In the book Mother Teresa: Contemplative at the Heart of
the World, she writes,
“Do we treat the poor as our dustbins to give whatever we cannot use or
eat? I cannot eat this food so I will give it to the poor. I cannot use this
thing or that piece of cloth so I will give it to the poor. Am I then sharing
the poverty of the poor? Do I identify
myself with the poor I serve? Am I one with them? Do I share with them as Jesus
shared with me?
This is the wonderful part of
our vocation, that as M.C.s (The
Missionary of Charity Sisters, she founded) we have created an awareness of
the poor in the whole world. Twenty years ago no one would believe that there
were hungry, naked men and women around. Today the whole world knows our poor
because of our work. Because they know they want to share.
The other day, a group of
Hindu school children came from very far. They had won prizes in a contest at
school and had asked the headmistress to give them money instead of the prizes.
Then they said, ‘Now, take us to Mother
Teresa. We want to give this money to her poor people.’ How wonderful it
was that they did not use that money for themselves! Because we have created
this awareness the whole world wants to share with the poor.
Whenever I accept money or an
award, I always take it in the name of the poor, whom they recognize in me. What
am I? I am nothing. It is the poor whom they recognize in me and that
they want to give to, because they see what we do. Today people in the world
want to
see. Why is our congregation spread all over the world today? It is
because people see what we do: feeding the hungry Christ, clothing the naked
Christ, taking care of the sick, the dying, the leprosy patients (she was
referring to Matthew 25:34-36). Because they see, they believe. How sad it will
be if we are not sincere in what we do.
Our poor people suffer much,
and unless we go with joy we cannot help them. We will make them more
miserable.”
THINK
BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.
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