Did you know Mother Teresa would often wear shoes that didn't fit?

"Whenever I meet someone in need, it's really Jesus in His most distressing disguise" - Saint Mother Teresa

I've heard this quote before, but I have never really considered its meaning. It goes hand in hand with the Bible verse, "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me" (Matthew 25:40).

Mother Teresa knew that every thing she did for any of her brothers or sisters she was doing for Christ.

Where do you see God?

Last Christmas season, I was blessed to get to serve a few days with the Missionaries of Charity in Tumbaco, Ecaudor. Our activities ranged from doing dishes and laundry to feeding the older women in the home and playing with kids at a community Christmas party hosted by the sisters.

Our very first morning in the home, we attended mass at 7 am. During mass, an older woman in the home entered the chapel and fell on her way in. She lay on the floor, groaning as a few of the people from our group moved to help her up. However, she aggressively shooed them away.

Later, while we were volunteering, the sisters introduced the same woman to our group. We had trouble saying her name but the sisters had nicknamed her Tiempo, and one of my first tasks working in the house was to put up her long curtain bangs into a ponytail. She fought me the whole time. Finally, I succeeded, but success was fleeting as she yanked the band right out.

"She is always very grumpy," One of the sisters told us, a sparkle in her eye. Throughout the day, Tiempo seemed to warm up to everyone. She had one dear friend in the home, Juanita, and they would make each other laugh and laugh... it was beautiful to see.

In a reflection from our first day, we laughed about trying to interact with the women in the home. One old women loved to draw but had to double-check with one of us on which color she should pick for each section. Another woman loved to tell the volunteers what to do, and even directed me all around the home -- while I was wheeling another lady in a chair -- until a sister told me she had been misdirecting me the whole time. Juanita discovered I was ticklish and kept trying to make me giggle, which would in turn make her collapse on the bed in a fit of chortles.

Each face. Each laugh. Each gaze reveals the face of God.

While it is easy to see beauty in many of the women. Others, like Tiempo, are difficult. Hard to love. But their scrunched faces are still the faces of God.

"Before woman or man, we are loved."

Near the end of our trip, we had the chance to talk to the Mother Superior for the home, Sister Cristel, and I asked her what it means to her to be a woman. Her response was beautiful.

"Before woman or man, we are loved."

Many of the women in these homes struggle to remember who they are. They are not sure what to expect out of each day. They are fearful, but the sisters show them love. Before anything else, each one of the poor is loved by God.

The Season of Giving

Christmas is the season of giving. Let's pause and think about that more deeply.

Sister Cristel told us her favorite verse is 2 Corinthians 9:6-7, "God loves a cheerful giver."

There is joy in giving of yourself. In giving, you receive so much. Sister Cristel noted that the Missionaries of Charity are not known for giving to the poor, but for helping the poor. They are giving themselves, their love, time, and attention more than any material thing. In being present, giving your love, laughing with a friend, or helping an older woman with a hair-tie, you are being a witness to them.

The greatest gift you can give someone this season is God's love: attention, time, care, truly choosing them.

In doing this, you are choosing to see God in their disguise, calm or distressing, & helping them see God and His love in themselves as well.

How Can I Give this Season?