Mother Teresa of Calcutta: an unshakeable faith

Small in stature but giant in charity, this little nun in the blue sari is often remembered for her warm, wrinkled smile. With unwavering faith and a fervent heart, Mother Teresa heard a profound calling of proclaiming God’s thirsting love for humanity, especially for the poorest of the poor. She made a vow to never refuse God anything. In the world's most impoverished areas, she tirelessly shared Jesus' compassion with those yearning for love. Her enduring legacy includes homes for people who are dying of HIV/AIDS, leprosy, and tuberculosis; soup kitchens, dispensaries, mobile clinics, children's and family counseling programmes, as well as orphanages and schools. As the founder of the Missionaries of Charity, she traveled the world, spreading the joy of divine love. Canonized as a saint by the Catholic Church in 2016, she remains one of the world's most admired figures.

CC BY-SA 4.0/Manfredo Ferrari

Reasons to believe:

It doesn't make sense to leave an honorable position as headmistress of a reputable school to go begging in the street for a living while visiting the slums to care for repulsive-looking people. Let alone to persist when everything seem to oppose your plans. Mother Teresa's decision to follow this more radical "vocation within a vocation" can only be the result of a supernatural call.

It is impossible to reconcile being daily immersed in the worse kind of human poverty and sickness while following an austere rule of life, yet retain inexhaustible vitality and joy. Mother Teresa's resilience in the face of countless adversities is truly astounding.

It is more than astonishing to spend one's life holding and interacting with people suffering from leprosy and all sorts of health-threatening infections without contracting any illnesses oneself. Yet Mother Teresa only showed signs of serious physical ailments in old age. It is therefore likely that she benefited from a heavenly protection.

Even with great organizational skills and effective help, it is extremely rare for a single person to manage the foundation of 610 communities and the spiritual care of 4,000 members without providential assistance.

Mother Teresa's faith was severely tested by a long and profound sense of estrangement from God but she bravely pushed back that darkness with constant determination for nearly fifty years: this is nothing short of a miracle. To live in an inner state of extreme desolation while being an apostle of joy is either a serious pathology or the attainment of human perfection. Yet, according to everyone who knew her, Mother Teresa remained balanced and serene through that inner night.

Summary:

Born in Skopje, Albania, on August 26, 1910, into a close-knit family, young Anjezë (Agnes) was influenced by her mother's kindness towards the poor. The deep gratitude in the faces she met marked her. The death of her father when she was eight made her even more attentive to the abandoned. With her natural cheerfulness, she became a soprano in her village choir, participated in theatrical plays and learned to play the mandolin. She was greatly interested by stories of missionary, and by the age of twelve, she knew she wanted to be a religious and serve the poor.

At the age of eighteen, Agnes left her family to join the Sisters of Loreto, first in Ireland to learn English, and a year later in Darjeeling, Bengal (India). She placed herself under the patronage of Therese of Lisieux ("The Little Therese"), patron saint of missionaries, and took the name Sister Mary Teresa. Soon she was sent to teach history and geography to young girls of good society at the Loreto convent school in Entally, eastern Calcutta. She professed her solemn vows in 1937, becaming "Mother" Teresa as is the Loreto custom. In 1944 she was appointed headmistress of the school. During these years, she was profoundly happy. Noted for her charity, unselfishness and courage, her capacity for hard work and a natural talent for organization, she lived out her vocation with fidelity and joy in her community.

On September 10, 1946, as she was leaving for her annual retreat, during the train ride to Darjeeling she heard Jesus say to her: "Will you refuse me? I am thirsty, I am thirsty... I am thirsty...". "The message was very clear: I was to leave the convent of Loreto to devote myself to the service of others, living among them. It was an order. I could see very clearly where this call was coming from. I intensely felt that Jesus wanted me to serve him in the poor, in the abandoned, in the slum dwellers, in those who have no refuge, by embracing a way of life that would assimilate me to the needy, in whom he is present, in whom he suffers, in whom he lives." She asked for and received permission to leave the school.

But not without difficulties: initially, the authenticity of this inspirations was tested by those in charge. Mother Teresa was forbidden to think about it. Because of the frequent discussions she had with her spiritual director and her confessor, slander even began to circulate about her. The provincial mother then sent her to Asansol, two hundred kilometres north of Calcutta. She willingly made the sacrifice of her own will and accepted this cross with assiduous faith in providence. She was deeply happy to give God what she loved most, keeping her smile for him despite the renunciation imposed on her.

However, Jesus' call persisted: "The burning desire to give everything to our Lord and to ensure that many souls do the same does not change". She received visions and interior locutions in which the Lord Jesus told her: "I cannot go alone, come, be my light". He showed himself distressed at the neglect of the poor by men and his sorrow at being ignored by them. He asked her to found a religious community, the "Missionaries of Charity", dedicated to the most destitute. In 1948, Mother Teresa received the approval of Pope Pius XII to dedicate herself to her mission, and she underwent medical training. Then, staying with the Little Sisters of the Poor, she began visiting the sick in the Taltala district of Calcutta.

Shaken by the "indescribable poverty of the people ", she energetically overcame her disgust at the filth and stench by seeing the face of Christ in everyone. She washed the wounds of lepers and the sick, caressed orphaned children, comforted destitute people in agony, begged for food and medicine, and educated children. Some Indians did not understand her attitude and feared that she was trying to convert the starving and dying. She endured the setbacks, mockery and slander with calmness and a smile, following Christ's call to pass on his love in silence and self-denial.

Gradually, young sisters joined her. Their community lived in great poverty. Mother Teresa showed her sisters that their work, united to the divine Heart of Jesus, would make them luminous witnesses to his goodness. In 1950, the congregation of the Missionaries of Charity was approved by the Holy See.

Some nights, Mother Teresa met poor people who had nowhere to rest. She woke up the sisters in the dormitory to add more beds. When she had just opened the Kalighat Home for the Dying, some Hindus rebelled against her and her sisters, throwing bricks and stones at them. The chief of police intervened to close the Missionaries of Charity centre. Later, the leader of the rebellion died in Mother Teresa's arms, exhausted, asking her forgiveness.

For fifty years, Mother Teresa's interior life was marked by an experience of a deep, painful and abiding feeling of being separated from God, even rejected by Him, along with an ever-increasing longing for His love. She called it "the darkness", "the painful night". Chilled by this inner cold that revolted her, she reduced her darkness to silence with astonishing inner strength, surrendering her soul unceasingly to the One who was everything to her.

Rooted daily in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and interior meditation, her actions and words showed complete fidelity to the faith of the Church, spreading a disconcerting supernatural joy. She helped families to respect the fertility of their bodies by teaching them to be responsible parents. She denounced the tragedy of abortion and loneliness by showing love for human life and deep respect for the family. "Mother" then traveled the world, founding 610 convents where communities of sisters and brothers lived. Her order was recognized by pontifical right. Awarded numerous distinctions, including the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, her main goal was to spread the charity of Christ by humbly using her worldwide fame to collect donations for the most disadvantaged.

Mother Teresa returned to the Father on September 5, 1997, in Calcutta, where she was given a state funeral. Pope Francis proclaimed her a saint on September 4, 2016.

Diane Suteau, author of the novel Les Conquérants de lumière.

Beyond reasons to believe:

Mother Teresa is considered one of the most influential personalities of the 20th century. Despite being humble and selfless, she accepted numerous distinctions and awards on condition that it would benefit the poor, and she crossed paths with famous and influential people. Her life and example has touched an immense number of people worldwide from all religious circles, including non-believers.

Going further:

Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light: The Private Writings of the Saint of Calcutta by Mother Teresa (Author), Brian Kolodiejchuk (Editor) Doubleday Religion (September 4, 2007)

More information:

Where There Is Love, There Is God: Her Path to Closer Union with God and Greater Love for Others by Mother Teresa, Image; Reprint edition (March 6, 2012)
No Greater Love by Mother Teresa, New World Library; First Trade Paper edition (March 5, 2002)
Mother Teresa (Revised Edition): An Authorized Biography by Kathryn Spink, HarperOne; Updated edition (June 7, 2011)
Documentary film Mother Teresa, No Greater Love (2023)