We, the Ordinary People of the Streets

Madeleine Delbrel (1904-1964) was a French Catholic author, poet, philosopher, social worker, and mystic. With several friends, she founded a small lay community dedicated to leading a contemplative Christian life in the midst of the world, declaring “We, the ordinary people of the streets, believe with all our might that this street, this world, where God has placed us, is our place of holiness.”  Rather than placing her hopes in sweeping changes and grand historic moments, she believed that the most significant events in the universe were often small and seemingly ordinary. Here is an excerpt from one of her works: 

"We, the ordinary people of the streets... don’t regard love as something extraordinary, but as something that consumes. We believe that doing little things for God is as much a way of loving him as doing great deeds. Besides, we’re not very well informed about the greatness of our acts. There are nevertheless two things we know for sure: first, whatever we do can’t help but be small; and second, whatever God does is great.

And so we go about our activities with a sense of great peace...

Because we find that love is work enough for us, we don’t take the time to categorize what we are doing as either 'contemplation' or 'action.'

We find that prayer is action and that action is prayer. It seems to us that truly loving action is filled with light . . .

Each tiny act is an extraordinary event, in which heaven is given to us, in which we are able to give heaven to others.

It makes no difference what we do, whether we take in hand a broom or a pen. Whether we speak or keep silent. Whether we are sewing or holding a meeting, caring for a sick person or tapping away at the typewriter.

Whatever it is, it’s just the outer shell of an amazing inner reality, the soul’s encounter, renewed at each moment, in which, at each moment, the soul grows in grace and becomes ever more beautiful for her God.

It is the doorbell ringing? Quick, open the door! It’s God coming to love us. Is someone asking us to do something? Here you are! … It’s God coming to love us. Is it time to sit down for lunch? Let’s go – it’s God coming to love us.

Let’s let him."


Another wonderful quote of hers:

"When you finally discover that you are just one of the little people, don’t conclude that this makes you special."

--Madeleine Delbrel, from We, the Ordinary People of the Streets. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2000.