, that the little that I do in God’s plan is part of something big.

I know that some of you have to literally run from your office to this chapel so that you can have time to prepare the readings.  Some of you have to walk under the heat of the sun or under the rain inhaling the fumes of the city streets, just to be on time to do your responsibility as an usher, as members of the choir or a communion minister in the chapel.  I know some have come straight from home after half of the day preparing lunch, cleaning the house, washing clothes, sending the children to school, teaching them to pray, spending time with them, taking care of your family.  Some of you have come straight from the store or from offices after spending half the day negotiating, serving, doing errands, signing papers, sweeping floors.  These may not be big, these are insignificant, ordinary in the eyes of many.  But remember, the little that you do, in God’s plan, is part of something big.

Theodore Cuyler once said, "Often the most useful Christians are those who serve their Master in little things. God never despises the day of small things, or else He would not hide His oaks in the acorns, or the wealth of a wheat field in bags of little seeds."

Do you believe that?  Do you believe that the small part that you do is part of something big in the plan of God? 

Today we celebrate the littleness with Mary.  Let us not rob her of her littleness for that is what makes her relevant to me and you.