Our actions can significantly impact someone in need, and we cannot underestimate the smallest gesture of kindness given to another. As you look back on your life, can you recall a time when someone came alongside you and brought a timely word, prayer, or gift of encouragement? I know for me, those are significant moments that have and continue to bring refreshment and renewed strength. I recently came across a beautiful prayer by St. Teresa of Avila that reminded me of the importance of being the hands and feet of Jesus to others.
Christ has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
Compassion on this world,
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,
Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands; yours are the feet,
Yours are the eyes; you are his body.
Christ has no body now but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
compassion on this world.
Christ has no body now on earth but yours.
Learning to live out this prayer means looking for opportunities to bring God’s love to others, including small acts of kindness and compassion in our daily lives. One way to extend kindness to someone who is sick, recovering from surgery, or just in a season of difficulty is by putting together a care package.
We recently put together some ideas for creating a hospitality to-go basket that nourishes both body and soul. We hope that these ideas might inspire you to give a thoughtful gift of kindness to that someone in your life to let them know how much you care about their health and well-being.
Pozole Verde
Ingredients
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 1 lb. tomatillos, husked, rinsed, halved
- 1 white onion, chopped
- 1 jalapeno, roughly chopped
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 bunch cilantro
- 1 rotisserie chicken, shredded
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 1 28 oz. hominy, rinsed, drained
- olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Toppings
- diced white onion
- sliced radish
- avocado
- cilantro
- sour cream
- tortilla chips
- Cotija cheese, crumbled
Instructions
- Combine tomatillos, onion, jalapeno, oregano, cumin, garlic and cilantro in a blender with 1 cup of the chicken stock. Puree until completely smooth. In a large soup pot over medium-high heat, add a splash of olive oil and then add the pureed vegetables, bring to a simmer and reduce the sauce by half. Once the sauce has reduced add the remaining chicken stock, shredded chicken, hominy and orange juice. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer, about 10 minutes. Taste for seasoning.
- This soup can be made in advance and then frozen in quart sized freezer bags. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and then reheat over a gentle flame.
Notes
May God continue to forge within us an ever-increasing Christ-like character to find ways to love people well consistently.
“All praise to the God and Father of our Master, Jesus the Messiah! Father of all mercy! God of all healing counsel! He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us. We have plenty of hard times that come from following the Messiah, but no more so than the good times of his healing comfort—we get a full measure of that, too.”
2 Corinthians 1:3-5 The Message
Cheering you on!
Your Sisters at SALT+CLAY
