The Cup Left Within Reach
Updated: Sep 6
“And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”Matthew 10:42
Someone moves the cup a few inches closer. There is no comment. No fuss. The hand no longer has to stretch.
The gesture takes almost no time. It can change the next hour.
Jesus placed things within reach. Bread. A basin of water. His own presence. He did not always wait to be asked. He said that even a cup of cold water given in his name matters. God notices the small help, not only the large rescue.
A cup left within reach is that kind of mercy. It does not solve the whole problem. It removes one small difficulty from a larger one. In a sickroom, that can mean a great deal.
You do not have to make a speech about it. You do not have to be thanked.
At Mass, Christ also comes within reach. We do not have to climb up to him. He comes close enough to receive. Then he sends us back to do the same for one another in ordinary ways.
The water is there. That is already enough.