As I read about St. Teresa of Calcutta, I sometimes get lost in my thoughts about that train ride from Calcutta to Darjeeling. I am trying to wrap my brain around the moment that she realized God was calling her to change the world! I suppose when you discern such a huge calling from God, you can also have faith that He will walk that journey with you, but still. She had to be a bit overwhelmed at first, right?
Or did she already have the presence of mind that she shared in this quote, ” God still loves the world and He sends you and me to be His love and His compassion to the poor.” (found here, para 1) By the way, do you think she purposefully paralleled John 3:16 with that one? I read it with the emphasis as, “God still loved the world…” …so he’s sending us, as parts of the body of His only begotten Son. What an amazing call to action!
Still, I wonder how she got started. It sounds like she just jumped right in. My obsessive need to plan each detail and verify all needed resources well in advance of any project makes it difficult to imagine her next steps. It sounds like she pretty much just went to Calcutta with a few other nuns and had faith that the Lord would provide. And she wasn’t afraid to beg for help, literally.
I want to have that kind of faith, don’t you? Wouldn’t it be wonderful to really trust in God that much? It would be so amazing to stop worrying about every little thing.
I remember a conversation with my husband, probably 25 years ago or more. He informed me that he and my father had discussed it, and they decided that I am going to have to stop worrying so much, or I’m going to end up with an ulcer. I think I laughed, initially, not because he was wrong but because they actually thought telling me not to worry would magically put me at peace.
Well it turns out, there is a way to stop worrying …or at least reduce the amount of worry. I don’t know why they didn’t suggest this solution at the time, and I don’t know why I didn’t think about it sooner. Although I will probably never have the faith of Mother Teresa, now that I start each day with my prayer journal, I don’t seem to let things bother me as much.
It is still hard to imagine the kind of courage and determination that Mother Teresa must have had, but I would say her faith paid off! According to the Missionaries of Charity website, as of 2015 there were 5,150 Sisters, 439 Brothers, and 35 Priests in the congregation. They have a presence in more than 100 countries, and they continue with the philosophy of their foundress:
He spoke of His Thirst – not for water but for love, for sacrifice. Jesus is God; therefore, His love – His thirst – is infinite.
The Aim of our Society is to quench this infinite thirst of God Made Man. …The Missionaries of Charity, using the four vows,… continually give the thirsting God to drink of their love and the love of souls they bring to Him.
The Missionary of Charity must always be with Our Lady at the foot of the Cross,… to quench the burning thirst of Jesus.” (find their site here)
Lord God, we know You have a plan for our lives. We know that You want eternal joy for all of us, and all we have to do is answer Your call. Help us to learn from St. Teresa of Calcutta and her amazing example of obedience to Your will. Guide us to be your servants so that we might bring Your love to others. Grant that we might also contribute in some way to the efforts to quench your thirst.