The Little Way

Despite my prayers that it would hold off, the rain hasn’t stopped since early this morning. I feel my toes getting wet as the rain soaks through my Converse. The rain jacket, which I had to borrow, is large on me, and the hood is so big it prevents me from seeing properly around me. Not that there is much to see anyway; the beach is too cloudy to make out where the sand ends and the ocean begins. I fiddle with the rosary in my pocket and try to listen to Sister as she explains what we will be doing on the boardwalk this morning. We’ve come to Venice Beach, typically a very touristy part of Los Angeles, but with the rain, the only people sitting outside are the poor and the homeless. It's my first time doing homeless outreach that isn’t helping in a soup kitchen or shelter. We haven’t brought anything with us to give to the people we encounter; all we have is our presence, our love. For me, not having the comfortable buffer of having something to give someone, like a meal or clothes, always intimidated me because it makes the social interaction more personal since it won’t rely on the material good you give someone, but rather solely on your presence. Sister Anunciata tells us that approaching people to preach the gospel should not be our goal for these encounters, we should instead try and make a heart-to-heart connection with them, validate their humanity, and allow Christ to work through us to bring Him to these people in a loving way. As Sister breaks us into groups, I am suddenly uneasy and a little nervous about the task ahead. Every other service event we have partaken in this week has been great, and the comfort I feel participating in homeless outreach has grown tremendously; however, what we are about to partake in is more radical than anything I have done before. 

I started feeling called to go on the LA Spring Break Immersion trip during the fall semester of my junior year. Service has been something that I have tried to take more seriously by incorporating it into my life weekly while at school. The weekly service sites that Campus Ministry organizes groups to volunteer with have been a great way for me to gain more experience with areas of ministry that I have never dealt with before. Working with the elderly at the Little Sister of the Poor retirement home and the disabled at Bethlehem House have both been great ways of getting exposed to what it is like ministering to these groups. However, the homeless ministry has always been something that I never felt confident enough to fully engage with because of the impostor syndrome that I felt at the idea of attempting to help someone who would benefit more from the intercession with someone with more power or money and me and could cause a drastic change in someone’s life. I never had this same doubt about my work with the elderly or the disabled because my goal with them was to brighten up their day, not to drastically change their situation or reality. But when it came to working with the poor or the homeless, the desire to do more than what I was able to do left me feeling unmotivated to give what I had of myself because I was more concerned about seeing the fruits of my labors rather than trusting that a small act of kindness could have a profound effect.

Over the summer, I read the autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux, The Story of a Soul, and was greatly impacted by Therese’s writings. She is someone I feel I can relate to due to our shared experiences with anxiety and discouragement of small matters. These internal crosses Therese barred ultimately helped her to grow closer to Christ by seeking solace in Him. This is also what helped her to develop her signature form of spirituality, which she has become so widely known for, referred to as the “Little Way.” Therese’s “Little Way” focuses on doing small acts with great love rather than constantly trying to do monumental things. This “Little Way” requires a great amount of trust in God because, unlike grand acts, where the fruits can be seen right away, you may not be able to witness the effect of your action by following Therese’s spiritual teaching. St. Therese writes about desiring to do heroic things for the greater glory of God, just like St. Joan of Arc, whose bravery was evident in what she was able to accomplish. But Therese realized that while some people are destined to live out their faith in a very evident way, others are meant to serve the Lord quietly. This way of thinking also provided great consolation for me in my preparation for the mission trip as I was able to come to an understanding that the work that I will be doing during the course of the week may not change lives but it will be an opportunity for me to bring Christ into people’s lives and then trust that when I leave He says behind to continue working with those people. As our Chaplain said in one of his homilies during Mass, “Our work compared to the work of Christ is minute; He is the one who has the hardest job.”

One of the things that Sister said before we departed to walk along the boardwalk was that many of the people who have been living on the street for an extended time do not have their humanity affirmed by those around them, people don’t want to touch them or they cross the street to avoid being near them and so the simple act of putting out offering your hand and asking their name may seem like a small gesture but is very impactful. The act of going up to someone living on the street and speaking with them just for the sake of providing them with company and someone who they can talk to is the kind of radical love that Saints like Mother Teresa promote in their social teachings. While there will always be negative encounters with people while working in poor and homeless ministry, still being able to see that person as a beloved son or daughter of Christ is vital in continuing the work that every Christian is called to. 

We say a prayer together before departing to go out in pairs, just like how Christ sent the disciples out two by two. The rain continues to pelt down as I walk silently with the girl I have been paired with. We have been walking for some time without seeing anyone, and the sense of relief that maybe I won't have to interact with anyone after all starts to creep into my body. I am lost in my thoughts when my partner suddenly stops, “Maybe we could go say hi to him,” she says, pointing to a man on one of the benches. He's made a make-shift tent of sorts using a tarp and two shopping carts, and he sits eating sunflower seeds. The desire to continue walking hits me immediately, and I feel an empty kind of guilt in my heart. We have nothing to give this man, nothing that will keep him dry or full, or that will take care of any material needs he may have. I know that to do what I am being called to at this moment, I must assume the position of a trusting child as I give all my doubts over to Christ. St. Therese emphasized the importance of childlike trust and abandonment in her teaching of the “Little Way.” As she puts it, “I’m a little brush that Jesus has chosen in order to paint His own image in the souls entrusted to my care.” I implore Therese’s intercession as I nod my head and we head over towards the man. 

April 2025