“My vocation is love” – Mother Teresa
From time to time on the World Race we get to take a pause from ministry and take a day off. In Thailand we were able to go visit waterfalls and night markets. In Cambodia, we went to a dangerous (yet fun!) waterpark. In Australia, we went into downtown Darwin and were able to explore the city. In Malaysia, we went to “monkey beach”-and in case you were wondering, there were monkeys and they did steal our food! As mentioned in my last blog I’ve spent this past month in Calcutta, India working at an orphanage with 13 awesome boys. It has been fitting this month that we have been working with orphans because as many of you know, Calcutta is where Mother Teresa-an advocate for orphans and the poor – began and carried out her ministry work. Several days ago I was able to visit Missionaries of Charity or “Motherhouse” in downtown Calcutta, where Mother Teresa lived and worked until her death in 1997. In case you don’t know too much about Mother Teresa and her work here is a quick rundown:
– Mother Teresa was born Gonxha Agnes Bojxhiu on August 26, 1910.
– At only the age of 12, she felt a call to the religious life.
– Arriving in Calcutta in 1929, she began work as a teacher in St. Mary’s school in Calcutta.
– Later in 1948 she felt a call to begin working with the poorest of the poor in India. She started Missionaries of Charity shortly thereafter.
– Mother Teresa went on to open roughly 170 houses to help the sick, poor and suffering around the world, including in Uganda, Cambodia, Pakistan, Haiti, Iraq, Germany, Honduras and Yemen among others.
– Throughout her lifetime Mother Teresa received over 700 awards and honors including the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.
It was an incredible experience to visit the place where Mother Teresa began her ministry. Although, I’m not Catholic I have a deep respect for her selflessness and love towards those that were hurting. As we walked throughout the building we were able to view the chapel and the courtyard, and were even able to meet some of the sisters that work with Missionaries of Charity. One of the most meaningful moments was when we were able to see Mother Teresa’s living quarters, which she occupied up until her death in 1997. The room was small and simple, with the bare necessities-a small desk, chair and bed-not what you would think for someone of her stature and international renown. As I perused her room there was one thing in particular that caught my eye. On a dresser near her bed, there was a piece of paper, and on it was written:
“My vocation is love”
As we left the Missionaries of Charity building and drove off through the city I pondered the quotation that I had seen in her room. I think it gives insight into Mother Teresa’s life and work but more importantly to the God she served. Mother Teresa fully understood that she was created for two main purposes– to love God and to love others. That was her full time job. In Matthew 22: 37-38, Jesus tells us that the greatest commandment is to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” and to “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails…”
