Sept 25

Mother Teresa might have said: “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” Within this context, I think it is safe to say that most of us, singularly, will not do great things, for great things take effort beyond our own strength and fortitude, and in a timeframe that often exceeds are own lifetimes. And I also think it is safe to say that all of us can do small things with great love. But such a quotation, whoever said it and popularized it, creates a set of expectations.

These expectations set us up to expect “great things” to happen externally from our own efforts, to expect “love” to exist at only a local or intimate level. In fact, most “small things” aren’t really small by any objective measure. If you do what you can to meet a need that another has and that you can supply, you have done a great thing. If you contribute your time and your energy, even for a single event, you have done a great thing.

Listening to a sorrow, holding a hand, making space for a perspective that differs from your own—these are all great acts of love that serve to create a more compassionate world. Attending an educational event, striking for a cause, writing a Congressional leader—these are all small acts of courage that serve the creation of a just world.  Further, Dr. Cornel West cautions us to “Never forget that justice is what love looks like in public.” Notice the verbs here, the descriptions—actions.

Our consideration of and care for each other—practiced in our intimate relationships, with children, with the most vulnerable people in our society and our nation—these acts prepare us and pave the way to a world that is just and equitable for all—for trans bodies and identities, for those disenfranchised by unequal power relations, for those dispossessed of their lands and their livelihoods. When we practice compassion in “small ways,” we are priming ourselves for the sacrifice of time and energy that subordinates our selfish and self-serving natures for a greater good and a better world.

As you make time for compassion and justice in your life, remember that I hold you in compassionate care. Remember that you are loved, you are worthy, you are welcome, and you are needed. May you feel it so. May it be so.

Blessings, Rev. Rita