The Feast of Mother Teresa

One

Mother Teresa 

Born in Albania in 1910, Mother Teresa entered the Sisters of Loretto in 1928. She served in Bengal India as a teacher for girls from wealthy families. However, in 1942 she made a vow to give to God anything He may ask and not to refuse him anything.

On Tuesday, September 10, 1946, on a train bound for Darjeeling, she had a mystical encounter with Christ. She saw a big crowd of people who cried out to her, “Come, come, save us, bring Jesus to us.” And then she heard the voice of Jesus pleading with her, “Come, come, carry Me into the holes of the poor. Come be My light.”  This double invitation from the crowd of poor and from Jesus echoed throughout her life. 

At first, she hesitated because she had a stable, safe, and comfortable life.  

However, again Jesus spoke to her with words that cut her to the heart, “You have come to India for Me. The thirst you had for souls brought you so far. Are you afraid to take one more step for your Spouse, for me, for souls? Is your generosity grown cold? Am I a second to you? You did not die for souls. That is why you don’t care what happens to them. Your heart was never drowned in sorrow as it was My Mother’s. We both gave our all for souls and you? You are afraid that you will lose… (who you were), and that you will be wanting in perseverance. No - your vocation is to love and suffer and save souls and by taking this step you will fulfill my Heart’s desire for you. That is your vocation.”

Two

About that same time, Mother Teresa read a biography of St. Francis Cabrini who left her home in Italy to be a missionary in America in 1889. 

Reflecting on her life Mother Teresa wrote, “Mother Cabrini did not wait for souls to come to her. She went to them with Zealous workers. Why can’t I do the same for Jesus here in India?”

Yet Mother Teresa did not feel capable. In Reply Jesus said to her, “You are, I know, the most uncapable person, weak and sinful, but just because you are that I want to use you for my glory! Wilt thou refuse? 

So, in 1948 she left the comfort and security of her convent, walking through the gates with five rupees, the equivalent of 5 pennies, to go out into the dark holes of the slums of India to bring the light of Jesus to souls steeped in the darkness of sin, abandoned by any help in the world.

From that day forward her aim was to bring souls to God and God to souls. 

In 1950, twelve women joined her and the Missionaries of Charity began. 

She writes, “The Aim of the Missionaries of Charity is to satiate the thirst of Jesus on the Cross for love and souls.”

Today the Missionaries of Charity number more than 5000 members with 766 homes serving the poor in 139 countries. 

Like Mother Cabrini before her, Mother Teresa was adamant, “We will not wait for souls to come to us; we will go in search of them.”

Three

Mother Teresa knew that she and those who joined her were totally incapable of bringing the light of Jesus to those in darkness. She was convinced that the work of comforting those in the greatest need would be impossible without the continual grace of Jesus received every day in the Eucharist and a deep life of prayer. Jesus would have to do everything, she would say, we have just to follow.

So, no matter how busy they were or how great a need they faced, Mother Teresa relied not on herself alone, but on Jesus by spending one hour each day with Him in Eucharistic Adoration. On days in which she had too much to do – she would spend two hours with Jesus – confident that while things might be humanly impossible for her – nothing was impossible for God if she relied on Him.  

Mother Teresa had also consecrated her life to Mary and was devoted to the Rosary. The Rule of the Missionaries of Charity was never to go to the slums without first praying the Rosary.

Mother Teresa would say, “Cling to the rosary…for without Our Lady we cannot stand!”

Four

Mother Teresa spoke of three types of poverty: material, social and spiritual. 

She would say, “Calcutta is everywhere.” And “The greatest, most serious form of poverty is spiritual.” To live life without food, water, shelter or health care is bad. But to live life without a relationship with God is far worse. Physical poverty will end. Spiritual poverty, to live without God, can go on forever. 

So, we must ask ourselves, who are the people we live with, are friends with, interact with, who do not have the light of Jesus?

What good is it to hear about the life of Mother Teresa unless we answer the call of Jesus ourselves? Can you not hear Him saying, “Come, come, carry me into the holes of the poor? Come be My light.”

I am the “Rosary Guy,” but I have fears and doubts, I am full of sin, and I am attached to my routines and comforts. Still, I desperately want to be a good Donkey who carries Mary and Jesus to others. But I can only do very little. I can’t do this alone. But we can do this together.

Can you hear those around you, “Come, come save us, bring us to Jesus?” And Jesus, “Wilt thou refuse?”

Five

Mother Teresa had a vision of big crowds. 

Most people respond, “Well, I’m no Mother Teresa. I just want to help my family and friends to heaven.” That is precisely our call. We are called to bring the light of Jesus to a small crowd by living a simple way of life of friendship with Jesus and friendship with others.

Commit to spending time in friendship with Jesus every day in prayer and commit to spending time in friendship with your small crowd regularly. Make the commitment to invite the people in your life to get together every Sunday – that is the day God gave us for family and friends.  

Every Sunday invite family and friends for a meal, drinks and dessert, go to a park, I don’t care what you do but do something together and talk and delight in one another. But don’t watch screens – that is not spending time together – stop kidding yourself…

But you must go one step further. Make the commitment to talk with each of them one one-on-one. Why? Because one one-on-one is where we really get to know them, to understand them, and it is where we can challenge them and hold them accountable. That is hard to do in a small group. 

If you are serious about helping your loved ones to heaven – then you will do this. Our Lady wants her children to live a simple way of life, of friendship, good conversation, and the Rosary. 

Can you hear Jesus calling you? Saying, “Come, come, carry me into the holes of the poor? Come be My light.”

Can you hear those closest to you saying, “Come, come save us, bring us to Jesus. Wilt thou refuse?”