Introduction to the Devout Life, Chapter xxxv (80)

That one must be faithful in small things as well as in great ones.
The sacred Spouse of the Canticles says that His Bride hath ravished His heart with one of her eyes and with one of her hairs. Now, of all the outward parts of the human body, none is more admirable than the eye, whether for its formation or its activity, nor any more vile than the hair. Wherefore the divine Spouse would have us understand that He is pleased not only with the great works of devout persons, but also with the least and most lowly; and that, to serve Him according to His desire, we must take care to serve Him well, both in things important and exalted, and in things small and abject, since by either the one or the other we may alike ravish His heart with love.

Prepare yourself, then, Philothea, to suffer many great afflictions for Our Lord, and even martyrdom; be firmly resolved to give Him all that you hold most precious, should it please Him to take it: father, mother, brother, husband, wife, children, even your eyes and your life; for your heart must be ready for all these sacrifices. But while Divine Providence sends you not such great and grievous afflictions, and asks not for your eyes, give Him at least your hair. I mean, bear very patiently these injuries, these little vexations, these trifling losses that come your way each day: for by making use of these small occasions with great love and charity, you will wholly win His heart, and make it entirely your own. These little daily duties, this headache, this toothache, this cold, this peevishness of husband or wife, this broken glass, this contempt or scowl, the loss of gloves, a ring, a handkerchief, this little inconvenience of going to bed early and rising betimes to pray, to receive Holy Communion, this little shame one feels in openly performing certain acts of devotion; in short, all these little miseries, when accepted and embraced with love, will be very pleasing to Divine Goodness, Who, for a single cup of water given in His Name, has promised His faithful ones floods of bliss; and since these occasions present themselves at every moment, see what stores of spiritual riches we may amass by knowing how to profit well by them.

When I saw, in the life of Saint Catherine of Siena, so many raptures and ecstasies, so many words of sublime wisdom, and even sermons preached by her, I did not doubt that with this eye of contemplation she had ravished the heart of her heavenly Spouse; but I was also greatly consoled when I saw her in her father’s kitchen, humbly turning the spit, tending the fire, preparing the meat, kneading the bread, and performing all the lowliest offices of the house with a courage full of love for her God; and I esteem no less the little and simple meditations she made amid such lowly occupations than the ecstasies and raptures she so often experienced, which were perhaps but the reward of her humility and abasement. Now, this is how she meditated: She imagined that, in preparing dinner for her father, she was preparing it for Our Lord, like another Saint Martha; that her mother held the place of the Blessed Virgin, and her brothers, the place of the apostles; by this means she stirred herself to serve in spirit the whole heavenly court, and devoted herself to these humble tasks with great consolation, because she knew that such was the will of God. I have cited this example, Philothea, so that you may know how important it is to perform all our actions, however small and lowly they may be, with a view to serving and honouring the divine Majesty.

For this I counsel you, as much as I can, to imitate that valiant woman whom Solomon so highly praised, who, while occupied with great, strong, and generous deeds, nevertheless did not cease to spin and turn the spindle: _She hath laid her hand to strong things, and her fingers have taken hold of the spindle._ Lay your hand also to strong things, exercising yourself in prayer and meditation, in the use of the sacraments, in inspiring the love of God in your neighbor, in spreading good inspirations in hearts, and finally in performing great and important works according to your vocation. But at the same time forget not your spindle and distaff; that is, practise the small and humble virtues, which, like simple flowers, grow at the foot of the cross: the service of the poor, the visiting of the sick, the care of your household with all the works that depend thereon, and that precious activity which will not leave you idle for a single moment; and amid all this, occupy yourself from time to time with thoughts like those of Saint Catherine of Siena, of whom I have just spoken to you.
Great opportunities to serve God present themselves rarely; but small ones are very common. Now, _he that shall be faithful in little things_, saith the Saviour Himself, _shall be set over great ones_. Do all things, therefore, in the name of God, and all things shall be well done, whether you eat, or drink, or sleep, or play, or turn the spit: provided you know well how to manage your affairs, you shall profit greatly before God, doing all these things because God wills you to do them.