Queen Elizabeth II says Jesus Christ helps her see the value of doing small things

Jardine Malado Monday, December 26, 2016

Britain's Queen Elizabeth attends a Service of Commemoration at Westminster Abbey to mark the centenary of the Gallipoli campaigns, in London, England, April 25, 2015. | Reuters/Hannah McKay/Pool

Queen Elizabeth II said that she is one of many people who are inspired by Jesus Christ, who helped her to see the value of doing small things.

In her traditional Christmas Day address, the Queen emphasized the importance of doing small acts of goodness.

She praised the British athletes who participated in the Olympic games in Rio this year. She noted that many of the winners spoke about being inspired by athletes of the previous generations and that they have now become an inspiration to others.

The Queen said that she was inspired by the dedication of people who work at the Cambridge base of East Anglian Air Ambulance, where her son, Prince William, works as a helicopter pilot. She mentioned that she draws strength from ordinary people who do extraordinary things.

"They are an inspiration to those who know them, and their lives frequently embody a truth expressed by Mother Teresa, from this year Saint Teresa of Calcutta. She once said: 'Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love,'" she remarked, according to the transcript published by The Guardian.

The Queen noted that Jesus Christ lived obscurely for most of his life, and he was rejected by many during his ministry. She pointed out that he now has billions of followers who look to him as 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," she said. "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," the Queen added.

For the first time in almost 30 years, the Queen was not able to attend church on Christmas Day due to a heavy cold. Her Christmas message was recorded before she learned that her granddaughter, Zara Tindall, and her husband, Mike, had lost their baby.

An alternative Christmas message was delivered by Brendan Cox, husband of Jo Cox, an MP who was murdered last June.