This Week's Quotation:
There have been many saints who have gone before to guide us, but I like the ones who are simple, like St. Therese of Lisieux. I chose her as my namesake because she did ordinary things with extraordinary love.
~(Mother Teresa)
Ordinary Things With Extraordinary Love
Jerry Kvasnicka, Assuming full responsibility
Mother Teresa describes so beautifully exactly what we are here to do on earth: bring love into everything we do, not just big and “important” things, but ordinary things, and not just a half-hearted and feeble expression of love, but extraordinary love. Not just love, but LOVE! One well-known spiritual group has initiated International Shout-Out Love Day. Maybe this could be every day!
And we bring this love to everything we do in the course of a day. When I get up in the morning one of the first things I do is make my bed, a very ordinary activity. But I love my bed and I make it with tender, loving care, giving thanks for a restful night of sleep. Then after putting my apartment in order with loving care, I make breakfast, offering love to every wonderful component of my meal.
And so it goes throughout the day. Going outside, I greet and bless with love the trees and bushes in my yard. And then there’s work. Yes, whatever our work is, no matter how seemingly ordinary much of it is, what an opportunity to pour out extraordinary love! As writer Kahlil Gibran noted: “Work is love made visible.” Do we take full advantage of this, even if our work involves, as mine does, cleaning restrooms? No work is too ordinary to receive our extraordinary love.
Love has extraordinary power. So we have to be sure that it’s brought in the right way. It is so easy to divert this power into human-ego designs and purposes, causing distortion and destruction. Let us bring the authentic nature of Love, the Truth of Love, something that naturally radiates, if we will let it, from the angelic core of our own being. Ordinary things blessed with this kind of extraordinary Love can surely regenerate and re-create our world.
About Open Windows
We, the authors of this blog, dedicate it to the transparent exploration of the world's sacred scripture and enlightened spiritual thought. We believe that the original inspiration of all faiths comes from a common source, named and revered in a myriad of ways. With that understanding, the innumerable symbols, beliefs, and practices of faith cease to divide. They become open windows to a common reality that inspires and unifies us. We find deeper insight and nourishment in our own faith and from the expression of faith from others.
We hope these weekly quotations and meditations speak to your heart and soul.
Thank you, Jerry. yes, EXTRAordinary love is what is required. Thank you for yours and thanks to everyone who presents these blogs. Jerry, I don’t know if I told you but I wrote Mother Teresa as part of some work I was doing and she wrote me back – twice! she didn’t know me but took the time to serve – as did with so many people worldwide who sought her counsel and her healing spirit. Let us be about, as she said blessing the “ordinary” with the extraordinary. WITH YOU in that work so needed in our world. THANK YOU for your insights and example. Most appreciatively, Tom
Thank you, Tom. Yes, Mother Teresa truly lived her faith and “delivered the goods” in so many ways. And I know you are doing this too. It’s an honor to be in spiritual service with you.
Yes Jerry – thank you so much – this is a way of being, a mantra, and the thing that really counts in life – Work is love made visible…
Thank you Jerry for articulating this so well. It’s said little drops of water makes an ocean. We are certainly here not to show off but to do the little things with love. I like little examples of making a bed, keeping the restroom clean for the next person. Preparing food is one of my favorite. I remember when our mothers use to cook back home with no meat or fish in the soup but it was always yummy. It was the love that was put in it the mattered. We are here to bring love and to give it out fully. 🙏🏾🙏🏾❤️