The Queen has quoted Saint (Mother) Teresa in her Christmas Message, recalling her example of doing “small things with great love.”
In a pre-recorded speech that focused on the importance of inspiration, humility and service the Queen said: “Jesus Christ lived obscurely for most of his life, and never travelled far. He was maligned and rejected by many, though he had done no wrong.”
But, making reference to her own Christian faith, as she has done more overtly in recent Christmas Messages, the Queen [pictured here with Pope Francis] said that Christ’s example had touched the lives of billions.
“Billions of people now follow his teaching and find in him the guiding light for their lives. I am one of them because Christ’s example helps me see the value of doing small things with great love, whoever does them and whatever they themselves believe.”
“The message of Christmas reminds us that inspiration is a gift to be given as well as received, and that love begins small but always grows,” she said.
These small acts of love could, she said, have a global impact. While the Christmas message did not touch explicitly on the aftermath of Britain’s decision to leave the European Union, the Queen advised taking “a deep breath” and focussing on small acts of kindness.
“Even with the inspiration of others, it’s understandable that we sometimes think the world’s problems are so big that we can do little to help. On our own, we cannot end wars or wipe out injustice, but the cumulative impact of thousands of small acts of goodness can be bigger than we imagine,” she concluded.
The Queen did not attend church this morning because she is recovering from a severe cold, Buckingham Palace said.
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