Mother Teresa’s life began in Yugoslavia in 1910 and ended in Calcutta India on September 5th 1997. She served 69 years the poor people. Received 127 awards and Nobel price of 1979. 4500 followers working in different parts of the world. You may know mother Teresa received Bellarmine Award in 1981 and visited Bellarmine 1982. Her speech is so beautiful and inspiring.
By this canonization Pope Francis is highlighting the merciful side of the church in the jubilee year of mercy.
Father Brian, the priest who campaigned for her sainthood says,“Even in popular culture she’s identified with goodness, kindness, charity,”
In her words, I took vow of poverty to understand the poor and their life better.
One day a journalist saw mother caring a man in the street who had wounds all over his body, she told motherTeresa, mother, I wouldn't have done this work if I was given a million dollars. Mother Teresa replied, I also wouldn't have done this work if someone has given me a million dollars, I do this just because of Jesus and I see Jesus in them.
Mother Teresa says, to understand the poor 1. we have to have a life of prayer and 2. we have to have to have relation with Jesus. Mother Teresa many times in her speeches reminded us in the speech she gave at Bellarmine the story in the Luke's gospel where mother Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth. According to her this is a story of outreaching to needy. She says, the moment Jesus came to Mary's womb she hasted to help her cousin. She went there to help her washing, cooking and cleaning. Small things but with love. She knew Elizabeth needed her.
Mother Teresa says, every time we receive Jesus we must have that joy and haste to give Jesus. We should have haste and joy to help others.
In the city of Calcutta, her sisters receive Jesus in the morning in the form of the Eucharist and the whole house is moving to give Jesus to others. What a beautiful concept. Our celebration of mass shouldn't end here it should move us to give Jesus to others.
Dalai Lama asked Buddhists to follow the path of mother Teresa. He said mother is the incarnation of Maha Karuna (immeasurable compassion)and Dalai Lama says, she represents love without distinction and compassion for all humanity and her love expressed through humble service.
Arch bishop was talking to students at St. X and sharing a an experience, someone in America asked mother Teresa how can I serve poor people? To serve poor, She said, you do not have to go to India, they are on your door steps. Yes, they are here around us. They may be one of your siblings, Neighbors, co workers, friends
They may not be hungry for a piece of bread but they may be hungry for love, they may not be naked for a piece of cloth but they may be naked because they lost human dignity. They may not be homeless for a room but they may be homeless for human love and touch. Yes, they are on our door steps. The alcoholic man you meet in your street is Jesus, the homeless man you see on the street is Jesus. She said give them a smile and from smile you start your love.
She says, love is not a luxury of few but it is a simple duty of everyone. She asks, give your smile to everyone.
Today's gospel teaches us 'If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple" We may feel our religion is odd, Jesus asking to hate? It's not Jesus asking us to hate but asking us to give priority to God and things of God. That's what mother Teresa did, she gave priority to love God and to do what he wants us to do. Mother Teresa is a great example of discipleship explained in today's gospel. She left everything for the sake of the gospel.
Pope Francis said in his canonization homily, Mother Teresa, in all aspects of her life, was a generous dispenser of divine mercy, making herself available for everyone through her welcome and defence of human life, those unborn and those abandoned and discarded. She was committed to defending life, ceaselessly proclaiming that “the unborn are the weakest, the smallest, the most vulnerable”. She bowed down before those who were spent, left to die on the side of the road, seeing in them their God-given dignity; she made her voice heard before the powers of this world, so that they might recognize their guilt for the crime of poverty they created. For Mother Teresa, mercy was the “salt” which gave flavour to her work, it was the “light” which shone in the darkness of the many who no longer had tears to shed for their poverty and suffering.
One thing mother Teresa taught me personally and all Christians in India to open our hearts and love people beyond their religion. In my country 97% of people are other religions( that's billions of people) and she taught me they are also children of God and they too will receive heaven if they do good. Her words always inspired me. She said once when asked about conversion, she said, this is my point view of conversion, if you are Hindu be a good Hindu, if you are a Muslim be a good Muslim, if you are a Protestant be a good Protestant, if you are a Buddhist be a good Buddhist. She wanted people to come closer to God (however they understood Him) and believed that in this way they would also come closer to each other, love one another, and ultimately create a world that is better for everyone to live in.
You all know that I am from India where mother Teresa worked as a missionary. I wished but unfortunately I could ever see Mother Teresa but I have received a blessing and signature from Mother Teresa! I am so happy Tomorrow this signature will turn in to a relic.
I receive this blessing and signature when I was a philosophy student in 1996. I was editing a handwritten magazine for the seminarians. I had crazy idea of getting mother's signature for the magazine. I asked one of our Friars to paint her picture on a letter size card and I posted mother Teresa with covering return postage. I was eagerly waiting and the next day we heard she fell sick and was in ICU. I lost hope but she recovered and the first thing she did after her recovery is to send her blessing to us. We keep this as a precious memory( the picture is on the top). She put a card with it and it said:
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
Let us celebrate mother Theresa loving everyone and giving our joy to every one
Fr. John Pozhathuparambil
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