Do I only value what gets noticed?

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

There is something very easy to miss in today’s Gospel. Jesus is preaching, travelling, proclaiming the Kingdom of God – and then St Luke suddenly names a group of women who are travelling with Him: Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna, and many others. And then we get this simple line: they were providing for Jesus and the Twelve out of their own resources. It sounds almost like a small detail. But maybe that is exactly the point. The Kingdom of God is often carried forward by people whose names are barely noticed.

We tend to think that the important people in the Church are the ones who are visible – the ones preaching, leading, speaking, standing in front. But today’s Gospel quietly destroys that idea. Jesus is preaching, yes, but someone is making that preaching possible. Someone is providing food. Someone is giving money. Someone is opening a home. Someone is doing the unnoticed work. And Jesus does not treat that as secondary. The Gospel remembers them. Heaven remembers what the world overlooks.

That raises a difficult question for us: Do I only value what gets noticed? Sometimes we want our service to be seen. We want somebody to recognise the sacrifice, thank us, mention our name, or at least notice how much we are doing. And when no one does, resentment can creep in. But the women in today’s Gospel teach us something beautiful: you do not have to stand at the centre of the mission to be essential to the mission. Some of the holiest things you will ever do may never receive applause.

Maybe your mission right now looks very ordinary. Caring for a parent. Raising children. Preparing food. Giving quietly. Showing up when somebody needs you. Cleaning up after everyone else has gone home. Supporting a parish, a family, or a person who is struggling. We can look at those things and think, “This is not important.” But the Kingdom of God has always been built on hidden faithfulness. Jesus notices the cup of water, the quiet generosity, the unseen sacrifice. Nothing given to Him in love is wasted.

So perhaps the invitation today is not, “How can I do something impressive for God?” Maybe it is simply, “What is already in my hands that I can place at His service?” These women did not all preach sermons or work miracles. They gave what they had, and their generosity became part of the Gospel itself. Holiness is not always doing something extraordinary. Sometimes holiness is taking something very ordinary and giving it completely to Jesus.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, free me from the need to be noticed. Teach me to serve You faithfully in the small and hidden things. Show me what I already have that I can place in Your hands. And when no one sees the good I do, help me remember that You see it, You receive it, and You can use it for Your Kingdom. Amen.

– Homily by Rev. Fr. Patrick Agbeko