The Reward Of Holy Ones

13^th Sunday of Ordinary Time; Matthew 10:37-42

those who welcome holy people…will receive the reward of holy ones.

When I was growing up, I was not a good student. Grades did not come easily and I was frustrated by that, but apparently not frustrated enough o do anything about it. I’d rather read a book than do my math, daydream about a far-off place instead of learning my spelling words, or doodle a scratch instead of work on my penmanship. My dad and my teachers would try to encourage me, with little to no success. Until Third Grade. One day, as my teacher, Mrs. Grant, walked around the room passing out math test scores, giving reinforcement to each student as she did. I just slouched in my chair, because I knew it would be yet another disaster. When she announced, “And the best score on this test goes to {dramatic pause} Tim Doppel!” I bolted up in my seat and stared bug-eyed at her in disbelief. When she handed me the test with the big “A” on top of the page, she bent over and whispered to me, “I knew you could do it.”

I wish I could report to you that I became a straight-A student after that, but that would not be the truth. I did above average work, but after that I started to look for the ways that people affirmed me or others as I went along. I saw that lifting people up was a better way to getting more cooperation than harping on them or berating them. Once I had my own business, that lesson was carved in stone. Finding ways to let my employees know that I trusted them and believed in their potential became a hallmark in my business model.

In reading the Gospel, I see that Jesus believed that affirming people’s potential is more important than reminding them of their brokenness. Today’s passage is full of challenge, yes, but also full of promise, hospitality, and a divine wink that seems to say, “You have more to offer than you think.” And honestly, I thank God for that, because if the spiritual life depended on perfection, I would have been voted off the island long ago.

Jesus shares this beautiful, hope-filled truth: “Whoever welcomes a prophet because they are a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward… and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones… will surely not lose their reward.” To me, that sounds like Jesus saying holiness is not reserved for spiritual superheroes. It is found in simple, generous, everyday acts from people who dare to welcome goodness when they see it.

That is where affirming potential becomes essential. Jesus does not say, “Remind people how unworthy they are so they will shape up.” He does not send the disciples out with clipboards, checklists, and performance reviews. He sends them out as bearers of blessing and peace, as people who awaken hope in others simply by showing up with compassion, courage, and maybe a spare cup of water.

Brokenness is real. I trip over mine daily. Some days, I manage to trip over it before breakfast. But Jesus refuses to make brokenness the headline. Instead, he highlights the astonishing truth that people can welcome holiness, participate in God’s work, and receive the reward of holy ones simply by recognizing goodness and responding with kindness. That is not a message of shame. That is a message of possibility.

When I think about the people who have shaped my life for the better, they are never the ones who constantly reminded me of my flaws. They are the ones who saw something in me, a spark, a gift, a glimmer of grace, and said, “Yes, that. Lean into that.” They affirmed my potential long before I believed in it myself. In doing so, they became living examples of offering cups of cold water in a world that often feels like a spiritual desert. Thank you, Mrs. Grant.

And let us be honest. Most of us bloom a little faster when someone believes we can. The disciples became far more than they thought they could, simply because Jesus said they were able. This is why the phrase “those who welcome holy people… will receive the reward of holy ones” resonates so deeply with me. It reminds me that holiness is contagious. It spreads through encouragement, hospitality, and the gentle art of calling forth the best in one another. It is less about pointing out the cracks and more about pouring love into them until they shine.

And yes, sometimes affirming potential requires a sense of humor. People are quirky. They surprise me, frustrate me, forget their keys, lose their tempers, and occasionally say things that make me wonder if they have been paying attention at all. But Jesus does not give up on them, or on me. He keeps sending me out, keeps calling me holy, keeps trusting that I can carry his love into the world in ways that matter.

So maybe the invitation is this: I can be a person who welcomes holiness wherever I see it; In prophets, in children, in strangers, and in myself. I can hand out cups of cold water, literal or metaphorical, without worrying whether the recipient has earned it. I can believe that God is already at work in every life, and that my job is to help that work flourish. That’s the kind of church I look for, and the kind of world I want to live in.

Affirming potential does not ignore brokenness. It simply refuses to let brokenness have the final word. It echoes Jesus’ own approach, seeing people not just as they are, but as they can become. And when I live that way, I do not just help others grow. I receive the reward of holy ones: joy, purpose, connection, and the deep, steady knowledge that I am participating in something far bigger than myself.

Now that’s a reward worth welcoming.

Every Day.

© 2026 by Timothy J. Doppel

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