Homily 17 July 2023, Matthew 10:34-11:1

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Please read the Scripture passage before the homily.

How does one make a cup of cold water?  We would put it in a refrigerator to make it cold.

On the other hand, what is the difference between a cup of cold water and a cup of hot water?  Perhaps the difference is fire or the lack of fire.  The rich would refrigerated cold water and the stovetop tea kettle for hot water.  The poor man, however, may not even have single matchstick for making heated water.

It is the poor person who can offer only a cup of water, not warmed up beyond room temperature and not chilled below room temperature.  The water is cold because it is not warm.  It is the water of the poor.

The little ones: who are they?  They are those who believe and have faith.  They carry with them blessings and rewards from God Most High.  We are called to be the little ones.  At the same time, we are called to recognize those other little ones.  We are a community of little ones and we support each other in the name of the poor and little Jesus who gave his life for us.

It is not a question of sharing wealth with others; that is easy to do.  It is, rather, a question of sharing our poverty, what we need for life, with others.  It is like saying that you cannot even offer you a glass of ice water, but that you are willing to share even the little stale water you have scrounged.