This is the time of the year that we remember Mother Teresa of Calcutta. She died on September 5, 1997. Originally, Mother Teresa was from Albania but in her years as a Roman Catholic nun she held Indian citizenship. In 1950, she founded a religious order of Sisters which we have come to know as the Missionaries of Charity.
For over 45 years she ministered to the poor, the sick, the orphaned, and the dying. At the same time she was leading her order.
In 1979 she received the Nobel Peace Prize and in 1980 she received India's highest civilian honor.
Pope John Paul II beatified (a step on the way to Sainthood) Mother Teresa on October 19, 2003. (This is why she is now referred to as Blessed Teresa of Calcutta.)
Some of her well known statements:
The dying, the cripple, the mental, the unwanted, the unloved -- they are Jesus in disguise.
Little things are indeed little, but to be faithful in little things is a great thing.
It is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the doing. It is not how much we give, but how much love we put in the giving.
Nakedness is not only for a piece of clothing; nakedness is lack of human dignity, and also that beautiful virtue of purity, and lack of that respect for each other.
There is a terrible hunger for love. We all experience that in our lives - the pain, the loneliness. We must have the courage to recognize it. The poor you may have right in your own family. Find them. Love them.
There is more hunger in the world for love and appreciation in this world than for bread.
Before you speak, it is necessary for you to listen, for God speaks in the silence of the heart.
Speak tenderly to them. Let there be kindness in your face, in your eyes, in your smile, in the warmth of your greeting. Always have a cheerful smile. Don't only give your care, but give your heart as well.
The more you have, the more you are occupied, the less you give. But the less you have the more free you are. Poverty for us is a freedom. It is not a mortification, a penance. It is joyful freedom. There is no television here, no this, no that. But we are perfectly happy.
If you are humble nothing will touch you, neither praise nor disgrace, because you know what you are.
Do not allow yourselves to be disheartened by any failure as long as you have done your best.
We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.
There is only one God and He is God to all; therefore it is important that everyone is seen as equal before God. I've always said we should help a Hindu become a better Hindu, a Muslim become a better Muslim, a Catholic become a better Catholic.
If we really want to love we must learn how to forgive.
It is a poverty to decide that an unborn child must die so that you may live as you like.
If we pray, we will believe; If we believe, we will love; If we love, we will serve.
We can do no great things; only small things with great love.
You and I, we are the Church, no? We have to share with our people. Suffering today is because people are hoarding, not giving, not sharing. Jesus made it very clear: "Whatever you do to the least of my brethren, you do it to me. Give a glass of water, you give it to me. Receive a little child, you receive me." Clear.
I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish that He didn't trust me so much.
Only in heaven will we see how much we owe to the poor for helping us to love God better because of them.
I want you to be concerned about your next door neighbor. Do you know your next door neighbor?
Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.
God doesn't require us to succeed; he only requires that you try.
Despite giving your best to the world, you may be kicked in the teeth. Give the best you've got anyway.
Make us worthy, Lord, to serve those people throughout the world who live and die in poverty and hunger. Give them through our hands, this day, their daily bread, and by our understanding love, give them peace and joy.
Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God's kindness: kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile.
Well, let's do something beautiful for God.
1 comment:
I was heartened to read that even Teresa went through a dark night of the soul. I am also comforted by the fact that she keeps emphasizing that it's the small kindnesses we perform on a daily basis that matter. But hers certainly did add up!
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