Love Cares

Love Cares

If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:3

In our self-centered world, we often turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to “inconvenient” needs and people who would interrupt our day. Yet just as Catherine Booth was called to be the hands of Christ to those around her, so are we. God wants each of us to find distinct ways to minister to those in our world—especially the hurting and the poor—and never be too shy to offer what God has given us and share what we know of his love. As we do so, God wants us to be led by his Spirit. We are not to do the expedient thing or offer token help but rather to listen to his voice and follow his direction, doing all that we do in love.

When we try to help others, it can be overwhelming when we see the enormity of human need in our world, and sometimes the idea of responding seems like an exercise in futility. What we’re doing seems like only a small drop in a huge ocean of human misery. Mother Teresa encouraged us to see that although the needs are as huge as the ocean, that vast ocean would be diminished without each of our drops. Whether it’s tutoring a child from the inner city or reaching out to one broken woman as Catherine Booth did, what matters isn’t what big thing we do, but that we do whatever we do out of love. —CHERI

Savior who gave your all for us, grant me grace to give and serve out of love. May I care more for others than myself and be an instrument of your compassion.

God pays attention to our love. We can work until we drop. We can work excessively. If what we do is not connected to love, however, our work is useless in God’s eyes.

—MOTHER TERESA (1910–1997), FOUNDER OF MISSIONARIES OF CHARITY IN CALCUTTA, INDIA