Everyone Has Something to Give to Help Others
"Help Us To Be There"
Holy, life-giving Spirit,
infuse in us your ability to remain present to your people.
Help us to be there,
to be right there,
for the people who need us.
There for young people,
there for the elderly,
there for the brokenhearted;
fire our hearts with your life-changing presence.
Even though we know you to be everywhere
and in everything,
give us the ability to be fully in one place at a time,
open and ready to love.
— Author Unknown
Source: Jesuitresource.org
"EVERYONE HAS SOMETHING TO GIVE TO HELP OTHERS"
““It is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the doing. It is not how much we give, but how much love we put in the giving.”
— St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta
"We but mirror the world. All the tendencies present in the outer world are to be found in the world of our body. If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. This is the divine mystery supreme. A wonderful thing it is and the source of our happiness. We need not wait to see what others do.”
— Mahatma Gandhi
What positive change would you like to see happen now in your life?
Meaningful change generally happens only after we first acknowledge our need to change. Decide this Advent season to make one positive change in your life. Choose just one thing. It should be concrete and manageable. For example, you might work on changing the way you relate to just one person in your life. Or you might work on eliminating a negative habit, such as the urge to judge others rather than seeking to be more compassionate.
We begin to recognize that a primary purpose of this life is to learn how to love as God loves, as exemplified through the life and teachings of Jesus. Love is more fully shown and experienced in and through our acts, deeds, and behavior, rather than just words.
When we experience God’s love, we begin to love ourselves. We then begin to desire to love God in return, and to love what and who God loves.
Where does God speak to you amid the noise and activity of your everyday life. Are you open to listening, seeing, and experiencing God in the graces offered to us each and every day—in the gift of life, the beauty and goodness of creation, in the needs of our brothers and sisters, in the moral challenges we face, and in the quiet promptings of our hearts.
God speaks and acts in many ways. Try to be attentive to the ways God is actually relating with you now—through your relationships with a family member, friend, or stranger, the quiet beauty of nature, the challenges of daily events in your life, and the world events around us. Accept God’s gifts with gratitude and thanksgiving. Allow them to transform your heart and mind—your entire being—calling you forth to be and emit sparks of Christ’s light, love and life for others.
One of the most remarkable virtues of Jesus was his love and compassion for suffering people – the forgotten, neglected, marginalized, and disenfranchised. Moved by the suffering of the poor, the sick and the socially outcast, Jesus welcomed, fed, healed, forgave, encouraged, empowered, and gave hope. He also challenged and stood up to those people and systems responsible for the oppression and suffering of so many. Jesus sought to relieve this suffering and calls us to do the same through the power of the indwelling Spirit.
Everyone has something to give to help others. We can begin right now by giving to others what they need the most—-our love, peace, compassion, hope, and standing in solidarity with them. As Jesus instructs, “Love one another as I have loved you.” (Jn 13:34).
VIDEOS
"Jesus Waits For Us in the Poor" (Pope Francis)
"We are One Planet, One Family" (Catholic Relief Services)
"Generosity: The Greatest Spiritual Gift" (Fr. Mike Schmitz)
"Loving God and Serving Others"
"How You Treat People is Who You Are"
"Happiness is Helping Others"
"Serving Others– Encountering Christ– Transforming Culture"
"Why Catholics Care About People Living in Poverty"
"A Day in the Life" (Christ in the City)
"Homeless, but Human: A Christ in the City Documentary Trailer"
MUSIC
"Prepare the Way"
"His Strength is Perfect"
"Waiting in Silence"
OTHER RESOURCES
"How to Love Well According to Pope Francis: It Starts with God"
"The Corporal Works of Mercy" (USCCB)
"Two Feet of God in Action" (USCCB)
"Other Resources on Catholic Social Teaching"
REFLECT ON YOUR EXPERIENCE
What gifts are you grateful for in your life?
How do you believe you can best express your love for another, especially to those who suffer?