the First and the Last,
the Beginning and the End" - Revelation 22:13 -
The spirituality of the Missionaries of Charity as developed by Mother Teresa is essentially Christocentric.
1. In its origin and inception: the Call of Jesus to serve Him in the poor, the Road-to-Darjeeling event, yearly commemorated on its anniversary, the 10th of September as "Inspiration Day". The Society recognizes that its existence is the result of that call Jesus made to Mother Teresa to serve him in the poorest of the poor.
2. In its purpose and aim which is to quench the thirst of Jesus for the love of men.
3. In its exemplar or model: the Christ of the Gospel, his life and teaching. The congregation endeavours to live the Gospel as thoroughly, as perfectly, as can be done today.
4. In its motive force found in Christ in the Eucharist and Christ in the poor. Christ is the cause, the mainstay and the end of the Sisters' vocation of their religious life and apostolic work.
1. - THE CALL - The call of Saint Paul and that of Mother Teresa exhibit striking similarities. The Road-to-Damascus event and the Road-to-Darjeeling event, both changed the direction of a life already dedicated to the honour and service of God.
In both cases Jesus calls, commands, directs, informs. To Paul, Jesus indicates that the zealot of Yahweh's cult persecutes him in his followers: "I am Jesus whom Saul persecutes" - Acts 9:5 - To Mother Teresa, Jesus her bridegroom to whom she is wedded for life, commands: "Serve Me in my poorest brethren" Jesus assumes what is done to his own, as done to himself.
In both cases the Lord Jesus gives an order. To Paul, he says "Go". Mother Teresa on her part acknowledges, "It was an order". The Lord commands.
They are both to be Christ's instrument for the spread of the Good News. The Lord tells Ananias: "This man is my chosen instrument to bring my name before pagans and before pagan kings and before the people of Israel" - Acts 9:15 - Paul's mission is to be universal.
Mother Teresa has all along been deeply conscious of being the instrument of Jesus. Her purpose of procuring the glory of Jesus which is limited in immediate scope to the spiritually and materially most needy, indirectly affects all sections of mankind. She has appeared and delivered her message before more kings, presidents and ministers and before larger audiences than any other religious founder.
What Paul and Mother Teresa are to do immediately, how they are to carry out their mission neither of them knows. Paul is at first blinded and has to be led by the hand. Soon he is entrusted to Ananias and is baptized. Then the Spirit guides him. Mother Teresa similarly confesses, "I knew where I had to go; but I did not know how to get there". She was not aware of how she was to fulfil God's will; hence she required perfect trust and abandon to the divine guidance.
Both these "chosen vessels of clay" will have to share in the Passion of Christ for the redemption of the world. "I myself will show him how he himself must suffer for my Name" said the Lord to Ananias - Acts 9:16 - Through Paul's Letters we know how he had to suffer. He spoke eloquently of his floggings, stoning, shipwrecks, two nights and a day at sea, persecutions, dangers from every side, false brethren, disappointments from his helpers and continual anxieties for the good of the Church he had established and nurtured.
After Paul's example and wonderful teaching, inspired by the Holy Spirit, all religious souls know that the following of Christ implies to enter into the paschal mystery, sharing in the Passion and Death of Jesus, before experiencing the joy of the Resurrection. But only with discretion and deep respect for God's action in souls can we speak of a living person in sufferings of Christ.
Mother Teresa has written more than once to persons especially tried by God, "Jesus must love you much since he gives you such a large share in his sufferings". Life has not been a bed of roses for one who rises daily at 4a.m. to make the Station of the Cross, work and pray the whole day and retire to sleep at 1a.m. She has to shoulder the burden of many new foundations every year, travel extensively, appear hundreds of times before different audiences every year.
For both Paul and Mother Teresa, it was fitting, it was prophetical that God's call should be made and heard on the road which both would use to such an extent for the glory of Jesus who had called them to apostolate. They both felt that their mission was universal: the world awaits the Good News of the coming of Christ, we must travel as far as we can, spreading the Gospel of Jesus in every land.
2. - TO QUENCH THE THIRST OF JESUS FOR SOULS - When she came to Cambridge for the convocation at which she was to receive an honorary Doctorate in Divinity from Prince Philip, the Chancellor of the University, Mother Teresa went to convent on midday. People came to meet her there, including members of the press. A reporter asked her, "What made you start your work, what inspired you and kept you going during so many years?" Mother Teresa answered, "Jesus".
The reporter looked disappointed: he must have expected long explanations but was told only one word. For Mother Teresa one word sufficed to sum up her whole life, to explain her faith, enterprise, courage, love, devotion, efficiency, single-mindedness: Jesus. Everything was due to him, every effort and sacrifice made for him. Mother Teresa expressed it again forcefully when she said, "Father, tell them: We do it for Jesus". The sentence has become her motto, her watchword, the explanation she gives of the activity and the success of the Sisters, "We do it for Jesus" everything, all the time.
3. - JESUS IS THEIR MODEL - Jesus is the exemplar or model the Missionaries of Charity are to follow: like Christ they bring hope, light, joy. They have heard the astonishing words the Lord pronounced in the synagogue at Nazareth after he had read the prophetic passage of Isaiah - 61:1-2 -
"The Spirit of the Lord has been given to me, for he has anointed me. He has sent me:
to bring the good news to the poor,
to proclaim liberty to captives,
to give new sight to the blind,
to set the downtrodden free,
to proclaim the Lord's year of grace". Then Jesus said: "today these words are being fulfilled in your hearing" - Luke 4:18-19,21 -
Following in the footsteps of Jesus, the Missionaries of Charity bring the good news of God's love to men,
like Jesus they go about doing good,
like Jesus they seek those in need,
they bring help to the blind, the lame, the lepers,
they provide food to the hungry and consolation to the abandoned.
In her spiritual teaching Mother Teresa likes to stress the humility of Jesus who only gives but come to ask, to ask so that he may give us. The gentle, kind, thoughtful Lord stops at the Well of Jacob to ask a person, to ask a sinner, "Give me a drink". And to dispel the woman's astonishment, Jesus adds immediately. "If you knew who is the one who asks you, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water" - John 4:10 - In truth, Jesus was physically thirsty, tired of walking, preaching the Good News, seeking souls. But He was still more thirsty for the love of men, asking us, "Give me a drink" Yes, unworthy as you are, give me a drink and I shall fill you with the water of life and love.
Christ in the Garden tell us, "Wait here and watch with me awhile" He asks for help, for comfort, for sharing in his agony but finds himself disappointed by his very apostles. "You could not watch with me even one hour?" - Matt. 26:36,40 -
Christ stoops to ask on the cross, issuing a call, a request, "I thirst". And again today he tells us. "I stand at the door knocking; if anyone will open to me, I shall come in and share his meal" - Rev. 3:20 - Lord, you ask in order to give yourself, so that, we shall share with you; the perfect love.
Christ is the perfect example of love the Sisters must seek to imitate. "Love one another" Mother Teresa pleads, "as Jesus loved us, who gave his life for us when we were sinners.
4. - CHRIST IS THE MOTIVE FORCE OF THEIR LIFE - "We could not do without him" states Mother Teresa. He inspires and sustains by his grace, their detachment, their poverty, their trust, their cheerfulness, their service of the poor. Mother Teresa confidence in Jesus knows no limit. To his presence in her and her Sisters, she attributes their strength and the remarkable fruits of their apostolic. She says, "We are able to go through the most terrible places fearlessly because Jesus in us will never deceive us; Jesus in us is our love, our strength, our joy and our compassion."
Mother's conception of man is rooted in the Gospel which teaches us the primacy of God, extols the beauty of God's plan for mankind, proclaims the dignity to each and every human person. The two greatest commandments are those of love: love of God and love of the neighbour. It has its root in the love of God, God seen in the neighbour, whoever, wherever and whatever he be.
Mother Teresa stresses that life-long devoted service of the poor requires a strong motivation, found in faith and love. "Without faith, no love; without love, no service of the poor, the abandoned, the sick, the cripple and the dying. You can do our work two years or three years without religious motivation but not a whole life-time. If you do not believe it, try to do it..."
The work of the Missionaries of Charity is not centred on the poor as it has so often been represented in the press. "Mother Teresa saw the misery and poverty on Calcutta roads and her heart went out to the poor sufferers; she had to do something about it..." No, this is not the correct story, not the right interpretation of this extraordinary activity, this wonderful work of charity that goes on since thirty-five years and will go on much longer.
The truth is that Mother Teresa heard the appeal of Jesus deep down in her soul. The Lord called her to serve Him in the poorest of the poor and she answered, "Here I am, the handmaid of the Lord, prepared to quench your thirst for love, my Jesus, your thirst as you suffer in the poor, your brethren".
"You cannot love two persons perfectly" says Mother Teresa, "but you can love all men perfectly if you love the one Jesus in them all". This means that one should centre his mind and heart, his life and activity on Jesus, see him in every human sufferer.
Mother Teresa views all her work as centred on God, depending on Him. "We are to be God's associates, doing His work, working with Him, for Him". Having given themselves up to Jesus for life without any restriction, the Sisters belong to Him and belong to those in whom He lives. Mother Teresa wants the Sisters to devote themselves fully to those who represent Christ for them. She tells them, "Let the Sisters and the people eat you up". Again she tells her Sisters, "Just as the seed is meant to be a tree, we are meant to grow into Jesus". The brides are to be moulded into the image of the divine Bridegroom, until as Paul says "Christ is formed in them", so that they may be able to say in truth, "I live no more I, of my own life but Christ lives in me" - Gal. 2:19-20 -
BY REV. FR. EDWARD LE JOLY S.J.
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Sunday, May 24, 2009
I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!
I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.
HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -
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