Big Things Come in Small Packages

Whenever I see children cantors lead the Responsorial Psalm at the 12:00 noon fourth Sunday Mass, someone from the choir gets a stool or low bench and places it behind the ambo for the children to stand on. These little children lead the singing of the psalm like angels, and the congregation always shows appreciation.

A religious sister I hold in high esteem also needs to stand on a stool behind the ambo, otherwise only her head would be seen. Sister E often prefaces her talks by making the congregation laugh at her expense by pointing to the obvious fact.

But Sister E has the admiration of all the people of the parish. When she gave a talk last Friday at the church after a long absence, she had her audience in rapt attention while she talked of God's love, drawing on the relevant theology and scripture that she broke open to make the Word come alive.

Zacchaeus of the gospel was also of short stature. He had to climb a sycamore tree purposely to see Jesus passing by. He was pleasantly surprised that when Jesus looked up the tree, He asked him to hurriedly come down, and then invited Himself to his house.

God in history never always made His presence felt as awesome and majestic, except like He did in the burning bush on the mountain, or the cloud that guided the Israelites in the desert by day, and by a column of fire at night.

When God sent a savior, He came, not in the form a conquering general that elicits awe and intimidates, or a mighty king in a grand palace, but in the form of a tiny baby which in its smallness and helplessness, can only attract and draw people to itself. This little Baby in the manger actually held the whole world and the vast universe in His tiny hands.

Big things come in small packages.

Can it be that this tiny Baby is trying to tell us something . . . maybe that what matters is not a big stature but a big heart, a big heart that can only come from a big but humble mind?

The little Baby grew up. The grown-up Jesus looked at short-in-stature Zacchaeus and He invited Himself to his house. And when Zacchaeus joyfully and humbly let him in and vowed to right his wrongs, Jesus declared: "Today, salvation has come to this house."#