Mother Teresa

I spent the last few days of my rotations (before I start Repro) reading the biography of Mother Teresa, written by Navin Chawla (a Hindu).

It really amazes me to see how Mother Teresa left the comfort of her home to serve the poorest of the poor in India, and subsequently around the globe.

There’s too much to even sum up on my blog page and I would really love to share part of a conversation the author had with Mother Teresa.

Q: Sacrifice is a difficult thing.
A: No. When you give it to God, there is a greater love.
Sacrifice does not cause sadness when given to God.

Q: Most of us have doubt. Are we doing the right thing?
A: no, that’s not a doubt. You want to do a greater good. You want to do something better. That’s not doubt. Doubt takes away your freedom.

Q: When one is face to face with someone who is physically maimed, suffering from leprosy, crawling with maggots, then having to touch such a person might cause a doubt.
A: That’s fear, not doubt.

Q: How is that overcome?
A: Prayer. But if you really love that person, it will be easier for you to accept that person. For that is an opportunity for you to put your love for God in living action. And for us in our scriptures, it is clearly said. Jesus said, “Whatever you do to the least of my brethren, you did it to me”. Faith is a gift of God, which comes through prayer.
The fruit of silence is prayer,
the fruit of prayer is faith,
the fruit of faith is love,
the fruit of love is service,
the fruit of service is peace.

Q: where do you get your strength?
A: The mass is the spiritual food that sustains me. I could not pass a single day or hour in my life without it…In the slums, I see Christ in the distressing disguise of the poor – in the broken bodies, in the children, in the dying. That is why this work becomes possible.

Q: When you go into situations like riots, don’t you fear?
A: Fear for what?..... Fear for going to God! (laughs)

Q: An interesting thing I have observed in Kalighat (where the Home for the Dying is) is that… no-one seems to be afraid of death.
A: You feel the presence of God there, and they feel the love they get. Like one said, “I’ve lived like an animal in the street but I will die like an angel”. They die content. 23000 have died there.

Q: With all this difficult work, how do you still manage a sense of humor?
A: The work is very, very beautiful. We have no reason to be unhappy. We are doing it with Jesus, for Jesus, to Jesus….That is why I want to receive all these children. God’s image is in every single child, no matter what that child is, disabled or beautiful or ugly – its God’s beautiful image created for greater things – to love and be loved.