No Wasted Love

One of my clients was recently expressing regret about the past. The client, who I will call Susan, had been in an unhappy marriage for many years. She kept trying to make things work with a man who had treated her poorly and cheated on her several times. "Why did I stay with him for so long?" She asked. "I wasted my life!" If Susan had been an atheist, I could not have responded in the way I did. Because I knew she had spiritual views that were similar to mine, I was able to say, "I am glad that you have gotten out of this unhappy relationship, but you did not waste your life. Your ex-husband may not have been faithful to you, but you were faithful to him, and in being faithful to him, you were faithful to Jesus. Jesus said that whatever you have done for the least of his brothers and sisters, you have done for him. Your ex-husband may not have appreciated your efforts, but Jesus did." 

Today the gospel reading for daily mass was from Matthew 25:40. Jesus says "Truly I tell you that whatever you did for the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." A common theme in counseling sessions is not feeling appreciated. Many people don't feel that what they do for others is appreciated. They don't feel appreciated by their spouses, their children or their bosses. However, their acts of love and service will never truly go unnoticed or be taken for granted. Whether they realize it or not, they are simultaneously doing these things for Jesus, and Jesus will never fail to appreciate their efforts.