Anytime I read this gospel, I am immediately drawn to the mention of the sparrows and what that means for our worth. So, when I first glanced over the passage for this reflection, I recognized it as the “sparrow one” and ignored the bulk of it. Then, I actually read the whole passage, and for the first time, I got something else out of it.

Surrounding my beloved and easily recognizable sparrows is Jesus’ charge to us: to bear witness to God’s truth. We are called to trust in our Father, to shout that which is usually only whispered, to display our faith openly. The joy of our faith is not silent but a resounding exultation.

It can take time to live up to this task consistently. When I start to struggle with this call, I, like many others I have spoken with, consider the examples provided by my family. My parents raised my four brothers and me as active Catholics, altar serving nearly every week and attending Catholic schools. Both of my parents and three of my brothers either currently teach or at one time taught at a Catholic school themselves. For them, living out our faith as Jesus encourages us to do in today’s gospel is simply part of day-to-day life.

They remind me that proclaiming our faith does not have to involve grand gestures. It can involve daily choices and actions that exhibit God’s love and truth. It can be the sacrifice of a few minutes to help someone or the invitation for a friend to join us at Mass. It is a conscious effort at every chance to choose God.