Small Things Count

Mother (now Saint) Teresa marked Christmas 1948 as the beginning of her work with the poor.  The day was so important to her that she set aside time every Christmas to be with those people she ministered to—the poor, hungry, marginalized, dying, abandoned.  She would go to an orphanage or to the bedside of a dying person or give a lingering embrace to a child with AIDS or leprosy.  She shared her Christmas in ways that quietly highlighted the feast’s true meaning: coming into a world of people in need and serving them for no other reason than love.  During this blessed season, maybe we can each be a little like Mother Teresa.  We all know someone who needs comforting, companionship, encouragement, a helping hand, a person to pray with.  Maybe we can’t act totally like Mother, but we can certainly be true brothers and sisters to other members of God’s family.