“By blood, I am Albanian. By citizenship, an Indian. By faith, I am a Catholic nun. As to my calling, I belong to the world. As to my heart, I belong entirely to the Heart of Jesus.” – Mother Teresa
Though she was neither born nor raised in India, Mother Teresa did much for Indian society – especially for the sick people and the impoverished. A mere look at her picture is enough to calm one and to make a connection with humanity. Such is the power of Mother Teresa who worked for charity and lived a very simple life far above selfish human needs.
Since her childhood, Mother Teresa was spiritually inclined and grew up to become a Roman Catholic nun. In 1929 she came to India and started to teach at a missionary school. One day while traveling in a train from Calcutta to the Himalayan foothills she experienced something very different – a call that had changed her life forever. She decided to devote her life towards caring for the sick and the poor. She started by working in the slums of Kolkata. Mother Teresa believed that Christ had ordered her to leave teaching and to serve the poor. She gave up colors and started to wear a white sari with blue border. She became a true mother.
What a determination and will power characterized this woman! She service was not fuelled by a need for fame but for her love of Christ, the voice of her inner soul. Then she established an open air school and also a ‘Home for the Dying’. She convinced local and central governments to provide financial aid and support her cause. Within no time her charitable efforts won international recognition and people from all over the world started to back her work. The members of Missionaries of Charity grew from 12 to thousands. She then opened up many such homes all over the world.
Though efforts of charity are above recognitions and awards, Mother Teresa did receive several awards and honors. She was also awarded “Jewel of India”, the highest honor given to Indian citizens. In 1979, she was honored with Nobel Peace Prize but she refused to accept it in an award ceremony and asked for all the award money to be donated to the poor in India. All material rewards were only important so long as they helped her in serving humanity, the mother believed.
We may not have what it takes to become Mother Teresa but she did certainly inspire us to have a clean heart and to serve humanity. She makes us want to provide the needy a better life. These are some of her thoughts that have inspired me –
Remain calm as God resides in your heart and talks to you when you are calm.
Happiness does not need electronic gadgets and materialistic achievements.
Have faith in God and we must learn to forgive.
The thoughts are so inspiring that if you make these as a part of your daily affirmations you will be free from worldly tensions. I think there is no religion in the world which asks for violence and bloodshed. Every religion stands for peace and love. Only when we strive to fulfill our selfish needs we make religion an excuse to justify our lust for money, votes, power etc. Religion unites us, shows us the way to live. That is why becoming a religious person gives you happiness and peace in life.
Mother Teresa taught us that true inner peace comes from following the greatest of all religions – Humanity.
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