Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa (http://www.motherteresa.org/13_anni/Reactionsandcomments.html ())

"We are not social workers. We may be doing social work in the eyes of some people, but we must be contemplatives in the heart of the world"("Mother Teresa Of Calcutta Center"). Mother Teresa lived by this quote everyday of her life by caring for the sick and helping the poor. Mother Teresa was born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu on August 26, 1910 in Macedonia to Albanian parents. She was the youngest of three siblings. At the age of 19, she left home and joined the Sisters of Loreto where she started to learn English and dedicated her life to serving God. Mother Teresa then arrived in India in 1929 and became a teacher. "It was on a train to Darjeeling on September 10, 1946, that then Sister Teresa received her second call from God. She called it a "call within a call," and it asked her to serve only the poorest of God's creatures, the destitute, the dying, the lonely, for the rest of her life. She accepted this summons without question, applying immediately for freedom from the Loretto Sisters to pursue her new duties"(Parks). Through her work over the years, Mother Teresa helped thousands of lives and became a hero figure to many. A true hero must possess a caring soul, be a selfless person to others, and be brave when called upon in difficult situations. Caring is letting people know that they have someone to care for them. To be brave is not being afraid when things seem to be impossible to overcome. Being selfless means putting others before oneself. These traits enabled Mother Teresa to do her work which was sometimes grueling and emotional draining, yet she persevered because of her innate sense of wanting to help and give love to everyone who needed it.

Mother Teresa holding a baby (http://www.motherteresa.org/13_anni/Reactionsandcomments.html ())

Mother Teresa cared for people by the way she took in those who had nothing. She started missionaries, and tried to get help to those in need. She traveled to the poorest and filthiest places in the world, treated people with many contagious diseases, and created many humane foundations along the way. Mother Teresa also cared about the lives of the poor kids with no parents or guardians to claim them. Mother Teresa loved children, including those who were still waiting to be born. "'The unborn infants are the poorest among the poor. They are nearest to our Lord,' she said. She wanted all children to be loved and wanted by their families. She also believed that all people, born and unborn, have a right to live and be cared for. Her love for poor children also drove Mother Teresa to establish orphanages to care for children with no parents"(Sullivan and Ingpen). Mother Teresa's love for all children motivated her to build homes for the homeless and made a difference in their lives. Mother Teresa also believed that all children deserved to have an education. That is why she set up schools for poor children and taught them for years. When Mother Teresa was in Calcutta, India, she experienced a horrific event that tested her commitment. "On this day, however, it was not only the hungry and sick who commanded Mother Teresa's attention. Lying on a pile of garbage in the stifling heat, while rats gnawed at her feet, a woman lay dying. For Mother Teresa, dying in the streets, alone and in pain, was the worst kind of indignity. The sight of the suffering woman impelled the energetic nun to immediate action. With a companion, Mother Teresa gathered up the woman and hurried her to a hospital, where she was turned away. There were only enough beds in the overcrowded hospitals for those who could be cured. Despite being refused, Mother Teresa did not give up. Finally, at one hospital, she simply would not budge until the woman was taken in to lie on a mattress on the floor, where she died a few hours later. Mother Teresa has said 'It was then that I decided to find a place for the dying and take care of them myself'"(Horner and Dils). This occurrence made her think that there were many sick and poor out there, but there are also the dying, the weakest of them all. She thought people should have a smile on their lips before they die. She also thought no matter what life a person lived, good or bad, they should die with dignity. Mother Teresa not only gave support to those that needed it, but tried to bring them peace.

Mother Teresa treating a patient (http://accuradio1.blogspot.com/2011/05/mothers-we-love-to-love.html ())

Mother Teresa went through many hardships while helping others, but she faced these obstacles with determination and bravery. Mother Teresa's bravery and courage helped saved many lives and made her stronger as a person. "She saw wounded people crying in pain and dead bodies lying in the streets. In the middle of this confusion, Sister Teresa searched for a way to help her hungry students. Suddenly a truckload of soldiers stopped in front of her. 'Get back to your convent!' the officer in charge shouted. Sister Teresa did not even stop to think before speaking. 'I have 300 students who have no food. If I can't find food for them, I will not go back.' The soldiers looked at this tiny nun standing so bravely in front of them. Mother Teresa looked at if she herself hadn't eaten in a few days. They gave her some of their grain. Then they drove the food to the school in their truck. In these soldiers, Sister Teresa saw God helping her, and she thanked him"(Sullivan and Ingpen). Without her bravery, Mother Teresa would not have been able to get food for her students and might  not even have saved herself. She had vowed that she would do everything in her power to help those in need. Back then, there were not many doctors available, so Mother Teresa treated many people with diseases such as AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. "Mother Teresa also took care of people with leprosy. Many people were too afraid of this disease to touch people who suffered with it"(Sullivan and Ingpen). Mother Teresa never cared what disease or how big the wound was. The only thing she cared about was the life of the patient. No matter what disease a person had, or what obstacle had to be overcome, Mother Teresa had the gift of bravery and courage that guided her through all the agonizing and horrendous moments of tending to the sick and the dying.

 What made Mother Teresa a hero was that she was a selfless humanitarian. Her first instinct was to to be charitable and putting the needs of other people above her own. She never stopped to celebrate her successes and accomplishments. "In the early 1970s, Mother Teresa began to receive awards with large cash stipends, including the Pope John XXIII Peace Prize, with a prize of $25,000, and a Joseph Kennedy Jr. Foundation Award, with a prize of $15,000. The money from the Peace Prize went to build a new leper colony and to help rape victims in Bangladesh. The money from the Kennedy prize funded a home for handicapped people in India"("Mother Teresa"). She always tried to deflect all the attention off of her and onto those who worked with her or those who needed her help as when she received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. Mother Teresa did not care what condition she lived in as long as she could still go out and help others. She and her fellow nuns lived in very harsh conditions:"Our life in the convent is very simple, with no luxuries. I can easily count everything that I own on my fingers. Each sister has only two habits, one to wear while the other is being washed. One pair of sandals and two pairs of stockings are our only other clothing. We each have one iron plate for meals, a cotton quilt, and a bucket. We wear coarse underwear that doesn't soften until it has been washed at least ten times. On the outside, our life appears to be hard and uncomfortable. But inside, our spirits are calm, peaceful, and filled with joy. We know we have God's work to do"(Sullivan and Ingpen). The reason that Mother Teresa lived in very harsh conditions was that she could donate everything she had received to helping the poor. She even gave some of her money she was going to use for personal use to one of her Missionaries of Charity. Even though she could have bought herself a new set of clothing, she gave it to someone less fortunate who might have not been able to afford a new set of clothes.

A true hero is one who sacrifices himself to help the lives of others and makes the world a better place to live in. Mother Teresa dedicated her life and rallied many others to the plight of the poor and the sick. She comforted the sick, cared about the downtrodden, and fed the hungry. She took care of those who were rejected and cast aside by the world. A little girl who Mother Teresa cared for said, "'We are often thought to be an unfortunate lot, rejected by our parents, relatives and society. But it was our wretchedness which brought us near to Mother. Our lives have been touched by one of the truest messengers of God. I would say we are the luckiest'"("Mother Teresa Of Calcutta Center"). Mother Teresa inspires all of us with her charitable and altruistic spirit. Her selflessness makes us feel that we could also make a difference in other people's lives by caring for others. "On September 5, 1997 Mother Teresa passed away from a massive heart attack and died in the headquarters of her order in Calcutta. She was 87 years old. Tributes flowed in throughout the world. Coretta Scott King said that 'Our world has lost the most celebrated saint of our times,' a sentiment echoed by many"("Mother Teresa"). Fortunately, Mother Teresa's passion for helping the poor will live on with us as her missionaries are still prospering and still helping those in need. Heroes come in many forms. They may not be the biggest, the richest, or the most talented people. The true heroes are the ones like Mother Teresa, just a small nun with a big heart and a lot of hope. She will always be remembered as the inspirational leader that motivated people all over the world to follow her example to make this world a better place .

Works Consulted

Horner, Matina S., and Tracey E. Dils. "Mother Teresa." Mother Teresa (0-7910-5887-5)(2002):    

       7.Biography Reference Center. Web. 20 May 2012.

"Mother Teresa." Mother Teresa (Biography Today) (2010): 1. Biography Reference Center.

Web. 7 May 2012.

"Mother Teresa Of Calcutta Center." Mother Teresa Of Calcutta Center. Mother Teresa Center,

2 May 2012. Web. 09 May 2012. .

Parks, Joyce M. "Mother Teresa." Great Lives From History: The Twentieth Century(2008):

          1.Biography Reference Center. Web. 3 May 2012.

Sullivan, Anne Marie, and Robert Ingpen. "MOTHER TERESA. (Cover Story)." Mother Teresa

(1-59084-142-5) (2003): 5. Biography Reference Center. Web. 3 May 2012.