Blessed Mother Teresa had become a legend in her own lifetime. And today, on her birth centenary, as the world remembers her fondly and the poorest of the poor of the “City of Joy” worship her as their Devi, the Catholic Church is preparing to officially pronounce her a saint.
In 2002, English weekly magazine Outlook conducted a survey among its readers to find out who, according to them, was the best Indian. The list included great Indian luminaries like Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, but the readers ticked Mother Teresa as the “best Indian”.
Of course, no one really needed a survey to verify the affection Mother Teresa commanded — not just in India, but the entire world. The then Government of India had, in fact, already bestowed upon her one of the highest honours by according her a state funeral as Mother left for heaven — her eternal home — on September 5, 1997.
What made Mother Teresa renounce the convent and embrace the abandoned sprang out of her long “Holy Hours” spent in intense prayer. “Holiness”, she used to say, “does not consist in doing extraordinary things. It consists in accepting, with a smile, what Jesus sends us…” That is why once when someone asked her about the success of her work, she promptly answered, “We do not count how successful we are but how faithful we are in serving the Lord”. For Mother, prayer was never divorced from her work. Nor could her hectic activity ever deprive her of the precious moments shared with Lord Jesus, her Master. Prayer and work always went hand in hand for Mother. She would often tell those training to join Missionaries of Charity, “The fruit of silence is prayer; the fruit of prayer is faith; the fruit of faith is love; the fruit of love is service and our service is for the poorest of the poor”.
In the world of mass media, where our attention is often distracted by television and glossy magazines for entertainment, sports, fashion and consumer goods, it is difficult to appreciate what led Mother Teresa to turn away from her convent life and plunge into the world of those totally rejected by society and often by their own families.
For Mother, however, it was clear that she chose to toil for the poorest of the poor because of her love for Jesus whom she witnessed in every “materially and spiritually poor person”. What caught her imagination and stirred her heart were the words of Jesus, “Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers (sisters), you do it to me. For I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you took me in; I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you visited me; I was in prison and you came to me” (Matthew 25: 35-36).
She was obsessed with the person of Jesus. Through the hungry she fed Jesus; through the leprosy patients she dressed Jesus’ wounds; she sheltered him when she gave shelter to destitutes and prostitutes; she consoled him in AIDS victims.
Through her relationship with Jesus she learnt how he interacted with people of all classes and ethnic origins. He embraced everyone in need of love and compassion, and this was a cue for Mother. And so, every human being, regardless of caste, creed or colour, was welcomed in her Homes and continues to be received into the temples of the Missionaries of Charity. Hence she could confidently claim, “We have absolutely no difficulty having to work with many faiths. We treat all people as children of God. They are our brothers and sisters”.
Her unflinching faith in the providence of God was astonishing and for ordinary folks like us, impossible even to consider. She believed that she was doing “God’s work and He would provide for our needs”. That principle guides the work of Missionaries of Charity even today. Most of their centres don’t even have a budget. Their trust that God will provide them through some generous soul has never ever been betrayed. Hundreds of people of good will, belonging to different faiths, vie to get their names registered to provide the next meal at their centres.
Through her work, Mother opened the eyes of the rich and the powerful towards the needs of the poor. It is wonderful to see how they rally round the nuns to continue her mission. Observing the conditions of the poor in our country no one can deny that there is ample scope for lots of people to join in sharing God’s love and generosity with them, those who are less fortunate, and those whom Mother gave dignity and loving care, most often, in their dying moments.
— Father Dominic Emmanuel, a founder-
member of Parliament of Religions, is currently the director of communication of the Delhi Catholic Church. He was awarded the National Communal Harmony Award 2008 by the Government of India. He can be contacted at frdominic@gmail.com [2]
Links:
[1] http://103.241.136.51/father-dominic-emmanuel-614
[2] mailto:frdominic@gmail.com
