Blessed Saint Teresa of Calcutta
Born Into This World: August 26, 1910
Entered Into Eternal Life: September 5, 1997
Beatification of Mother Teresa: October 19, 2003
Canonized on September 4, 2016
God, our loving Father,
You have given us a beautiful example of love
in action through Your daughter, Mother Teresa.
In her life she showed us how to follow Jesus
by loving and serving others.She joyfully fed the hungry,
rallied for the poor and unwanted,
cared for the sick and the dying,
and sheltered the homeless.May we imitate her love and generosity
by reaching out to Your needy ones.Thank You for the gift of Mother Teresa.
May she now rest in Your arms eternally. Amen.
The Mother
photograph taken by Jack Shatzer
"I serve Jesus twenty-four hours a day, whatever I do is for him."
These are the words of Mother Teresa that were posted on the wall outside of her office at the Mother House.
February 5, 1995
"Tell them that we are not here for the work, we are here for Jesus. All we do is for him. We are first of all religious; we are not social workers, not teachers, not nurses, or doctors, we are religious sisters. We serve Jesus in the poor. We nurse him, feed him, clothe him, visit him, comfort him in the poor, the abandoned, the sick, the orphans, the dying. But all we do, our prayers, our work, our suffering is for Jesus. Our life has no other reason or motivation. This is a point many people do not understand. I serve Jesus twenty-four hours a day, whatever I do is for him. And he gives me strength. I love him in the poor and the poor in him. But always the Lord comes first."
Conversation with Edward Le Joly, 1977
LeJoly authored several books about Mother.
Jack Shatzer with Mother
"Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls."
Joy is prayer.
Joy is strength.
Joy is love.
Joy is a net of love with which we can "catch" souls.
--- Mother Teresa
Tshering Sherpa with Mother
"We should learn how to give. But we should not regard giving as an obligation, but as a desire."
"We should learn how to give. But we should not regard giving as an obligation, but as a desire. I usually say to our co-workers: I do not need your surplus. I do not want you to give me your leftovers. Our poor do not need your condescending attitude nor your pity. The poor need your love and your kindness."
--- Mother Teresa