A Sound of Thunder

Paying attention to small gestures of love

02/16/2020

Matthew 5:17-37 Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven. I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

There’s a very old proverb that highlights how minor mistakes can have colossal consequences. It’s called “For Want of a Nail.” See if you can follow the sequence of cause and effect: “For want of a nail the shoe was lost. For want of a shoe the horse was lost. For want of a horse the rider was lost. For want of a rider the message was lost. For want of a message the battle was lost. For want of a battle the kingdom was lost. And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.” In other words, an entire kingdom could be overthrown by the lack of a little nail.

This proverb was placed in a more scientific setting by the science-fiction writer Ray Bradbury in 1953 in his short story called “A Sound of Thunder.” Bradbudy popularized the scientific theory called the “butterfly effect.” Have you ever heard of that? In the story, a group of explorers travel back in time, 66 million years, to the Crustaceous Period, when dinosaurs dominated the earth. The lead scientist explains to the group that they must not disturb anything in the past or else dramatic change would be unleashed and alter their own future. The expeditionary team is warned sternly to walk only on an elevated path to avoid contaminating the environment. At one point, however, one traveler trips off the path when he’s suddenly startled by a T-Rex. He steps off the elevated path and steps on a beautiful butterfly. When they return to their original year, they find a lot has changed: the people speak English differently, wear strange clothes, and even a recent election turned out differently. Because one traveler stepped on a butterfly, that small change snowballed down the years and created a very different future. Horseshoe nails and butterflies may seem like small things to most of us, but when they’re missing, they mess with the course of history.

In the gospel today, Jesus gives a spiritual application to the principle of the butterfly effect. He moves it from the natural to the supernatural plane; from the environmental to the ethical level. Notice our Lord’s concern with even the smallest commandments, when he teaches: “Whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus almost sounds like the scientist in Bradbury’s story warning his time travelers to take care not to disturb even the hushed beating of a butterfly wing. On the spiritual and ethical dimensions, therefore, the breaking of a commandment by committing even small sins can have decisive and dramatic consequences on much larger scales. In this spiritual case, the kingdom that is lost is the Kingdom of Heaven.

My friends, may I suggest three examples where minor mistakes and small sins can lead to catastrophic consequences? First of all, in marriages, and especially in spousal communication we see the significance of small things. Why do so many husbands and wives struggle to communicate effectively, and couple’s conversations collapse into a shouting match? Obviously, there are many factors, but a critical component is a failure to notice the small things: a deep sigh of sadness, the crossed arms of defiance, a slouching posture of resignation, eyes welling up with tears, a wince of pain and hurt, a hesitation to speak or a pregnant pause. In other words, successful spousal dialogue demands attention to what is not said every bit as much as to what is said. In a word, they must pay attention to the small things, or their marriage as a whole suffers the consequences. The butterfly effect can also be found in butterfly kisses.

A second example is Pope Francis’ recent apostolic exhortation on the Amazon region called “Querida Amazonia” which is Spanish for “Beloved Amazon.” The Holy Father does not overlook the smallest and most vulnerable inhabitants of the Amazon. He explains: “There is a crucial need to realize that ‘the good functioning of ecosystems also requires fungi, algae, worms, insects, reptiles and an innumerable variety of microorganisms’” (Querida Amazonia, 49). That is, the huge untamed Amazon jungle depends on tiny insects and worms for its equilibrium and even its existence. By the way, the pope was blasted by the president of Brazil for this document. The president said brashly: "The Pope may be Argentinian, but God is Brazilian.” Throwing shade at the pope – seriously?? The president apparently would not regret stomping on a butterfly or carelessly casting away a horseshoe nail. But the Holy Father believes such small actions can have oversized reactions, indeed not only affecting the fate of a kingdom, but that of an entire planet.

And finally, don’t ignore the small words and gestures of courtesy and care in your daily interactions with other people. My brother, Paul, has a happy habit of replying to people’s questions by politely saying: “Yes sir” or “No sir,” “Yes ma’am” or “No ma’am.” They are small words but carry significant worth. Spend a few extra minutes listening to someone instead of hurrying off to your next task. I’m embarrassed to say I have a horrible habit of doing that: always rushing off to something else. Give you full attention when you listen to someone, and don’t look at your phone at the same time, even if Millennials say that’s okay. It’s not okay: look everyone in the eye. Frequently utter the magic words “Please,” “Thank you,” “I’m sorry,” “I forgive you,” “You’re right.” Be aware of the appearance of your face, that is, smile more often. A simple smile and warm hello may be just what someone needs who’s having a hard day. These tiny tokens of love can be transformative tickets to peace and joy.

My main point today is that small actions can have both bad consequences but also good ones. Therefore, they are not to be overlooked or underestimated. A kingdom can be lost over a misplaced horseshoe nail or a smashed butterfly. And sometimes that lost kingdom could be the Kingdom of Heaven.

Praised be Jesus Christ!