16 August, Friday — Details

Aug 16 – Memorial for St. Stephen of Hungary

When he succeeded his father as chief of a group of people, Stephen adopted a policy of Christianisation in Hungary for both political and religious reasons. He suppressed a series of revolts by pagan nobles and welded the Magyars into a strong national group. As king, Stephen established a system of tithes to support churches and pastors and to relieve the poor. Out of every 10 towns, one had to build a church and support a priest. He abolished pagan customs with a certain amount of violence, and commanded all to marry, except clergy and religious. He was easily accessible to all, especially the poor.

• Patron Saint Index

Deu 6:3-9
Mt 25:14-30

…you have shown you can be faithful in small things, I will give you greater…

We are getting the inside of our house repainted at the moment. It is not going well. What was supposed to have been a two week job has dragged on for three, and we are still nowhere close to done. The painters tell me that the original builders ‘cut some corners’ during the construction process. If you don’t get the details right, like applying a proper primer coat for instance, repairing the damage later turns into a nightmare, as we are finding out.

Good work ethics are a rarity. Few people want to take the time to do something properly. Most would prefer to simply slap a coat of paint on, and stage a house for a quick sell. With hindsight, we were naïve when we bought our home, and in too much of a rush ourselves. It ticked all the right boxes – price, location, decent yard, speed of closure. Also, on the face of it, the house was brand new, so we didn’t take the time ourselves with the small details, nor ask too many questions.

A house, I find, is a great analogy for one’s spiritual life. Owning a house and being a good steward of it requires that you take care of the small details, and deal with them properly. There’s little point in a flashy butler’s kitchen if the plumbing sputters, or a tricked out laundry room, if you don’t put in the correct electricals. In much the same way, our spiritual life flourishes if we first take care of the basics – a consistent prayer practice, regular churchgoing, fulfilling the sacraments – before casting our eyes on bigger things, like a high-profile ministry or a bigger role in church. God sees what we do in secret. He notes our vigilance, our diligence with the details of how we practice our faith, and rewards accordingly, based on our individual capacities. Only when we are ready, and have proven our worth as good and faithful servants, does He give us more responsibilities.

“Well done, good and faithful servant; you have shown you can be faithful in small things, I will trust you with greater…”

(Today’s OXYGEN by Sharon Soo)

Prayer: We pray that God gives us the patience, diligence, fortitude and good stewardship of the talents that He has blessed us with.

Thanksgiving: We give thanks for the responsibilities that God has placed with us. May we carry them out with diligence, quiet competence and a grateful heart.