It was winter and cold in the railroad station and there was a significant stopover for the group of nuns going to Zagrab. One of them was using the time to do some people watching. She noticed an old lady in shabby clothing going through the waste bins. It seemed there was one particular thing the woman was looking for. Finally she found it ... a styrofoam cup with a used tea bag still inside. She went to the water fountain and filled the cup and drank the "recycled tea". The sister noticed that she resumed the search and found another cup which she refilled and drank. Later when one of the nuns offered to get something to eat for the group, the observer asked for two cups of tea. When she got the hot liquid with the fresh tea bag she went to offer it to the poor woman. Her smile seemed to light up the cavernous railroad station. Maybe she hadn't eaten that day, but now she had the wonderful luxury of a fresh and hot cup of tea.
There are gourmet teas and coffees served in valuable porcelain cups but maybe the one warm cup of the day in a styrofoam container was more delicious than all of them. Also, that day perhaps many checks were written for large organizations who help alleviate human suffering, but maybe the small act of a cup of tea which was the loving response to an immediate need was worth more than they. If we believe the Gospel, we know that it was Jesus himself who enjoyed the cup of tea in the railroad station in Trieste.
